The Modern Blocks Bee

The Modern Blocks Bee was one of my first, and it is now complete. All blocks were made from Modern Blocks: 99 Quilt Blocks from Your Favorite Designers, which is a wonderful compilation of modern blocks, and I'll continue to use it as a resource.

1. Modern Blocks Bee - January block, 2. Modern Blocks Bee - February block, 3. Blue Lagoon block - Modern Blocks Bee, March(2), 4. Fussy Cut block - Modern Blocks Bee, March(1), 5. "Pathways", 6. Modern Blocks Bee - April, 7. Set Sail for Modern Blocks Bee, 8. Boxed Up-June, 9. Little Square Big Square June, 10. Binary - MY block in the Modern Blocks Bee for July, 11. Stargazing block - August, 12. Stonehenge block - September, 13. Parisian Star - October, 14. Diamond Ripples-November, 15. Piece of the Garden block

For my month last July, I chose Binary, a block by Angela Pingel. You may remember, I made a quilt with my bee blocks which I also called Binary; the reveal post was here.

So farewell to a great group of ladies. I thoroughly enjoyed our year of sewing together!

January Bee Blocks

My bee blocks were many and varied this month . . .

Always Bee Learning Bee - Toni asked for a Herringbone block using this tutorial from Holly at Bijou Lovely. I had never made this simple block, and it was straightforward and fun.

With our scraps, we were asked to make an improv block. Mine measures 7 1/2".

 

FAITH Circle of do.Good Stitches - I was really pleased when I saw that RhubarbPatch wanted us to make Sparkle blocks! I had made a quilt with the Sparkle QA last year, and I knew it was one of those blocks that looks innocent enough, but makes for a pretty striking quilt. To make the centers scrappy with solid hsts made them extra fun.

Mid-Century Modern Bee - This is a new bee starting this month, so I am enjoying meeting some new quilters. I admit that when I saw lollyquiltz's request, "Juicy Fruit" Churn Dash blocks, I thought, "wow!" Using Carla's own tutorial, I thoroughly enjoyed making this block, and love how four small blocks made up the one 12 1/2" block. Really can't wait to see this quilt come together.

 

New to me, this bee has decided to include 3 1/2' siggy blocks each month, using this tutorial. 

 

Modern Blocks Bee - Ellebee'squilts asked for "Piece of the Garden" blocks from Modern Blocks. I had never pieced hexagons like this, and was a bit apprehensive, but it went together pretty well. If we were comfortable doing so, we were asked to make different sized blocks, so I did mine at 75% of the template.

That Stash Bee - This is also a brand new bee and Mama Love Quilts started us off with her own tutorial for "Birds in the Air" blocks. Of course, I loved working with these Caribbean colors. Do check out Nicole's blog and see the variety of layouts available with this block.

 

And, this bee is asking for siggy blocks also, this time 5" ones. I used this tutorial.

Whew. As much as I enjoy these bees, it always feels good to get the month's blocks done.

Binary

When Modern Blocks came out in 2011, I had it on pre-order, and immediately sat down with it when it came, poring over the pages and thinking of quilt possibilities. When I saw the new Modern Blocks Bee popping up on flickr shortly after, I jumped at the chance! And then for the next six months, I made blocks for my bee-mates. Finally, last July, it was my turn, and I chose Binary, a block designed by Angela Pingel. From my stash, I chose Kona Ash as the background, and a variety of Kona cools, which I randomly sent to my bee-mates.

 Here is the basic block.

So the blocks sat around a while, which is why they got put right on my fourth quarter Finish-A-Long list! I debated for quite a while what to do with the blocks, and in the end placed them in columns, separated by lengths of Kona Coal. Simple.

I was concerned maybe it all was too simple, so at some point I decided it needed that extra touch of matched binding.

The gray/black/white City Scenes print by Jane Dixon reminded me of binary code and made an ideal backing. All the quilting was done vertical, straight-line in the skinny sections, and a combo of straight-line and curvy in the wider strips. My Aurifil light and dark gray threads coordinated perfectly.

And then for the binding, I used the Ash and Coal, along with scraps I had of the cool colors. Binary measures 48" square, and is now all washed up and crinkly. And done.

Linking up with Finish It Up Friday, Finish-A-Long Fourth Quarter Linky Party, and Fabric Tuesday.

August Bee Blocks

Not quite sure why, but I was really looking forward to bee blocks this month. And with the *Picture-Perfect* Polaroid Block Swap nearing a close (Read: almost time for Deb to sort more-blocks-than-she-ever-could-have-imagined), well it seemed like a good idea to get them stitched up and mailed off!

First on the list was Marci's Stargazer block for the Modern Blocks Bee. The pattern is by Angela Pingel from Modern Blocks and has seen alot of popularity. Though it looks complicated, it really is not, and I thoroughly enjoyed putting it together. All of Marci's Stargazer blocks will have these blue stars, surrounded by a variety of prints. I'm anxious to see this one put together!

