Stashbee September

September is here already and I have my blocks from my bee mates.  This month Helen has asked for a fun Irish chain block in specific colors.  I chose red and purple.

Stashbee August Bee-crashing

Since it is my month I was feeling a bit lost so I jumped on board another groups hive and made a couple plus blocks for Rose in New Jersey.

Stashbee August

This month is my month for stashbee. I've designed my own quilt and I am excited to have my bee mates make me blocks for it.  Here is my tutorial for this quilt if you are interested in creating this for yourself.  I am a lover of circles, which is where this idea came from. 

We are going to low volume with colorful circles.

This is my vision for this quilt.  As you can see there are blocks with circles and some without.

For the low volume I would prefer more white based than cream.

For the circles I would like teal, aqua, light green,... colors like in this selection

To make this block you will need 

2 different - 6.5” x 12.5” low volume rectangles 

Small pieces for circles. (I’m showing reverse appliqué, but you can do your favorite method) 

Using freezer paper, cut circles in the sizes wanted.

Iron the freezer paper, shiny side down, to the back of the the low volume fabric.  (Make sure to leave enough room on the sides for seam allowance so we don't cut the circle when the blocks are sewn together.) 

Cut a hole in the middle of the freezer paper in the low volume fabric leaving a half inch border.  Snip the fabric almost to the edge of the freezer paper.

Glue back the tabs of the low volume to the freezer paper.  Then, glue the circle fabric to the tabs. 

Flip the low volume over and pull up the fabric. You will be stitching in the folded edge between the front low volume and the tabs, your presser foot will be on the freezer paper.  

Trim the circle fabric to match the half inch of the tabs and remove the freezer paper.

Give the fabric a good press and you have your circle block.  

You can do as many circles as you would like on the fabrics.  Two on one side, one on the other or one and one, or three and none.  I will leave it up to you.  

At this point you can sew the two pieces of low volume together or you can leave them separate for me to mix into the quilt.

I'm excited to see all the circle blocks you all come up with.

Interfacing method for circle applique 
Raw edge applique method

Stashbee June block

Another month and another stashbee block.  Hard to believe the year is already half over!  This month my block will be heading to Sara in California.  Sara chose a great block in pink lemonade colors. 

May Stashbee

May already and Stashbee for this month is headed to California to RobinSue.  Robin Sue has chosen scrappy string blocks which I love. 

April Stashbee

April stashbee is headed to Heather in Oregon.  Her block this month she chose a scrappy trip around the world block using mustard and blue in the center with scrappy as the rest. Looking forward to these blocks together.

March Stashbee

March stashbee is headed to Stephanie in MS.  I love the block she chose, a Christmas tree block is such a fun block and will look great once put with all the others. 

February Stashbee

Thismonth for stashbee we were asked for scrappy x plus blocks in blue and coral with gray accent.  I hope Sharon in Texas enjoys this block.

 

January Stashbee

January Stashbee is headed to Texas.  We were asked for scrappy quarter log cabin blocks.

 

Stash Bee 2014 Hive 4

Last year for Stash Bee I asked my hive mates to make me circle blocks.  I let them use any method that wanted with a low volume and texty print background and a fun selection of colors for the circles.  I asked for some patchwork in the background or circles.  And the blocks could be any size between 8" - 16".  I received such a great variety of blocks.  Over the past year I made a few more here and there to add to the quilt to make is a good size.  Since I am on a UFO kick, I decided this was a great time to cross this top off my list.

It took a few layouts to find the perfect fit for the blocks and lots of piecing in to fill int he gaps.  I have to say how lucky I am that my friend Peggy (from Stitchin with Peg)had recently given me a great stack of texty prints that fit perfectly with this top.  (I can't thank you enough Peggy!!!)

The layout of the hive blocks and a few of mine

Over a few days I worked on putting the circles together, adding in filler sections and extra circle blocks where I felt it needed it.  I am so excited to have the top together.  Now to figure out a backing and how to quilt it.  

Circle quilt top is 54" x 60"

And just for fun, Maggie was jumping and playing in the sun while I was taking pictures.  

Bee Blocks

I've been working on my stash bee blocks lately.  I haven't shared them here in a couple months so I figured I would.

September Heather asked for the Marley Quilt block, free from Craftsy, in aqua, purple, pink and orangey yellow.  I made one and sent it off then jumped in when another member of our hive needed an angel block so I made a second one.

My block

Angel block

In October RobinSue asked us to make a fun scrappy block that she  designed.  I made 3 for her, couldn't help myself (and in case an extra was needed :) ).  I fussy cut the fabrics, too, for added fun. 

 

And this month, November, Rachel asked us to use our words.  She asked for powerful, uplifting words to encourage others.  This block idea is so great and I love it.  I have made two blocks so far and might make one or two more for her, we will see.  I drew out the words by hand in script onto freezer paper and then just sketched the lines to make the letters wider.  Once I had the size I liked I cut the freezer paper into a blob around the letters then pressed it onto the chosen fabric.  Then I cut the fabric to the same size as the blob, then pressed that onto Heat'n Bond light.  (This method keeps me from getting the fusible stuff on my iron).  I then cut out the word from all three layers.  Once it was cut out I peeled off the freezer paper and the paper from the Heat'n Bond and pressed it onto the background.  After I pressed it I used a small stitch and zigzagged around the words.  I feel these are two uplifting and powerful words.  

  

I have loved being a part of Stash Bee this year and I am looking forward to next year.  I have had a great Hive with so much talent in it.  

Stash Bee April

April's block for Stash Bee was super quick and easy to make.  Sally chose to design a block that she adapted from a traditional block called Roman Stripe.

 The directions for creating the block seemed to me to create a lot of waste, sewing together the red strips then, attaching the grey, and then cutting the HST's from the sewn grouping.  I decided to use the tube method so there was less waste and I was able to make more than twice as many HST's needed to create the block. With the same fabric that was used to create one block in the Roman tutorial I created two whole blocks along with a few left over squares I sent along to Sally.  And a bonus is it really looks like I have a larger mixture of HST's.

I really love the look of these blocks and how super quickly they went together.  I hope she likes them!