Bee Sewcial Round-Up

Bee Sewcial is wrapping up another year of improvisational piecing (our 6th!), and I thought it would be fun to see my year's blocks all together.

January: Radiate for M-R/@quiltmatters

M-R asked that we create one or more wedge-shaped blocks exploring what we hope to radiate this year. My thought was 'encouragement,' which translated to 'standing together.' The finished block was 60" long!

February: Improv Color Wash for Karen/@capitolaquilter

Karen asked for a collection of 6" and 3.25" improvisational blocks, using three colors from her palette in each one.... fabric play at its best!

March: The Magic of Molas for Stephanie/@spontaneousthreads

I'll confess I didn't even know what a mola was when I read Stephanie's prompt. I found out that they are handmade textiles of Central American origin. Stephanie's request was that we zoom in on just a portion of a mola to create our block. Interesting! My finished block measured 13" x 23".

May: Improv Wedding Rings for me!

I asked my mates to each create two 12.5" square improvisational double wedding ring blocks with black and white and blue(s) in each block, and gave them the freedom to blur or ignore the lines between any of the typical block components. Here's my 'sample' block.

The blocks they sent were varied and inspired! The resultant quilt, "Rings," was what I had first envisioned in my mind's eye and then some! 

July: Subtle Secrets for Felicity/@felicityquilts

I was so intrigued with Felicity's prompt! Wonky, ruler-free improv blocks (then trimmed to 12.5") based on traditional quilt patterns using two shades of white for one of the blocks, and two shades of the darkest color in [our] stash for the other. Fun to make and difficult to photograph!

August: 2020 Pandemic for Marci/@marci_girl

So many feelings when I saw Marci's prompt, asking us to express in our blocks how the pandemic has affected us personally or on a wider scale. My first block (13.5" x 14") represented our family, where connections are still being made, they just look very different. Marci suggested a quarter-Covid block for our second block, and I'm really happy [sic] how that one turned out (12.5" x 12.5").

September: Motel Neon for Ken/@thekingslacker

Ken's prompt based on roadside motel neon signs brought back alot of childhood memories of family travels. He asked for a palette of neon light colors with the background being our darkest black. Both of these blocks were trimmed to 12.5" x 12.5".

October: Shapes for Leanne/@shecanquilt

Leanne's prompt was a celebration of shapes with cool palettes, though we had the freedom to use all of the colors, just no neutrals. My first block (12" x 14 3/4") was a mass of rectangles, where in my second block, I focused on a singular hexagon filled with improv stripes (13" x 15"). That second block may just be one of my favorites of the year.

Well that was a really fun year with Bee Sewcial! If you're interested in blocks from my previous years with the bee, they are all pinned to a board on Pinterest!