I picked what I considered the hardest blocks next - some Improvisational Curves in the form of Pods, technique found in Quilting Modern. Unfortunately, I'd neglected to try these in the workshop I took with Katie a few weeks ago, so was a tad apprehensive about them! I didn't see that the book included one tip that Katie shared that I found very helpful when sewing curves. As you stitch each curve (step 8 on p. 158), hold the pod (underneath) with your right hand, and the background fabric (on top) with your left. Then as you sew, keep bringing the edges together. Kind of hard to explain, but that technique really helped me.

These blocks are for Spontaneous Threads, and she sent such an interesting array of fabrics! We were invited to include some from our stash, so I incorporated a couple of my grays.

Finally, it was time for the Patchwork Chevron blocks for the FAITH circle of do.Good Stitches. We used the block tutorial by Jeni of In Color Order, but with 3 1/2" print squares and a 9 1/2" solid square.  I'm really liking these, and the idea for placement that Des has is terrific!

So it feels good knowing these all are going out in today's mail and I can move on down the to-do list!

Linking up with TNT.

Prepping

Oh my goodness. When I saw Allegory's post suggesting we all have a prep party the first Sunday of each month, I thought it was the best idea! Trying to work down my own "to do" list while simultaneously participating in a swap, monthly bees, and a sew-along . . . well, things can get confusing! And having some prep done as I head into a new month seemed like it would be sooo helpful! So in a relatively short amount of time this afternoon, I did the following prep work:

• Tracing pattern for embroidery onto fabric for this week's zakka project - and yes, I changed it up just a tad. Also cut out the other fabric I'll need.

• I have a bee block that needs a fix, so I hunted down the fabric needed and have that ready to stitch back up.

• Binding made for QWERTY II. 

• Pattern chosen and fabric cut for a 100 Quilts for Kids quilt - finally.

• Fabric gathered and centers cut for improvisational log cabin mini quilt.

• Last of all, I hauled out blocks left over from my Kaleidoscope quilt made last summer. I'd had a bit of an issue with several blocks buckling in the center, and had refrained from using them in my quilt. 

         Then came the {hopefully} bright idea of cutting Dresden wedges
         out of them.

          So I have 32 wedges now - hopefully enough for something.

Linking up with {sew} Allegorical's prep party.

July Bee Blocks

I've been itching to get to this month's bee blocks, but have been holding off while I finished up G.O. Modern. So finally, this weekend, it was time!

First up was Kristina's block for the Always Bee Learning Bee. She sent lovely fabric for each of us to make a Floating Frames block. I really enjoyed making this one, and it ended up at a nice large 17.5".

Next up was for Rachel with the FAITH circle of do.Good Stitches. Using our own fabric, we were asked to make Gemstone blocks that included dark royal blue, medium pink, and medium green. We could use true white as the background or a natural linen. And we were asked to start with squares anywhere from 2 to 6 inches, as Rachel plans to make a quilt with alot of negative space. Using Essex linen in Natural as the background, I started with 3" print squares, which became 6.5" blocks. These blocks were fun in that they are made as pairs. I am really fond of them!

It's MY month in the Modern Blocks Bee, and so far, I have 4 Binary blocks - 3 from bee members + my own. I'm loving how they are looking together!

1. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/betweenquilts/7553283238/in/pool-1793590@N20/">Block for Debbie</a>, 2. <a href="<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52241390@N06/7520377876/" title="Picture 684 by thehistoryquilter, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8285/7520377876_2764c98333.jpg" width="500" height="479" alt="Picture 684"></a>">Picture 684</a>, 3. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hoosiertoni/7455702184/in/pool-1793590@N20/">Binary Block</a>, 4. <a href="<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27780490@N05/7445758864/" title="Binary - MY block in the Modern Blocks Bee by flickrdeb50, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8153/7445758864_d703e0e58f_o.jpg" width="1979" height="1896" alt="Binary - MY block in the Modern Blocks Bee"></a>">Binary - MY block in the Modern Blocks Bee</a>

So, all caught up with my bees, which is always a very good feeling!

W.i.P. Wednesday

I'm feeling pretty good as W.i.P. Wednesday rolls around - having a finish I'm really pleased with, a couple of new small projects done, and blocks pulled out of the stash! Definitely can't complain about that! 

Completed projects
Solstice Stars - What started as "Solstice Star" blocks was transformed into The Stars of Summer {full post}, and I must say, I'm tickled with the finished quilt, plus really enjoyed playing with some of the elements.

"Read" Book Bag - It was a pleasure to help Michelle of City House Studio by pattern testing her book bag pattern {full post}. 

Zakka Style Sew-Along project #13: Patchwork Pot Holders {full post}

I chose a block for my month (July) of the Modern Blocks Bee and sent off fabric! The block I chose is Binary by Angela Pingel. This picture doesn't do it justice, but the background is KONA Ash, and I chose a variety of cool solids to send my bee mates. Pretty exciting stuff! 

I decided to go for it and made a page on facebook for A Quilter's Table! It seems like a fun avenue to share more quiltyness and maybe even more discussion. Feel free to stop by!

