Another Bee, Another Block

May is my month to host the Falu circle of the Simply Solids Modern Bee.​

When I first signed up for the bee I was intrigued, but unsure what I would want to request for my own quilt. Then I saw this quilt in progress, by ​{thriftomancer} on Flickr. (she has since finished the quilt top which can be found in her blog, I Like String. I've actually included both shots in my inspiration mosaic for next month.)

​sample photos of quilts and blocks made by other quilters. Click this photo to see the link in my Flickr photostream with the source links attached.

There is no question that I am a fan of the quarter log cabin block. I've made several from a more limited palette, using a pattern in Judy Hopkins' book Big 'n Easy: Supersized Quilts for Queen Beds.​

But this one already has a totally different feel to it!​ And I am excited to see what the other bee-mates add to the mix!

This bee offers a couple of different approaches the "Queen Bee" may use on her month. One may send out fabric to the other people in the circle, thus keeping a cohesive palette in one's quilt; OR one may ask the other bee mates to work from their own stashes, in which case ​you have no control over color selection, and the block size is limited to 12 1/2" square.

And I am so behind door #2! Only one of the many online bees that I have participated in over the last few years has NOT been a stash-based bee.​ And it's not that I have a problem investing in the fabrics for my quilts (as many can attest!) but part of my enjoyment from these online bees is getting a taste of the other folks' tastes.

So to the members of Simply Solids Falu, bring on your quarter log cabin blocks! As scrappy wild or sedate as suits you. They'll all be beautiful and find a place in this quilt-to-be!

WIP Wed - 1/16/13

I've actually had quite a productive week in the sewing studio. Yay. The renewed energy of the online bees certainly doesn't hurt, and even though it's not generally my way, list-making IS quite effective.

That said, here's a rundown of this past week's follies:

New

a sneak peek... featuring fabrics from Kaffe Fasset, Jay McCarroll, Anna Maria Horner and newcomer Alison Glass.

Can't show much more of this just yet, but I've got a new wall-hanging under way. And it's been a long time since I've worked specifically on a wall-hanging. But I've definitely been having fun working from an original pattern again. Will share more in a few weeks!

Scrappy Trip blocks

I guess you could say that I got pulled onto the Scrappy Trip Around the World bandwagon, if briefly! And I do have to say that the Quiltville tutorial really is great! Easy to follow, straight-forward, and tremendously efficient! I don't expect to be making a whole project from this, but I can certainly see why so many people have been enamored!

Bliss do. Good Stitches January block #1

And I spoke a bit about these in my previous post. Chris put up a little "tutorial" on our group page on Flickr for the Bliss Circle of do. Good Stitches.

In Progress

basting my warm/cool QAL piece

quilting underway

And after having it *literally* hanging around for who knows how long, I finally basted and started quilting this gem. It was just a matter of taking that first step... getting over the basting hesitation! Whew.

Quilting not-yet-happening (or on hold)... i.e. No Progress

Grey/blue Nubees quilt

Green/brown spiderweb quilt

Pink Elephants

Yellow/magenta Encapsulated

Both of the 60/30 diamond quilts

Completed

Design Camp 2 [Think Outside the Block] Jan. 2013 for Shelley

Design Camp 2 [Think Outside the Block] Jan. 2013 for Shelley

We're closing in on the last couple of months for Camp 2 in the Design Camp [Think Outside the Block] Improv Bee. This is a technique I'm certainly not afraid of, and one that is GREAT for using up the itty-bitty scraps that I invariably keep around. Thank you, Shelley, for finding this gem and letting us play willy-nilly!!

more pot holders

Last week I mentioned the stack of many pot holders on the docket... I've shaved a few more off of the "in progress" list, and then continued progress on a few others... Leaving (I think) 5 pairs yet to be quilted, 4 more pairs quilted but yet to be bound, and 2 or 3 more pairs completed. And the cycle continues.

So, this appears to be a pretty healthy list, no? I feel like I've forgotten something, but if I can't think of it, then you all certainly won't miss it! And the final tally is:

New: 3

In Progress: 9 out of 15 pot holder sets, plus 1

Completed: 3

Quilts awaiting quilting: 6

Linking up to WIP Wed. at Freshly Pieced and gonna check in with some of the other talliers out there!

The bee blocks are back!

Thursday was a good day in the sewing room. Got a lot done. Too bad it started out with a 2.5 liter jug of water spilling out in the back of my car on my way to the studio. But, at least that gave me a reason to use the towel from my gym bag!

My main objective was bee blocks. This year I am participating in 4 online bees (though one finishes in a couple of months): Friends + Fabric round 2, do. Good Stitches Bliss Circle, Design Camp 2 [Think outside the block} and the new Simply Solids. Wowzers!

Yesterday I was able to get 2 1/2 of those checked off.

F+F2 - Cross / Plus Blocks

There was a little confusion at first as to what scale we were supposed to make our 12.5" blocks. I went with my gut, which as it turns out was not what our queen bee this month had in mind. However, apparently due to the discussion this brought up, she showed immense adaptability and openmindedness and said she'd be happy with either scale.

Being that what she initially had had in mind were single 12.5" blocks with a single plus / cross, I decided to go ahead and make 2 of those guys as well - easy peasy!

Now, her color choices were interesting to me - she requested "low volume" prints with just a splash of color. This was the first of two times this week I've read the term "low volume" in the context of quilting, and honestly it's the first I've ever heard at all in that context. Am I out of a trend loop or something?? (it certainly wouldn't be the first time!)

do. Good Stitches - Bliss - US Flag blocks

Chris posted these AWESOME hand-drawn instructions on our group page, and though I'm not too into the representational blocks, I have to give her props for this one! I did kind of take the easy road and use star fabric in the corner instead of making a star block at that scale (4"), and as you can see, I decided to go a little more modern and whimsical on one while going not-quite-traditional on the other. Hope these work for her!

Design Camp 2 - Scrappy Stripes

Shelley selected and sent out the background fabrics and asked us to use scraps for the pieced parts without taking into account the background colors. And let me tell you, she chose some GORGEOUS and RICH colors for this quilt! Looks like I'll be redoing that blue one soon, but wanted to check in with Shelley first, since it sounded like she was hoping to keep the size of the background pieces pretty consistent, so I might be in a pickle. But other than that little blip, these guys were definitely a fun excercise and a great way to make a dimple in the basket of my teeny scraps.

I am still waiting for the fabric bundle for the Simply Solids bee, but technically that doesn't start until February, so the fact that so many of the groups are posting projects already just shows how excited we all are for this new bee!!

I guess that pretty much sums things up for now. Next step is to pack up and send off the ones that are complete and then I'll REALLY feel like I've accomplished something! So here's a question for you all - with all of the great tutorials out there on the internet, and the fact that so many of the quilters who do the online bees tend to take part in multiple ones, do you ever get tired of any of the requested blocks? This is something I'm struggling with right now as I think about what quilts I want to request when my turn is up as "queen bee" in my respective groups. Food for thought.