Bee Block Experience #2

I was in several bee block exchanges as a new experience in 2015 but for each of the quilts that I used 2 bees each to make sure I had enough blocks in the end to make a larger quilt. My first blocks were for my Kaleidoscope Quilt and the other 2 hives completed scrappy Cross roads Blocks. 

These are the extra 4 blocks that I put together. As these hives were later in the year the blocks trickled in slowly and a few didn't come in at all but I did have enough with the extra blocks that I had made, this was going to be a large quilt. 

So it sat basted for a while waiting for me to quilt it when a friend of mine, Rena (The Southern Bobbin) asked for quilts that she could practice on with her long arm and I thought -- Why not? 

When it came back a short while later I got it bound and all ready for some couch snuggling. 

This is my 4th finish in the 3rd Quarter 

Do you really WANA?

My husband has a quilt of his own but it is very worn and not well made -- it was I think the 2nd quilt I ever made and this was before I realized the importance of stitch length and seam allowance. I told him if he would let me dispose of the ratty quilt he could choose his next quilt and I would have the hive mates make these blocks for him, and each night it would be like he was sleeping with a whole bunch of quilters. 

In February I was queen for the Bee Hive Swarm and in those hives you choose from blocks that have been chosen as a part of the Bee Hive Swarm that Alyce set up last year. I didn't sign up last year because the blocks weren't out yet but these are some pretty fun blocks overall. Thinking of hubby, He likes the cathedral window and orange peel look and when he saw the Wanta Fanta block, he asked if I could use purple and grey. I thought about other blocks that I had seen and came up with the idea of my revamp and showed him my sample block. 

I put forth the changes to the hive and blocks came trickling in and the more of them that I saw the more I realized that this was the right choice and I was really happy that the ladies had sent some scraps along with the blocks, because I was going to need many more of these to make a queen size quilt for our bed.

I was lucky enough that in March I was queen again for the Stash Bee Hive 6 -- I put forth the same challenge and loved watching all the blocks come rolling in. Several of the ladies made a few blocks and that was awesome. I had also asked again for any purple or low volume / grey scraps if they felt inclined to send extras. 

Quilt math meant that I needed a total of 56 blocks for a queen -- I knew that the hives would make 21 blocks needed for the hive, plus my sample block which meant that I needed to make 34 more blocks for the quilt -- now you see why I was so grateful for the extra blocks and the extra scraps. This really meant that the quilt would maintain a scrappy feel and blocks that I made would blend in with the others because it was everyone's fabrics. After all the hive blocks arrived I had 35 with the few extras that I had already been making, so I set out to complete the others. 

To me this quilt is a real eye catcher every time I put groupings of the blocks up -- whether it's (nearly) 12

OR the first 30

and that really helped motivate me to finish assembly quickly. 

While at Stash Bash I got the rest of the blocks put together 

I really love this project and got straight onto the assembly 

This is the first 56 blocks (I thought this was the completed top)

Once I got her home I laid her out on the bed and then decided that making it a square would be better and least likely to impact share-ability on our bed, so that meant making another 8 blocks. I did get an offer from a lady that I had made an extra block for to make a few for me so this really helped. 

Here they are all assembled into a top and ready for quilting.

I may have had to get the selfie stick out for this photo and perch myself on the ledge in our stair well. 

I made the choice to send this one to the long armer because I know it's going to be around for a while. This is only the 2nd quilt I have ever sent out and I choose to go with Charlene @The Cotton Farm Fabrics because she's great and it just so happened that she was doing an awesome discount this month. 

This was another project that I was eager to bind once it came home so I had the binding all prepped and ready to go. I toyed with scrappy binding or something framing like a dark grey but I found this tucked away in my stash. 

Due to it's huge nature, when it got home I took a couple of photos of it on my bed (prebinding turn) to show the ladies how it was going to look -- and i was super eager to see for myself. This quilt finished at 8 feet square so it has an overhand of 18 inches on each side and at the foot plus a turndown at the top. 

You know who made himself right at home -- surveying his newest quilt and making sure it meets his delicate needs. 

Now that it's bound it was time for fun pictures outdoors. 