Ongoing projects
4x5 Quilt - I dug my blocks from rounds 1, 2, and  3 back out of the closet, and have them pressed and up on the design wall to see them all together. Sorry that Blogger seems to be having trouble uploading pictures right now, so the short of it is, I need two more blocks to have enough for the quilt top. So I made "Criss-Cross Triangles" by Amanda Sasikirana, and "Just Passing Through" by Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr. I think you'll agree they are great additions to the blocks I already have from my bee mates. {here, here, and here} Framing is cut, and this quilt is my project of the moment.

  

And Tuesday at the {summer} Table ends tonight, so if you have a summer recipe or table/kitchen project you want to link up, do so soon! And take a peek at the links - so many great recipes and several quilted projects, including a rash of awesome potholders! A random winner will be announced tomorrow, and I have a new theme planned for July, so stay tuned . . .

Upcoming projects
* more Zakka
* QWERTY variation
* a quilt to coordinate with my Christmas tree skirt - Christmas in July??
* scrappy Metrolink
* Plus quilt for my sister-in-law - waiting to see her palette
* Tutorial for pieced binding
* Always Bee Learning July block NEW
* EZ Dresden Challenge project - maybe?? NEW
* baby quilt - fabric on its way NEW

Linking up with W.i.P. Wednesday where Felicity is hosting today, while Lee is taking a well-deserved break.

Bee Blocks

Please tell me I'm not the only one that looks for anything to do except what she should be doing! I was kind of guilty last night, but justified it as trying to get Megan's bee blocks back to her quickly so she can sew up her quilt before her baby comes! 

I recently joined the Always Bee Learning Bee, and the first block up was the Tokyo Subway Block, something I'd see before at Oh, Fransson, but never seriously considered doing. I must say, I think it was a stroke of genius on Megan's part, to have her fellow bee members stitch up most of the blocks for her!

They finish at 16" and are not difficult in the least, you just have to pay close attention to keep the rows in order. Very fun fabric Megan sent us, and I'm anxious to see this quilt complete!

While I was in bee mode, I went ahead and finished up my Modern Blocks Bee blocks for Valerie. First was Boxed Up by Angela Yosten.

Second was Little Square, Big Square by Kim Schaefer of Little Quilt Company.

Both were fun to stitch up in Valerie's lovely palette of red, blue, gray, and white.

So I'm caught up on Zakka, have my June bee blocks done, and now really, really better face the project with the deadline!

Hopping Begins and Bee Blocks

Just a reminder that there's a new blog hop starting today! Sponsored by Beth of Plum and June, it's all about getting to know some of the newer bloggers out in blog land. They'll all be sharing a bit about themselves, as well as a project using novelty prints.

So first up today is Kelsey and Erin - stop by and encourage them along!

May
May 22
    Kelsey from Kelsey Sews - her post is here

    Erin from Billy Button Designs - her post is here

May 24

    Nik from Boldgoods

    Alyssa from Pile O Fabric

I have have a couple of bee blocks to share. First up is "Set Sail" from Modern Blocks and designed by Susanne Woods. This block is for Lizz in the Modern Blocks Bee.

Next up are some Ohio Stars made for Kelsey in the FAITH Circle of do.Good Stitches. The tutorial for these blocks can be found here.

Oh and lastly, I just saw that . . . 

My little potholders were included in a feature of fun projects from the last week. There are some other great projects there too, so take a minute and check them out {here}.

W.i.P. Wednesday

All sorts of odds and ends to share for W.i.P. Wednesday this week, which is kind of surprising with a busy {read: awesome} weekend with family.

Completed projects
Windows Improv table runner - After really struggling whether or not this project was going to 'work', it did! I posted and shared more pics here.

"The Everything Bag" - A little project I snuck in and can't resist showing off again. Yup, it's another one from Jeni's pattern {here}. Love it!

Zakka Style Sew-Along project #1: Zigzag Tote - Completed, posted here, and gifted already, plus featured as one of Sukie's favs {here}! Can't beat that!

Modern Blocks Bee April block - a "Potager" block from Modern Blocks, designed by Yvonne Malone of Yvonne Malone Studio.

 

Ongoing projects

First and foremost is Hopscotch - I have 58/77 blocks pieced, the backing purchased, and an appointment with my long-armer. Need to keep pushing through to get this top done!

Festival of Half Square Triangles - Still just pressing and trimming, while focusing more on other projects.

April do.Good Stitches - This month the FAITH Circle is making two zigzag quilts. I'm enjoying putting together my contribution - one gray zigzag strip, using 4" hst.

Hollywood Boulevard table runner for a friend - the focus fabric being French General by Moda. (I'll be using the same pattern as this runner.)

Upcoming projects
* FAITH Circle Pouch Swap
* more Zakka
* a quilt to coordinate with my Christmas tree skirt - On a Whim ??
* DS Quilts Doll Quilt Swap project - waiting on fabric
* scrappy Metrolink
* tutorial for pieced binding
* a zip pouch w/o zipper tabs - want to know this way too

Linking up with W.i.P. Wednesday . . .