Vivid

This finish is a bit of a final farewell to the Mid-Century Modern Bee. Oh I've many friends among them, and that won't change, but most of the blocks that make up this quilt were made for me by them, and since then, I'm no longer a part of the bee. But back in April 2014, I chose the Rolling Diamonds pattern by knottygnome crafts, and as requested, I received a bright, colorful mix! Except when it came time to finally put the quilt together, I needed a few more blocks. My friend Sharon/smbrendle graciously made me one, and I made a couple more. Aren't they fun?!

I know 'just' 16 blocks make a relatively small quilt - only 48" square - but I really liked them as they were, and it seemed like I'd waited long enough to finish this one up.

I searched in my stash for a backing and settled on a green Dear Stella ticking stripe. Quilting in a simple grid resulted in a soft, comfy quilt, and the Aurifil 50 wt #2021 (Natural White) I used was subtle enough to tie everything together and not make too much of a statement. Binding is from "Wish" by Valori Wells Designs and I went off on a limb doing a machine-stitched binding. I used Rachel/Stitched in Color's tutorial, which was really fun for a change, and seemed to fit the playfulness of this quilt. I used the same Natural White thread, and even though it's pretty obvious, I like it just fine. The only thing to note is that Rachel uses a 3/8" seam to sew on the binding, which obviously dipped into my block points a bit. I could have easily adjusted that, but was so focused following instructions, I neglected to. Otherwise, though, I'm quite pleased. I still totally consider myself a hand-binder, but for now and again, I think I'll revisit this technique.

So there's an end of an era, so to speak. Thanks to the Mid-Century Modern gals for the fun time we sewed together!

Yahoo. This quilt was on my 2015 Finish-A-Long Q3 List! Linking up with Finish It Up Friday.

Then and Now

Back in the day, when I was active in the Mid-Century Modern Bee, twice Anne/SpringLeaf Studios asked the bee to make blocks of her own design. Even then, we fully expected one day to see Anne publishing patterns based on the blocks we "tested" for her.

And that time has come! Pdf patterns of both "Offset" and "Matrix" are available on Etsy and Craftsy. Anne believes that every quilter should find a way to make a project their own even when they are using a pattern. As proof, each pattern includes an explanation of the block, the quilt layout and how it works, including some tips on fabric selection; several alternative ways to use the pattern; and a coloring page so you can try out your own color scheme. I think these features really set Anne's patterns apart. She explains everything in detail with lots of color illustrations (which I love). I can honestly say, they are beautifully done.

 

 

Both new patterns are on sale for 20% off through the weekend. And Anne has graciously offered one reader a copy of the pattern of their choice - just leave a comment for a chance to win. Then hop on over to SpringLeaf Studios for another chance to win. This giveaway has now ended - thank you! Congrats to Crafty Coffin!

It was fun to have shared in Anne's design process even a little bit. Check out her blog posts featuring her new patterns - Offset here and Matrix here. Not only will you get a better preview of her patterns, but you'll see the quilts my bee blocks eventually became a part of!

Bee Boasting

It's always a treat to see finished quilts made from bee blocks, and if you're like me, you search for your own contribution. Do you ever have to go back (like I often do) to be reminded what your block(s) looked like? Well I've got beautiful finishes to share today from every bee I'm in, which I find very cool indeed.

Melissa/Me1issa of FAITH Circle just finished her Shape Shifters quilt, with the most exquisite quilting. You can read all about it here and see the quilting close up, and if you're as smitten with Melissa's Shape Shifters block as we all were, you'll find the tutorial in her post here.

Also for FAITH Circle, Anita/RhubarbPatch asked for Wonky Log Cabin blocks, and made the sweet quilt below. I love that it has three borders, and the diamond grid quilting is unique and fun. Here's Anita's blog post about her quilt.

All quilts made by FAITH Circle are currently being donated to Restore Innocence, an organization devoted to helping young girls rescued from sex trafficking. I just know these 2 new contributions will be a comfort to their recipients.

On to the Always Bee Learning bee where Hettie/hettie k asked for Trip Around the World blocks. Here's the block tutorial we used. Isn't this pattern always a winner?

In That Stash Bee, Cathy/blueberry patch cathy had us make 16-Patch blocks using this tutorial and made this delightful picnic quilt! When I saw the photos in her blog post, I wanted to drop everything and run right over!

Mid-Century Modern Bee's Carla/Carlaf2 gave us choices! First she suggested arrow blocks using her own tutorial, or if we preferred, an Anna Maria Horner feather. As you can see, she got some of each, plus made a few other blocks herself to help create her own quilt design. Love it with the low-volume background, don't you? **Can you believe I got so excited to share this with you, I forgot it wasn't quilted yet! Please forgive and go read Carla's post about this flimsy. I know I'll be watching for the big reveal to come!**

Hope you enjoyed this little show and tell! You can see why it's certainly a pleasure to sew with my talented bee-mates!

