Hello All!  Happy New Year, hope you had a great one and a fantastic Christmas as well.  I am easing back into the world of blogging now that normal routines are resuming and hope to be better at it than I was last year.  So I may not always be wordy, but I do hope to share photos of works in progress and finishes and in the next few days I'll be helping to host a pretty big event, so stay tuned for that.

One of the most positive things that took place in 2016 for me was my second year participating in Bee Sewcial.  I am lucky enough to be in a bee with a bunch of great ladies and every single one of them produces creative work and prompts throughout the year.  You can see below I created a mosaic of all the blocks I created last year, January through November (we take August and December off.)  It is so nice to see them all in one place.  At least three of these sets have been turned into finished quilts and are living out there being enjoyed.

Our little group invites anyone interested to play along with us each month.  The prompts can be found on Instagram or on the Queen Bee's blog.  The easiest way to play along each month would be to search the hashtag #inspiredbyBeeSewcial on Instagram and you can find everyone and all the information there, but don't hesitate to contact me if you want to play along and are a little lost.  We work with solids only and create modern improv quilt blocks.  Our themes or prompts last year included, improv lines, circles, triangles, transitions and even bacon!  So if you would like to have some fun, try your hand at creative improv or just follow along, we would love to have you.  Here is to a creative 2017!

I am making myself sit down to blog today.  I think I have just been enjoying the summer time sewing so much, I don't want to stop.  But I am overdue to show these blocks (though all have been mailed) so I must do it today!

The set of four blocks above were May's blocks for Diane (Diane ~ my studioQ) in PROMISE do. Good Stitches.  She chose one of the blocks from Tula Pink's book, City Sampler, 100 Modern Quilt Blocks.  She got in touch with Tula Pink, asked if she could super size the block to 12.5" x 12.5" and use it for our group.  Well Tula said, yes, and here they are!  You guys know I loved that book and making the blocks, so of course I had to make 4 instead of 2.  Our only requirements were that we use bright solids and bright prints (no novelty prints.)  Well that was easy for me!

The next set of blocks are a special case.  The do. Good Stitches quilter for June asked for a break, so our group leader had us make blocks to donate to OP Give Warmth hosted by Sarah at {no} hats in the house.  The basic concept is that Sarah picks a color palette each month, and you can make ANY block (based on certain measurements, we did 12.5" x 12.5".)  Well I chose the April color palette and made the blocks above and below.  The block above is from a free tutorial by Two More Seconds and found HERE.  I missed the fact that this block didn't measure 12.5" x 12.5" so I just modified it to work, since you can make any block it didn't really matter!  The block below is from Faith at Fresh Lemons and can be found HERE.

Our PROMISE do. Good Stitches leader, Sarah (sfredett) had a great idea and posted her July instructions early, so those of us with summer plans could have extra time to make them.  She chose a chunky Greek Cross with navy backgrounds and low volume centers.  I literally used the only two navy fabrics that I had in my stash (that I had enough of.)  I love these blocks, so pretty and modern.  In the block below, I thought I had enough of the fabric (Joel Dewberry) but in the end I didn't and had to piece one of the pieces from 3 little scraps, so I had just enough.  You can see this below, and thankfully the print is busy enough you don't really notice my mistake.  These measure 12.5" x 12.5."

Last but not least, are two blocks for Celeste (celestejohnson2008) in Always Bee Learning.  She sent us scraps and asked us to use Bonnie Hunter's Boxy Stars tutorial, found HERE.  These went together really quickly, measured 12.5" x 12.5" and have a really neat effect once they are sewn together.

That is all I have today, folks, I hope you are enjoying your summer!

Hello all!  Hoping you had a good weekend and excited about starting a new week!  I am, or at least really trying!  I have a few bee blocks to share and will start out with the Always Bee Learning group.

First up are some Hobo Blocks for "hettie k."  These measure 6.5" square and I believe the symbol above is "Poor Man."  These blocks feature 1.5" half square triangles, not my strongest skill for sure, but I don't think these turned out that bad.  Hettie is making a quilt for her youngest sister's graduation present, I can't wait to see it all together.