Hive mates really came through for me this year -- being hive queen early in the year probably has the added advantage that no one is burnt out yet but I did have two awesome groups of ladies making blocks. they pulled it together even though the blocks were a little bit of a challenge. (My tip for bee blocks that are paper pieced -- make sure printing is set at 100% and not fit to page, this cleared up several issues a few people had right away.) 

This is my 12th finish in the 2nd quarter. 

Spellbound

Another project that I started and completed the top for at stash bash was from my Cotton and Steele Spellbound layer cake that I had picked up at Thimble Pleasures in Chapel Hill during a recent trip, I also had the Mossouri Star Quilt Company Blocks Book Fall Vol 1 Issue 5 to whip out this awesome quilt top using the Teacup Quilt pattern.

This is another of the projects that just needed a little more love once I got home from stash bash that got delayed due to the ankle break. All this lovely needed was backing, basting and quilting. I looked in my stash and discovered that I already had some of the fill in fabric that Ella had helped me with at stash bash that I could use for this project. So I whipped up a backing.

Got it quilted -- which initially proved to be a real pain in the tail until I tried using Coats and Clark embroidery thread instead of the brand I usually use for actual embroidery. 

and now it's all ready for next Halloween

This is my  3rd finish in the 2nd Quarter.

Stash Bash Revamp

So last year at the Mini Stash Bash there was a little mix up with the shirts and they were way smaller than most of us quilters could even start to think about putting on. They were still really cute so as a group we decided to revamp the shirts and bring them back in the spring to the retreat for a little mini contest to see who had the most clever way of using the shirt. 

As I thought about the shirt I remembered the bags of scraps that I had collected during the first 2 retreats and my idea was starting to come together. 

Initially I was going to make a pillow but then I decided that making a large project tote would be far better for the next time I am able to attend the retreat. I pulled a pattern for some basics of assembly but then didn't follow it. I wanted to do scrappy so I cut my outer panels and started rough piecing the collected fabrics together to come up with these lovelies. 

I added some linen material as a boarder, the bottom and the straps. 
I also pulled from my stash for the inner lining and pulled it all together. 

The finished size is 19 x 18 x 9.5 and large enough to hold 3 project boxes and plenty of extras. 

While I am sad that I won't be going to the retreat in 2 weeks, I still wanted to complete the challenge and maybe have one of my other quilting buddies take my project with them to show it off. This is going to be a great project for carrying to retreats or sew ins, since it will allow me to keep everything together and hopefully help me narrow down things that I take with me. --- Yeah Right. 

Another thing is for sure -- the kitties love it

and Mr Pink thinks it's his personal carrying bag to go hang out with all his lady friends.

First finish of my 2nd Quarter goals, my April OMG and Sew My stash April Challenge project. 

Honda Scout

At Stash Bash I decided to start a new project rather than working on the numerous projects I had on hand -- typical right. 

I've been wanting to make covers for the seats in my Honda, at least the back one if I couldn't figure out making covers for the fronts -- this back seat is original to the car and it's starting to show some age but still is in really good shape and no one hardly sits back there so I decided this was the place to get creative and make something functional and attractive -- I went with a more free form version of the Scout pattern from Cluck Cluck Sew. 

Well I got stalled out with my ankle being broken and not being able to get up into the sewing room. So the pieces of the top hung out on my design wall like this for a few months -- seeing as how I was unable to put in the sashing on the front so that I could start to add boarders and eventually baste and quilt it. 

Welcome in 2016 and the challenge by Red Letter Quilts -- for a finish / goal a month. I decided this was the perfect time to set this finish as my goal for the month. I really wanted to knock this one off the WIP list and get it in my car. 

The month is plugging along and I finally get a good chance to get to work finishing up the top. 

Motivation continued and I made the backing and got it basted and start the quilting. Binding is my least favorite part but it's necessary for a completion. 

Some fun finished photos before it goes back to it's new home. 

I have to say I might have the prettiest back seat in a '94 civic in the whole triad. 

In my eyes she's the prettiest anyway. 

She also got a new Lip Kit for Christmas. Some time in 2016 she's going to be repainted to even out the differences in color and cover up a few blemishes. 

I have a few more sewing related projects in mind for her coming up but for now it's time to get back to the other pile of UFO's.