So Here's the Plan

Believe it or not, one of the toughest things about participating in bees is deciding what to have your bee do when it's your turn to choose! After much deliberation, I've decided I'm going to have the Mid-Century Modern Bee made me Rolling Diamonds blocks in April. Here's my sample block, which measures 12 1/2" unfinished.

Yup, after my last round with this bee making a very low-volume quilt, this time I'm going bolder! I'm not even going to make requests for colors other than bright and fun! The inspiration quilt {and block tutorial} is by knottygnome crafts. It just makes me smile.

photo by knottygnome crafts

December Bee Blocks

I got off easy this month as far as bee blocks go, and I was thankful for the breather. Two of my bees took December off, and the blocks I did need to do were very basic.

Mary @ Molly Flanders of the Mid-Century Modern Bee asked for a simple 9-patch measuring 15.5". She'll be alternating our blocks with basket blocks that she will make for a quilt with a grandma vintage vibe.

In FAITH Circle, Anita/RhubarbPatch wanted 2 - 12 1/2" wonky log cabin blocks. Easy and fun.

That's that. Now on to other more Christmasy projects!

June Bee Blocks

I confess when I saw this month's 'assignment' for the Always Bee Learning bee, I was a little worried. I may have even involuntarily exclaimed, "Yikes!" But I shouldn't have worried, as the strip-pieced hexagons were as claimed, "super easy and quick". At least easy and quick enough to be fun and intriguing even. I was really surprised what variations the pieced triangles could be arranged into. Good to know!


For the Mid-Century Modern bee, we made Stacked Brick blocks per Flourishing Palm's adaption of a block by The Sometimes Crafter. It was an interesting twist to use white on one side of the "strawberry" and lime prints, and Kona Ash on the other. Our blocks will actually be used for a quilt border. *Revised to add: just posted a photo of Linda's quilt on facebook/AQuiltersTable.*


By some coincidence, I ended up being bee mama in two of my bees this month. It's always a bit of a dilemma for me when it comes to choosing a block when it's my turn to pick. But I'm really pleased with what I finally settled on.

For Faith Circle, I took inspiration from sewing over pins, who along with the Cheer Circle, made a delightful quilt using the starburst cross block tutorial by SewCraftyJess. I thought the cheery colors of these stars would be perfect for one of our do.Good recipients

Here's the sample block I made for the girls, suggesting warm colors - hot even. Definitely orange and hot pink, with yellow or red additions as they feel inspired. I've gotten a couple of blocks back already and am really excited to work on this one in the next few weeks.


Now for That Stash Bee. I must say, when I saw kelbysews' "Fall in Winter" a while back, I was smitten, and thought it would be a terrific bee quilt.

I was pleased to find the Modern Maples tutorial by Amanda Woodward-Jennings available online, and have asked my bee-mates to consider this small gallery for inspiration as they choose leaf colors. My sample block just made me grin.


I've never finished and posted bee blocks this early in the month, but having to prep as bee-mama put me a step ahead, so I figured I might as well finish them up and move on. Pretty fun.

May Bee Blocks

After cutting it close on timing with my bee blocks last month, I really hoped to get them taken care of in good time this month. So that's been this week's first order of business.

I figured I'd take care of what I perceived as the hardest first - the Anna Marie Horner feather requested by Susan/PatchworknPlay of Mid-Century Modern. I loved her choice of color - orange and turquoise  and I was able to find enough scraps in my basket to use each fabric just once. Good news: this wasn't hard at all! And it's big - finishing at 9 1/2"x17"!


Next up was FAITH Circle. Tackling Debbie/Blue.Ridge.Girl's scrappy triangles by Film in the Fridge meant another foray into the scrap basket, which was awesome - it is still SO full! These blocks finish at 6.5"x9", so we each are making 4.


Considering it's my month for the Always Bee Learning Bee - which is coming along quite nicely, thank you - all I had left was That Stash Bee. Blueberry Patch Cathy asked for depression blocks. I had made these blocks once before, but very colorful and scrappy, so it was quite a switch to make them with gray and black. (We were told to "think black and white tv!") So many of my favorite fabrics in this set.


So that's it for this month - yay! Cross those off the list.

Common Affection

Some projects turn out exactly as you had imagined them, and others . . . Well others just take on a life of their own. This project was one of the second variety.

March was my month to choose a project for the Mid-Century Modern Bee and I chose the Hugs & Kisses block by Little Miss Shabby. And then I dug into the stack of charms I had gotten in the Low Volume Swap last summer. Without even realizing it, I even used the fabric I had swapped in my sample block - the blue/gray/white circles (Quilt Blocks by Ellen Luckett Baker for Moda Fabrics) in the bottom right-hand corner.

