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!

Bee Blocks Round Up

Today was the first day of my sewing and blogging week so I caught up on my Bee Blocks for Fresh Modern Bee 2 finally.

For May Lisa who blogs at Shiners View sent fabrics and inspired by her trip to Amsterdam asked for blocks based on whirlys or pinwheels.

I made 2 blocks one whirly and one pinwheel by stripping together some of the darker fabrics, pairing them with a neutral solid and then framing them in a pale yellow.

June is  Lil's month and she sent mostly neutral fabrics and a few colours and requested blocks in a liberated log cabin style.

I didn't feel like my first block was particularly liberated and preferred the next one:

It's been too long . . .

Bricks Block for Leila for April Fresh Modern Bee 2

I have really missed sewing.

I have 1,245 posts in my Google Reader, lots of pictures to look at on Flickr, lots of Pins to stick on Pinterest, a trip to the Festival of Quilts to sort out. Oh and a quilt I need to finish for my Granny's 80th on 12 June hmmm better get going!

Sunday Stash - the Bee edition

 

Dolce by Tanya Whelan 

From the moment I first saw this quilt line, I had to have it, all of it and not just a small amount full metres or yards (yup I'm greedy).  

Purchased from Allegro Fabrics, Pink Chalk Fabrics and Fresh Squeezed Fabrics in the US and Saints and Pinners  in the UK.  The grey at the bottom right  is Kona Medium Grey and is from Simply Solids also in the UK.  

I love them all :

Pinks

Lavenders

Oranges

Blues

Greys

This is my current favourite.  I am currently cutting some of this beautiful fabric up to send off for my month in Fresh Modern Bee 2.  I can't wait to see what they come up with.