April Bee Blocks: Flowers with solids

This month for the do good stitches bee, the lovely Evelyn requested some simple half-framed blocks. She wanted us to each start with a modern floral print and then choose some coordinating solids to go with it. 

For my first block, I used some of my coveted AMH fabric, which I was sad to part with, but I knew it was going to a good cause. I paired it with some cheerful solids from my stash.

For the second block I decided to stick with more cool colors and picked this lovely DS floral fabric I had in my stash from when I made my fall fan bag last year. 

These blocks were super easy and took no time to make (which is good for me since I've been so swamped with school recently I haven't had time to blog...or sew as much as I want to...bad!)

Sadly this is the only sewing I think I will get done this month since I have 2 final papers due on the 28th. Although if I finish them before the due date (I am the worst procrastinator) perhaps a trip to the fabric store and some quality time with my sewing machine will be in order...

Summer bee blocks

One of the best things about the online quilting world is participating in quilting bees. Often times you get to work with fabrics that you haven't used before and make blocks that you might not have originally given a second chance.

Anywho, here is a round up of recent blocks I've made:

do.good.stitches 

For August, Kelly, who blogs over at Thinking Out Loud, requested these adorable wonky butterfly blocks in bright summery colors. They were a breeze to make and I think they will make a quilt that is sure to bring joy to a child in need.

Then, way back in July (eep) Thea asked for blocks featuring half square triangles. I really liked the idea that she had to make 2 different quilts - one for a boy and one for a girl. The colors she chose are also are fresh and modern. I love Thea's design sense. Anyway, here are the 2 blocks I made:

Quilts for Cancer Bee

Denise asked for Improv Chevron blocks inspired by Red Pepper Quilts. At first I found this block a bit difficult, although that could be because I didn't have a lot of giant scraps to use. Anyway, I think the blocks turned out beautiful and I can't wait to see what the quilt looks like when it is finished. I highly recommend everyone try the tutorial, which is found here.

April Bee Blocks

These past few weeks have been full of catching up on my sewing bees. I really enjoy participating in sewing bees because it gives me a chance to create something I might not have otherwise created. If you haven't participated in a sewing bee, I highly recommend it as a way to stretch your creativity and make some new friends!

Cancer Bee:

For the cancer bee this past month, Nancy asked for some Ohio Star blocks. I've never made these before, but I enjoyed working on this more traditional block. Everything about this block was a bit of a stretch for me, including the color choice...blues and yellows. I learned that my stash needs to include more yellow for sure! =)  But I can't wait to see her quilt all completed.

Do. Good Stitches Bee

For April, Evelyn asked us to make cross blocks with bright primary colors. These blocks were a breeze to put together and I can't believe I had not made them before. I think this cheerful and colorful quilt with brighten up a child's day for sure.

Sew Bee Blissful

For April Caroline sent out a stack of gorgeous and calming fabrics that she asked to be made into these blocks featuring half square triangles. This is one of my favorite blocks of all time and I need to add it to my list of quilts to make.  

Quilts for Cancer: Octagonal Orb Block

I may or may not have over booked myself quilting wise this month. Does anyone else ever have this problem?

Anyway, during a few free moments this week I decided to work on my first ever block for the Quilts for Cancer Bee I'm a part of. I love the idea of making quilts for people affected by cancer...sadly it's such a widespread disease in the world, that almost everyone knows someone who is fighting (or fought) a battle with cancer.

Marta (who just started up her own blog by the way -- From Marta with Love -- be sure to go leave her some love!)  kicked the bee off with an excellent choice -- Elizabeth Hartmen's octagonal orb block. I've been itching to try this block out, so to say I was excited might be an understatement.

I've noticed that people sure are loving the spring green/aqua/gray color combo these days (we all know how I feel about gray!) and Marta is no exception. I especially like how she wanted to use quilter's linen in place of a traditional solid. I think linen adds so much texture to a quilt, and am planning on using it extensively in a future project.

Elizabeth's instructions were easy to understand (as always), and I love that it made such a large block - finished at 16.75 inches by 16.75 inches. The blocks were a bit time consuming to make but are an excellent use of scraps and I imagine an entire quilt with these might be in my somewhat distant future.  If you want to make your own Octagonal Orb (and you know you do) check out the instructions here.

New Bees in the New Year (a month late)

One of the best things about quilting, in my opinion, is the chance to participate in a variety of bees. Sites such as twitter and flickr are excellent places to find other like-minded quilting people with whom to start a bee. It's great fun because quite often you meet new friends in the process.

So I thought I'd share with you a few bees that are happening this year.

3x6 Bee.

I love this bee. In fact, I with a handful of awesome ladies help run this bee and make it a success. It's quite fun and rather low key. Basically, you get paired up with a group of 6 other people and you make 1 block for each person in whatever colors they specify. You have 3 months to do this. So theoretically, if you participate for 3 or 4 quarters you will have enough blocks to make yourself a nice sized quilt. One of the reasons why I like it so much is because you get to meet a lot of talented people in a short amount of time. Sign ups are going on right now for Quarter 1 (Feb 1 - April 15) so check it out here.

Here are a few of the awesome blocks I've been given so far:

4x5 Modern Quilt Bee.

It is basically the same concept as the 3x6 bee, only you make 5 blocks instead of 6 in the three month period. I'm not sure if their sign ups have closed or not yet but I participated in it for the first time over Christmas and it was great fun. All the ladies in my group were extremely talented! Check out their webpage here for more info.

Here are the blocks I got the first round -- enough to allow me to finish up a sampler quilt I've been working on from the 3x6 Bee.

Quilts for Cancer.

This is a new bee starting up where each person makes a quilt that they give to someone they know that has cancer. I like this idea because not only are you helping to give people some comfort during a trying time, but it also uses your stash fabric so there is no mailing necessary except for the blocks. There are still a few spaces left so you can check it out here.

Do.good.Stitches.

This bee is the brain child of Rachel from Stitched in Color (seriously if you have not read her blog go do it) I love this bee and have been part of it for about a year now. I love that we quilt for charity, that we use our own fabric, and that we rotate who designs each quilt. I also lucked out and have the best group of people ever in my circle. Seriously, they are all super talented and super creative. For more info check out the Do.good.Stitches flickr page.

Here's a small sampling of some of the quilts that the Inspire Circle has finished:

Citrus Sails Quilt

Bijou Lovely's Herringbone Quilt. 

Also new bees are starting up all the time. Be sure to check out the Quilting Bee Blocks group on flickr that often has a list of bees looking for participants.


Are you going to participate in any bees this year? If so, which ones?