The blocks came in right on schedule, and one day I put them all on my design wall and began mulling over what to do with them.

I posted a picture in the flickr group, and my bee-mate Carla/Grace and Favour made the quilt-changing suggestion to put them on-point. Oh yeah.

 

At that point, I was talking filling in around the blocks with solid grays when bee-mate #2, Linda/Flourishing Palms suggested matching up with the skinny bits to make all those block conjunctions squares. Good idea! But when I started adding those pieces up on the wall, it dawned on me that I really needed to link up the skinny bits out on the edges too. So that's what I did, using three different grays in the process - Kona Ash and Iron plus Michael Miller Couture Stone.

 

Things were getting a little more complicated . . . 

If I'd known all along what the outcome would be, I would have pieced things just a bit differently, but I made it work, and was pretty pleased with the result.

If I had it to do over, I would have used more low-volume prints for those squares inside of the 'border' line, but then again, I didn't really 'see' that till I was done. Anyway, I forged ahead, quilting with Aurifil Light Beige (#2310). I did a straight-line coil, starting off centered in the upper-left of the quilt and echoing at 1" increments. Binding was scrappy solid grays with a couple of snippets of gray prints.

To be honest, this quilt is as much a collaboration as any I've done. The block was designed by Little Miss Shabby, my Mid-Century Modern Bee joined me in making blocks, Carla suggested the layout, Linda gave me the idea of continuing the accent strips, and I ran my quilting and binding thoughts by daughter dear before moving forward. So yeah, it's small (45" square) but for me, there's alot wrapped up in this quilt.

As I finished it, I started mulling over a name for it, and I came up with "Common Affection" - common for the cooperative effort of my bee in working jointly towards a goal, and affection as a nod to the Hugs & Kisses block. 

Weather wasn't really conducive to a decent photo shoot, but hubby was willing to run out during a break in the rain and let me take a few shots. I loved the one against the blue building (a random smoke shop!); he liked the one below against the brick. So I figured I'd share them both . . .

This project is on my Q2 Finish-A-Long list. Also linking up with Fabric Tuesday.

W.i.P. Wednesday

Over the last 10 days I've made several deliveries, and that feels really terrific. Mom got her table topper, which looks awesome on her table, my sister and brother in law finally received the Modern Crosses quilt I made them back in February, I mailed off the FAITH Circle hst quilt and heard this afternoon that it arrived safely, and finally, the 30 pincushions were delivered just tonight. whew.

Completed projects

Lined drawstring bag - I decided those pincushions needed to be packaged up nice and neat, and they fit perfectly in "The Artist Bag" by Jeni Baker.

Ongoing projects

Woodland cross-stitch sampler - I finished January! I know I'm woefully behind, but moving forward slow and steady.

x and + blocks {#xplusalong} - Of the 40 I have cut out, I have 20 partially pieced, and managed 6 more finished blocks.

Lucky Stars mini/SMQG star challenge quilt - No progress quite yet, but found another perfect fabric to include.

April bee blocks - Three sets done and just waiting for the fabric to arrive for the last one!

Mid-Century Modern quilt - OK, here's where I concentrated my efforts this week. The "on-point" layout won out and I'm so glad I went that direction. I'll share more process talk in the eventual reveal post, but for now let's just say I'm more than pleased, and am currently quilting happily along . . .

Upcoming projects
* May plan for Always Bee Learning Bee
* pillow for grandgirl
* Polaroid block projects
* pillows
* mail bag
* scrappy triangle quilt

Linking up with W.i.P. Wednesday.

W.i.P. Wednesday

I've enjoyed several "little" finishes this week, and am looking forward to working on my FAL list for this next quarter.

Completed projects

April Lucky Star block - Can I just say I love these more every time I make another?! This month's had two layout options, and I just may need to make both!

Persian Pickles table topper -  My mom saw this pattern by Kevin Kosban in an old stitch magazine (summer 2011) and chose the fabrics to coordinate in her kitchen nook.

It measures 30 1/2" x 34", and though I struggled a tad with the construction method, the blast I had quilting it more than made up for it. I chose three different coordinating threads, a Mettler burgandy, and two Aurifil Mako 50's, "Pale Yellow" (#2130) and a new favorite for me, "Sand" (#2325) - love it. Using a different quilting design in each section added to the fun.

SMQG nametag - Got it done in time for our meeting Monday. I'll share more in a future post.

Ongoing projects
Woodland cross-stitch sampler - Still working to catch up!

x and + blocks {#xplusalong} - I have 40 more blocks all cut out and ready to sew! Hope by this time next week I am well on my way!

Mid-Century Modern quilt - I've received all my Hugs & Kisses blocks now, and am debating layout and finishing. I think I prefer the on-point layout best, but now am mulling over how to fill in the edges - more blocks, a solid gray or varieties of gray, or a variety of low-value prints. {see alternate layout in my Q2 FAL list} I welcome your thoughts!