Above is an "Ogee Quilt" block for "QuiltGenius."  Our bee is based on the concept of "learning" and I have to say that this is a great block for that.  I used Leanne's (She Can Quilt) technique for sewing curves, which worked so well, sewing these curves was a snap. Well I messed up and was supposed to trim those blocks, which I didn't and I just stitched them together, then realized they were too large and decided to trim them at that point.  That was a mistake, because when sewing together the final block you can see that my curves aren't very "curvy" but rather a tad squished and choppy.  Sorry about that, but I really did learn a lot from this block.  I don't remember the finished size, but it is large, I will guess around 16" x 16."

My last set for the Always Bee Learning group are for "flickrdeb50" and technically these are super early, as these are the May blocks.  Debbie requested a very easy block (but another learning one that I have never done before) half rectangle triangles.  The tutorial for these blocks can be found HERE.  It really is quite straight forward and I know that these blocks will become part of an awesome quilt!  These measure 7" x 13" unfinished, and I made 6 of them.  We were only supposed to make 4, but alas I messed up 2 (let's just say my iron didn't like those 2) so I was able to squeeze 2 more out of the fabric she sent and make things all right with the world!

Now let us talk about that PROMISE.  At the beginning of the year I applied for do.Good Stitches, I was at a point that I realized I was now in only one bee and was able to take on a bit more work that was going to go to a great cause.  Fast forward around 1.5 months and Rachel was able to fit me into an existing group, the PROMISE Circle.  I was to start with April's blocks and just continue on with the group.  Well being the overachiever that I am, I also offered to make blocks for the March round as well.

So first up are the two blocks that I made for "carrie bee" for the month of March.  She was the quilter that month and chose to have us all make reverse applique blocks based on the tutorial found HERE.  Her requirements were creme, tan or beige background, with a spring like fabric "applique."  These were the only two solid fabrics in my stash that "kinda" match those requirements, I certainly hope they work.  I also want to defend myself and say that these blocks photographed horribly and really and truly aren't this wrinkly and HORRID looking.  I promise they aren't.  I think the camera just picks up every single wrinkle and flaw, but honestly they were fairly smooth and flat.  These blocks were easy and dare I say FUN.  I didn't think I would like them, but I really did, and made both in less than an hour.  These both measure 12.5" x 12.5."  I have to say that I love my little "hippie dippy" cat down there peeping out.

Last but certainly not least are 4 "plaid" blocks that I made for the month of April for "eschbaugh."  From my understanding she designed this block which measures 10.5" x 10.5" and is made out of 2.5" squares and 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles.  She asked for 2 blocks, but said any more would be appreciated, and since I have a ton of solid blue in my stash, I was happy to oblige and honestly these were really straight forward.  Don't you think this design is so clever.  I certainly do!

In conclusion, I am happy/thrilled/delighted to be part of the PROMISE Circle of do.Good Stitches and look forward to contributing to quilts that will end up doing good and contributing to those in need!

I am really behind in showing off the last few (ok the last 6 months) worth of bee blocks, so here I am today, trying to rectify that situation!

First up are the simplest blocks that I think I may have ever sewn!  This block is the Belle Wave by Faith of Fresh Lemons and can be found HERE.  These were for Michonne (Watch Meesh Run) and I believe she was making a wedding quilt for a friend.  How sweet!  The block finished as 11.5" x 13" and literally took 10 minutes to stitch up.  Nice and easy.

September's blocks may have been the easiest, but October's blocks were definitely the hardest I have ever done!  I'm not just saying that, these were the hardest blocks I have ever done!  The Windmill pattern from the book "Modern Blocks, 99 Quilt Blocks from your Favorite Designers" was designed by Lynne Goldsworthy of Lily's Quilts fame.  Stephanie (spontaneousthreads) sent us the background Heath print and we used scraps for the triangles.  We made 8 quadrants, and she is going to sew them together randomly with all the other bee members blocks, making them totally unique.  I worked on and off on these blocks for two weeks, and logged in well over 8 hours sewing these babies together.  That was some serious paper piecing and I don't think I will ever make these blocks again.  That being said, it was a great learning experience for sure, and isn't that what these bees are about?

November's blocks were for Leanne (She Can Quilt) and she requested these half square triangle based blocks, called "Ocean Waves."  The fabrics were from the Blitzen line and Kona white.  Leanne wrote us a wonderful tutorial for these blocks, which can be found HERE.  I was pleased as punch with these blocks, as most of my triangles still have their points and mostly lined up well.  I think this was my most successful half square triangle blocks to date.  This will certainly be a lovely Christmas quilt.

