Last Bee Block for Bee Quilted

Bee Quilted has drawn to a close and here is the last block I made for Chocolate is the Best Medicine

This Bee started out as Quilt as you go but in the end only half of the blocks used this method.  I now have tried most of the different ways of quilting as you go so hopefully can put this into practice again.  

To Bee or not to Bee

Back in May last year  I got an email from a fellow UK blogger to say she was setting up a Bee and would I like to be part of it?  Hmm I thought - send my lovely fabric to people I don't know and they cut it up and I rely on them to send back blocks I like enough to make into a quilt??? What?  Why on earth would I do that?  But I was new to this blogging and quilting lark and the lady seemed nice so I said yes.


That lady was Lynne of Lily Quilts fame and the Bee was Fresh Modern Bee 2.  November was my month but I haven't got around to putting everything together and blogging about it until now.

I eventually settled on Tanya Whelan Dolce and Kona Medium Grey (from Mandy at Simply Solids) and asked everyone to make Pinwheel Blocks (inspired by PS I Quilt's Pinwheel Quilt Along).  I struggle with things not matching and was worried that lots of blocks made by different people wouldn't "match" enough.  So I sent some quite paticular requirements.  Luckily no one took offence!

Any doubts I ever had about joining a Bee soon went out the window when these fabulous blocks started arriving in the post.

Little Island Quilting and Sew Justine Sew

Petits Elefants and Where the Orchids Grow

Lola Blue Ocean and Fissiett

Shiner's View and Quilt Happie

The Nellies - Reene and Yvonne

Pioneer Valley Girl and Lily Quilts

Chickenfoot and Scruffycat

Now I just need to make 3 more pinwheel blocks and its ready to sash with lots more grey.  I am now a convert to Bees.  I have made lots of virtual friends and even met one in real life.  I also no longer think people who join Bees or mad; slightly unhinged perhaps and obsessive about fabric but not mad . . . .

Whatever makes you happy bee block

July (yes I know its August!) was Little Island Quilting's month in Fresh Modern Bee 2.  She sent some gorgeous Anna Maria Horner fabrics and asked for whatever block we wanted in whatever size we wanted.  Sounds easy right?  Except I struggle to create and design and am not very good at thinking up block ideas.  Lots of thinking and procrastinating followed.  And then last weekend I did the Design Challenge Workshop with Fat Quarterly at Festival of Quilts.

This drawing and the block in the top left became this sketch last week:

And today I actually sat down at the machine and sewed it into this:

It's by no means a new or exciting design but I made up the measurements myself and there's even a little fussy cutting going on in the middle.  I wanted something to showcase the lovely fabrics and I hope Alison likes it!

Festival of Quilts

I don't know where to start! Yesterday home from 3 brilliant days in Birmingham at Festival of Quilts. There were so many amazing inspiring quilts on display. I got to meet up for coffee with one of my first blogging friends, Justine and met some newer blogging friends from Brit Quilt - Susan and Nicky.
I also got to meet the lovely person behind one of my favourite shops - Mandy from Simply Solids

One of my favourite things about the Festival (apart from the shopping!)was the workshops I attended with the lovely girls from Fat Quarterly. I have followed it from the first issue and love what they do.

After being inspired by Katy's talk on Quilting & Social Media I have finally given in and joined Twitter as @scissors thread I am just starting out and trying to figure it out so if you are on Twitter say hi. I haven't worked out how to add it to my blog side bar yet.


English Paper Piecing taught me lots of tricks for making hexagons and I fear a new addiction! Hopefully I will finish the bathmat I started in the not too distant future.

The Design Challenge workshop showed us how to play around with block designs and charm packs (and I got to do some lovely colouring!)

Finally the shopping haul - I thought I was rather reserved this year (husband did not agree whilst lugging back my case from the train station!!). Lovely grey solids from Simply Solids to finish off my Bee Quilts, some Christmas fabric, a little bit of Far Far Away, some books and quilting cotton for hand quilting.

Iris & Delilah Quilt

It's ages since I posted about my Granny's Quilt made from this fabulous stack of Tanya Whelan fabrics.

It was another "intense quilting" experience but it got made in time.  I forgot to take photos of the finished quilt to had to wait until I went home a few weeks ago.

The design is simple rectangles to showcase the gorgeous fabric and is based on Cluck Cluck Sew's Roadtrip Quilt

More Delilah & green solid on back

The quilting is lots and lots and lots and lots of straight lines.  Thank goodness for my walking foot - there are no puckers and it feels gorgeous.

Binding is a print from the Delilah line and the finished quilt measures 66"x80"

Iris (my Granny's name) & Delilah (the fabric) Quilt

My Granny cried when I gave it to her so it was worth all the 2 am finishes and it remains my favourite quilt to date.

Bee Quilted Bee Blocks

 I haven't blogged my Bee Quilted Bee Blocks for months so here is a catch up.

April/May Dream On Liberated Log Cabin for Becca

May/June X blocks for Karamat

June/July Applique Circles for Franswimmer

Chocolate Envelope Quilt

Remember this post and the fabrics which needed to be a quilt in 6 days. . . . 

Moda Acardia, Kona Chocolate & Momo Freebird

Well I made the deadline and was able to finish it before flying home to see my family and gave it to my Dad for his 60th birthday.

The pattern is from a tutorial from the fabulous Shiner's View which has been on my to do list for a while.  

Unintentionally I had chosen similar colours and fabrics for my Dad as those in the tutorial and I love how the envelopes pop agains the Kona Chocolate.

The back is some Momo Freebird and the leftover Kona Chocolate.  It is quilted with horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines but not too many as I wanted to keep it soft as its a tv quilt.

Binding - Momo Freebird Eggs

That weekend was also my 30th birthday which resulted in an IT upgrade for me (iPad 2!!) that I am just figuring out how to get photos onto and blog hence the delay.

PS - is anyone going to Festival of Quilts next weekend - I will be there from Friday to Sunday and am very excited!