Lucky Stars mini - I think I've decided to pull these five stars together into a mini. Now to execute my idea!

Scrappy triangles - set aside, as I ran out of scraps large enough . . .

April bee blocks - In progress!

Upcoming projects
* SMQG star challenge quilt
* pillow for grandgirl
* Polaroid block projects
* pillows
* mail bag

Linking up with W.i.P. Wednesday.

2013 Finish-A-Long: Q2 List

After a successful first quarter of FAL finishes, it's time to make a list for next quarter! Funny thing - though I have alot of ideas brewing, I only have a few projects actually started. So three it is!

x and + quilt - I began making and swapping these blocks over a year ago, and kept hoping for a third round. But when that didn't materialize by the time I saw Instagram's #xandplusalong this February, I decided I better just get started and make more blocks for myself. So I had 40, and have 40 more cut out.  This finish is my number one goal for this next quarter.

Mid-Century Modern quilt - One thing about participating in bees - you usually start accumulating blocks. So I have just received the last of 13 Hugs & Kisses blocks, am thinking of making a couple more, and then need a design plan to pull them into a quilt.

Lucky Star mini quilt - I am loving making these stars, but honestly don't think I can wait until the end of the year to use any of them, so I've decided to make a mini quilt. I have a tentative plan and some background fabric chosen, and look forward to moving forward on this one.

This is kind of random, but then again the perfect time to mention the Projects at a Glance sheets I came across over on from Pixels to Patchwork. Designed as a way to list all your projects for a single month, I am finding it much more helpful than my usual assorted lists. There are also Individual Project Sheets available if that is helpful to you. Just fyi . . .

Linking up with Leanne/shecanquilt and the Finish-A-Long Q2 linkup.

Mid-Century March

It's my month in the Mid-Century Modern Bee and I'm taking inspiration from Little Miss Shabby's Hugs and Kisses Quilt.

Source: littlemissshabby.com via Debbie on Pinterest

I'm asking my bee members to use this tutorial but go low-volume. Here's my sample block.

This is only the second time it's been my turn to ask for blocks in a bee, so I'm pretty excited!

Linking up with Fabric Tuesday.

W.i.P. Wednesday

Not huge progress this last week, but still managed to get a few time-critical projects out of the way.

Completed projects
February bee blocks - whew! What a relief to have gotten these done this week! I posted them here.

Mid-Century Modern bee project - March is MY month, and I managed to post the plan. The block I've chosen is a Hugs & Kisses block using a tutorial by Little Miss Shabby. More details are in the flickr group, of course, but here's the tutorial I used - four 5" blocks are put together to make one 9 1/2" unfinished block.

Here is my sample block:

So this is a "completed for now" project, until early April, when I get blocks from my bee mates.

Ongoing projects
Emerald mini/placemats - I got all the blocks done and the 'tops' put together!

Scrappy Trip Along - I had to set this aside but hope to be back at it soon.

x and + blocks {#xplusalong} and Woodland cross-stitch sampler - no progress.

Upcoming projects
* pin cushion custom order
* flannel pillow for grandgirl
* table topper for mom
* scrappy Metrolink - still debating
* Polaroid block projects

Linking up with W.i.P. Wednesday.

February Bee Blocks

I pushed it a little tight getting my bee blocks done for the month, but they are ready to be mailed! {whew!}

First up - the Always Bee Learning bee, where we were asked to make scrappy Trip Around the World blocks. I can almost do these in my sleep now, especially since Hettie cut the strips 3" wide! I love these blocks big and Loulouthi! (We were asked to make two blocks, but most of us were able to help Hettie out on her king-sized goal and make a couple more - that's why you see four blocks here.)

Next up was Kelli's Road to Fortune blocks for That Stash Bee. I already mentioned that these blocks really challenged me. Still not sure why. Here's the template we used - this quilt is going to be so cool!

And I think my favorite of the bunch this month was Cindy's Winged Square block for the Mid-Century Modern bee. We used the tutorial here. This was a new block to me, and I'm really liking it. You really should peek at all the bee's blocks!

And of course it's my month for FAITH Circle. Here's the original post with our plan. And here's a mosaic with all the blocks I've gotten back so far.

1. 100_5541, 2. February - Do Good Stitches, 3. {Faith} Do. good stitches February Block #1, 4. Sample January FAITH Circle blocks, 5. 100_5543, 6. Faith Circle do. Good Stitches~February Blocks, 7. Faith Circle (February) #2, 8. Sample January FAITH Circle blocks, 9. Sample January FAITH Circle blocks, 10. {Faith} do. Good Stitches Block #2, 11. Faith Circle (February) #1, 12. Sample January FAITH Circle blocks

Of course I'll be mixing them all up once I have them all. I'm really excited to put this quilt together!

Linking up with Fabric Tuesday.