Staying with the Christmas theme, January's blocks were for Toni (HoosierToni) who is getting a huge jump start on Christmas quilts for her children this year.  Isn't that a great idea!  She had us make Spiderweb Blocks from the tutorial found at House of A La Mode, tutorial HERE.  I have made several of these blocks in the past (and I have a WIP Christmas quilt myself using this same pattern!)  Needless to say, these were easy and quick.  She sent the background plus all the scraps and asked for 5 quadrants.  I then sewed the leftover scraps together, so the few she would have to make herself would go together even more quickly.

We are now arriving at my blocks (that I actually made for myself,)  March is my month, and I have chosen Modern Maples as the blocks I will have everyone make.  I am excited about this one!  The tutorial can be found HERE and is by Amanda Woodward-Jennings of Hey PorkChop!  I sent everyone a selection of low volume prints, plus strips of both Denyse Schmidt Chicopee and Anna Maria Horner Field Study lines of fabric.  These blocks go together really quickly and measure 12.5" x 12.5."  The top block is Lush Uptown by Erin Michael, and is the basis for this quilt.  I love that line and wanted to base a quilt off of those colors, they seem very autumn to me.  So I made that block and then picked the other two fabric lines based off the colors and prints.  I hope to have this one done by the fall of the year, as I really want to use it, so I am using the low volume prints in the "solid" blocks and using them as leaders and enders in my current projects, which is really cool and getting two projects done at one time.  All of my packets have been mailed out and I can't wait to see the blocks come together!

Hopefully, next time I post pictures of bee blocks, it won't be 6 months from now.  I am so glad to have this post done, as it has literally taken me all week to write...goodness gracious.  I'm off to do some cleaning, picture taking and I have presents to wrap.  Have a great weekend!

I've been such a slacker in regards to showing off my blocks for the great bee (Always Bee Learning) that I am in, such great ladies and they deserve to see their blocks before I mail them, so I do apologize to them for that.  Some of these blocks were late...sorry about that too, but a few were really early, so the good cancels out the bad, right?  I hope so.

First up is a rainbow technicolor paper pieced block for QuiltGenius (Mary.)  The name of this block is the Basketweave Braid Star Block and the tutorial is by The ADD Crafter and the directions can be found HERE.  She sent a wide variety of scraps, warm for the weave and cool for the outside pieces, other than that, we were free to do what we wanted with the block.  I can't honestly say that I was successful with this block.  Yes, I was technically successful, it came together rather easily and measured the right size (12.5" x 12.5".)  I'm just not sure I was successful with an eye pleasing layout, it is not one of my favorites for sure.  Maybe I shouldn't have paired the yellow with the blue and so on, who knows, but there isn't anything I can do about it now.  I would have preferred to sew it together like the photo below, I like the color placement better this way.

These blocks were for celestejohnson2008 (Celeste) back in June  She gave us basic instructions and sent us strips of fabric that we sewed together first, used a template to cut into triangles and then pieced them together in whatever pattern we wanted.  The hexagons are not sewed together, just the top row and bottom row, this way you can piece the quilt in long rows, without any complicated piecing.  Here are the six "blocks" that I sent to her.  These were super simple and fun!  Click HERE to see how a whole bunch of them look on her design board.  Fabulous!

These blocks were for kristina.withak (Kristina) and were designed by Lee of Freshly Pieced.  Lee named this quilt block "Sparkler" and the pattern can be purchased HERE.  I loved making these and this pattern is super simple and stunning.  Kristina sent us the fabric cut and ready to sew.  I love this quilt in solids and honestly would love to make one myself one day, it is just so pretty and modern.  I can't wait to see what Kristina does with them.  They measure 12.5" x 12.5" and I think this would be a great quilt for a beginner who is willing to try half square triangles.

This last set is for hehehe922 (Megan.)  Unfortunately, I did send these blocks late.  I'm not sure why it took me so long to get around to them, but once I did, I loved making them.  Now I didn't go for any complicated design, just simple straight forward arrows, which was what she requested and shared this great inspirational photo HERE.  No directions, just improv, which I have discovered that I LOVE doing.  I made these four blocks and they are all pretty large, though I didn't measure them when I was finished, but I want to say that the two up top were around 14" tall.  I hope Megan likes them, I certainly liked making them and was pretty happy with the finished product!  Well that is it for now folks, at the moment I am caught up and hopefully it doesn't take me five months to post the next set!

