Bee Blocks for the Jersey Shore MQG

I am part of the Jersey Shore Modern Quilt Guild and we have such a fun group of women.  We decided a bit back that we wanted to do a bee in our group.  It has been fun making the different blocks for the different members.

June - Cindy gave us the blue fabric and asked up to make some block with it.  I went for the Octagonal Orb by Elizabeth Hartman.

July - Diane asked for a firework block which is like a modified asterisk block.  She gave us all black blocks to use as the background.

August - My month, I asked for large hexagon blocks in scrappy monocromatic colors.  I gave each member a template to use for size along with a bit of fabric to get started and said that any way they want to sew it is perfect.  For an example I made one with 2.5" charms and another with batik strings.  

Here is a selection of the hexagons I got back.  Love them all!!  I have a few more I got recently that I haven't taken pictures of yet.

September - Rose (mom) asked for courthouse steps blocks with a red center that she gave us and green steps for a Christmas block.  You didn't have to use Christmas fabrics if you didn't want to.  

October - Kat asked for any block, but she wanted us to use black fabric that she gave us and accent it with bright colors.  I'm calling mine the semi-circle of geese, a blend of the paper pieced circle of geese and straight traditional geese.

I am really enjoying making a different block each month for the different members.  I can't wait to lay out all my hexagons and decide how I am going to put them together.  I am thinking I might sash them in a white on white so they all stand out on their own.

Jersey Shore MQG Group Quilt

I may have mentioned a couple of times that I am a member of the Jersey Shore Mogern Quilt Guild.  It is a wonderful group of women with all levels of experience and all kinds of quilts.  I love seeing what everyone makes each month.

A few months ago we all made Scrappy Trip blocks to make a charity quilt.  When we gathered them all togerher it was decided to chop them all up, add white, and make a fun new pattern with them.

Diane worked with a couple other members and got the top pieced, I love all the different blocks that were made for the quilt.  Now I have it here, waiting to be quilted.  After I get these memory quilts done I am going to have this quilted.  My goal is to get it done before our next meeting in August.

After we all made the scrappy trip blocks we decided to make another group quilt.  I suggested the improv monochromatic log cabin blocks that I saw in the Scrappy Stash Quilt Along at Ellison Lane.  I received a bunch of blocks, three larger than the others.  I was so excited to see them up on my wall.  It was funny to see that no one made a yellow block!  I played with the layout a bit on my wall/guest bed.  I decided to fill in the gaps I would add yellow and maybe extend the color of a block it was next to.

Once I started piecing this quilt it flew together, I mean really flew, it only took about an hour and a half.  I admit I was having a really bad day and putting this together was the best distraction I could have asked for.  The members of our guild approved and that made me really happy.  I am loving the big blocks in the middle of the quilt, it just adds something to it.  Now to back it and quilt it.  I have a salmon color for the backing, I might add a strip or two to the back for fun.

I love the group at the Jersey Shore Modern Quilt Guild.  If you are visiting the Jersey Shore when we have a meeting please stop on by. :)