It is already the third quarter of the year, is anyone else depressed that the year is half way over.  *Huge Sigh*  Oh well, time to move on! I don't want to say that the second quarter was a bust, but it kinda was in terms of finishing things.  I believe I had high aspirations of 11 or 13 projects or something ridiculous like that, which obviously I didn't finish.  But....I did finish two.  I didn't link them up with the second quarter finish-a-long, simply because I haven't photographed them yet.  I finished two sets of pajamas for my boys and my Cosmic Burst Quilt.  I will post about them another time when the weather is right and the boys are behaving, so hopefully in the next three months! HA!  I was happy to at least cross two things off the list.

This quarter I am taking things a bit differently, instead of a long list, I am aiming for a smaller do-able one.  I actually finished up quite a few quilt tops last quarter and have all the backings put together too!  So here are my goals for quarter three:

Project One: Boom Boom Pow Quilt - This top is finished, the backing is finished.  I just have to baste, quilt and bind it.  This is a throw quilt that I plan to keep for myself!

Project Two: Dancing Stars Table Runner - The table runner top is finished and I have the backing ready to go.  The letters print will be the binding.  I need to baste it, quilt it and bind it.  This is to gift, but I don't have an intended recipient yet, I will just know when it is done, I'm sure.

Project Three:  Latticework Strings Quilt - This quilt top is finished and so is the backing.  I need to baste it, quilt it and bind it.  This is a throw quilt that also has no intended recipient, yet.

Project Four:  Emerald Cut Quilt - This odd sized wall hanging is all basted and ready to quilt.  This quilt will hang in my house when it is finished and will cover up a window that will be removed.  No rush, the window has not been removed, well not yet anyway!

Obviously, I will be doing a lot of quilting this quarter, but I have all of the supplies, so nothing should hold me up.  Linking up with Leanne at She Can Quilt and Never too hot to stitch! 2013 the Year of the Finished Project.

I'm down to just one quilting bee presently, which is good for now, taking a break, finishing up projects of my own.  The problem is I forget to show what blocks I have made!  That being said, here are the blocks that I made for February and March.

If you haven't seen this type of block, where have you been hiding?  The Scrappy Trip Around the World, tutorial found HERE was all the rage late last year in the online quilting community.  Though I didn't participate when everyone was making these quilts, I can now say that I have made the blocks, and I do enjoy them, a very clever method of constructing a quilt block.  These blocks were constructed a tad differently with 3" strips instead of 2.5", so the finished size is much larger.  These are for Hettie K in Always Bee Learning and were shipped off to her quite some time ago.  I certainly love all that Anna Maria Horner fabric!

The month of March ended up being an "open" month and Leanne over at She Can Quilt graciously volunteered to put together a donation quilt for Siblings Together.  She chose the Octagonal Orb Block, tutorial found HERE.  I can honestly say that pictures do not do these blocks justice.  They are stunning and large, and roughly measure 17"x17."  They might look complicated, but really aren't, though I will say time consuming.  I decided to make two and about halfway through thought, "What in the world have I gotten myself into?"  Though I will say that when I sewed that last seam and those centers came together so perfectly, I was darn proud of myself.  It doesn't take much to make me happy, obviously.  I know I say it a lot, but I can not wait to see what Leanne does with these gorgeous blocks, and I sure hope she likes them too!

Ok, so I haven't posted any bee block pictures on here in months, like literally since October maybe?  Don't worry, they have all been shipped to their owners, some a tad or a lot late, some on time, but none of them live with me anymore.  Anyways, these blocks deserve their moment in the sun, so here they are in all their glory:

Parisian Star from the Modern Blocks Book, found on pages 128-129.  This block is for Susan over at The History Quilter and is part of the Modern Blocks Bee.  She sent some lovely Anna Maria Horner voile and a rough open weave type fabric for the background.  Very interesting combination of fabrics together.  Hard and soft all rolled into one.  Lovely block!

Leanne over at She Can Quilt requested improv asterisk blocks.  This block is part of the Always Bee Learning group.  I went for a simple asterisk block, but on a large scale, this block measures around 16" x 18" or somewhere around that.  She sent me Madrona Road and Chicopee fabrics, both of which are fabulous together.  I can not wait to see what Leanne does with these blocks, she is so talented!

Toni over at Hoosier Toni requested this half square triangle block from the Modern Blocks book, it is entitled Diamond Ripples and can be found on pages 46-47.  I'm not even going to lie to you, I did not like making this block, way too many hst, but boy was she smart to have everyone make one for her, and this quilt will be so cool once she has it together.  The effect created with this block is very neat and there are multiple ways to put it together.  This block was part of the Modern Blocks Bee.

Also for Toni are these two blocks here, above and below.  As part of the Always Bee Learning group she requested the herringbone block above, tutorial found HERE.  She sent us Chicopee by Denyse Schmidt strips and then asked us to create an imrov block with all the scraps left over from the herringbone block.  I used them all up and created this 12.5" x 12.5" block seen below, improv is so fun!  I see a fish, what do you see?

Last, but not least is another block from the Modern Blocks Book and part of the Modern Blocks Bee.  This block is named Piece of the Garden, and can be found on pages 134 - 135.  It is for ellebee'squilts and she gave us the option of making this block in several different size options.  Boring old me, chose to do it at 100%, so this block measures 12.5" x 12.5".  I believe this is also Denyse Schmidt fabric and my first time piecing hexagons like this, very fun!

That is it for today folks!  Thanks for hanging in there!

Wow, I had no intention of taking a two month blogging break, but alas it happened and nothing I can do about that, so Happy New Year!  I am starting this New Year with a fresh approach, fresh outlook and fresh new goals.  I'm excited!  This is the first year in many that I made a New Year's Resolution!  Oh my!  This is a big deal for me, I'm normally not the type, but it feels good and I'm going with it.

Last year I started organizing and taking stock of the unfinished quilts and works in progress I had laying around and stuffed in cabinets and drawers.  Low and behold I discovered that I have 14 unfinished, started on, in pieces quilts.  Yikes!  So, my solution is to finish one a month for twelve months during this year and knock out the majority of them.  Most of them have all of the blocks done, they just need to be put into a top.  A few are finished tops, and a few need more work than that.  I am only focusing on one at a time, until it is finished.  Hopefully I can keep up!  If I finish it early in the month, then I will go ahead and move on to the next!  Below is my mosaic showing all 14 unfinished quilts.  Below that is my intentions for the next three months, and I will be linking up with She Can Quilt, who will be hosting the quarterly Finish-A-Long this year.  Monthly I will be following along with Cut To Pieces, who is hosting the Flickr group Project: UFO 2.0.  Wish me luck, I'm excited about this challenge and ready to get to work!

1.  January - Two Christmas table runners, made from these 10 blocks (see photo above.)  I need to construct tops, sandwich, quilt and bind it.  I have all of the supplies needed.  Good to go!

2.  February - One quilt made from these blocks, throw size.  I have either 15 or 16 blocks ready to make a top.  I just need to figure out what I am doing with them, make the top, sandwich, quilt and bind it.  I have all the supplies needed for this quilt too!

3.  March - Time to finish up Cosmic Burst!  The top is done, so all I need to do is sandwich it, quilt it and bind it!  Once again, I have all of the supplies needed.  Easy peasy!  This will be a wall hanging quilt.

4.  Anytime During the First Quarter - Construct three pairs of pajamas.  I have all the needed supplies, just need to cut them out and sew them together!  I want them ready for the boys to wear next winter.

That is it folks!  Interested in following along or joining in yourself?  Click on either photo below to go to either of these ladies lovely sites!

My latest work in progress, an example block for my Always Bee Learning bee mates.  I'm the "Queen Bee" this month and these are the packets they will be receiving.  This block is from the book "Fresh Quilting" by Malka Dubrawsky.  It is the Modern Baby Quilt pattern, and is constructed entirely out of Y seams.  I will honestly say that this is my new favorite technique, and I absolutely loved putting it together.  Hopefully my bee mates agree with me!  The fabric is from Kate Spain and is one of her new lines, Cuzco.  The "solid" is by Laura Gunn and is called Painters Canvas, I just love the look of these fabrics with such great texture.  I personally think this quilt will be one of my new favorites, what do you think?

Linking up to WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced.