Bee-Hind.

These are my last blocks for Bee Beautiful. Some of them have been finished for months and just sitting on the end of my ironing board, I started hoarding them like the rest of my fabrics! oops.

This was a great bee! You are all lovely ladies with endless creativity,

inspiring lives and projects.

Thank you for including me, I couldn't be happier with all of the great techniques I've learned and friends that I have made....

Keep your eyes peeled for my quilt as you go quilt that you all graciously contributed to... My plans for a queen sized quilt have faded (along with my QAYG stamina) and I hope to have a generous lap quilt for my couch in the next couple of months. How the heck did you do it Penny? You are a QAYG rockstar!

Vicki, Michelle, Amy and Stephanie- I hope you like your blocks! They were all fun to put together, gorgeous fabrics all around. I will be sending them out tomorrow morning, Monday at the latest. Thank you for your patience...

Thanks again everyone!

~erica

catching up little by little

I'm still behind... but little by little I'm catch up on some bee blocks.

Vicki's block in progress

and a blurry photo of it done

Here is Vicki's block w/ the siggy block and sashing strips.

Michelle's block in progress

almost done... time for the hand sewing.

Amy's block #1

playing with fabrics to make a 2nd block for her

the result of block #2

Amy's blocks done.

Better Late Than Never... ?

I owe a couple of people apologies! I'm super tardy on my September and October blocks because life has a way of bulldozing your safe, happy routine. So Vicki and Michelle, I'm really, really sorry!!! I hope you like your blocks :)

Vicki's block... so fun to do! And LOTS of points to match! I just loved all the saturated colours.

Michelle's block... I'd never made a dresden plate before (though I've wanted to for the longest time!) and this was both scary and fun to make. I ended up machine stitching it, and I'm really not great at curved sewing, so Michelle, please don't look at it too closely. Thanks, I appreciate it.

While we're at it, Vicki, don't look at yours too closely either :P

Amy's large block... I have a special place in my heart for the improv log cabin, so this was right up my alley :) I tried to keep them simple and clean while injecting some wonk here and there. I signed this one after I was done with the pics.

The smaller block... I went heavy on the MoMo with this block! It ended up being not so much smaller (like 11" unfinished) because I got carried away and didn't stop to check the sizing!

All the blocks will be on their way shortly!

- Audrie

playing catch up

Vicki's Squares

Michelle's Dresden Plate

Amy's Drunk love/log cabins

I had a lot of fun playing with these different fabrics. I can't believe that we only have one month left to go. (And, Michelle and Amy, your blocks went out in the mail yesterday).

Rainbow Connection

Here is my September block for Vicki. As with some of the others I used 3 squares of my own fabric and also made 4 rows of sashing. I had to hide these squares from my daughter because she wanted all of them. I did cut  some squares for her and she told me that it was not enough. Guess I will be cutting more! I will send this along in a couple of days with my October fabric.

A block for Vicki

I decided to follow Angela's tip and use three of my own scraps, which left me with enough squares to sew my siggy block and make 4 strips of 8.

I love all this bright happy color. So cheery :)

Vicki's Rainbow

I finished up Vicki's block quickly - or I would have been too tempted to keep all those lovely 2" squares myself!

I added three squares from my stash and was excited that it seemed to be the perfect number. I had just the right amount to make your block, the signature block, and sew up four complete strips of eight for sashing.

Already in the mail back to you.

Late Start September

Hi friends! I finally got everyone's packages in the mail today! Sorry I am so late with this--I wasn't feeling well and then also had out of town company, but now things are heading back towards normal. Please don’t feel like you have to rush to get the block back to me by the end of the month!

I have sent each of you a bunch of 2” squares. The block is simple: sew the squares into a block that is 6 squares across and 6 squares down. I will trim them (if needed) and add the white strips later.
*Please no interfacing; I don't want the extra weight from interfacing in some but not all blocks.
*Press your seams to one side rather than open--if some blocks have seams pressed open and some are pressed to the side, there could be small variations in the size of the finished blocks. (you could ask how I know this...)
*I would love it if each of you would include one or a few 2” squares of your own fabric choice in your block. Please avoid very pale pastels or prints with a large amount of white; also no browns or brownish colors please and thank you! (My sample block, pictured here, has more white and pale pastels than I’ve decided I want in the finished quilt, just FYI.)
*Use whatever thread you have on hand that you feel is appropriate.
*For your signature block, please sew together 3 squares, press the seams, and then sew the strip of squares to the white 2”x5” rectangle I’ve included. Sign your name on the white. :)

*You will have some left over squares. You can either send them back to me or sew them into strips of 8 squares (I’d love it if you do this.) The sashing in between the blocks will be made of strips of 2” squares.
*I only need one block from each of you--thanks so much!

Hi, I'm Vicki

Hi everyone! I wanted to tell you a little about myself and show you my idea for when it's my turn later on in the year.

I live with my family in the suburbs of Kansas City. We've been here for 6.5 years; my husband and I both grew up in Utah though and that's where most of our extended family lives. My two boys are 9.5 and 5.5 years old and I have a little girl who's 14 months old. I've been sewing since I was about 6, made my first quilt with my grandma when I was 13, and started quilting "for real" the year I got married, 1997. I've made baby quilts for all my neices and nephews who were born into the family as well as my own kids--oh wait there is one new baby boy that I haven't made a quilt for yet, but I am going to do that really soon! I've made several other quilts too and currently have 3 UFOs that I really want to finish before I start on a Jane Stickle quilt later on this year.

So I was browsing photos in the DQS8 flickr pool the other day and saw something that gave me an idea:

At first I was thinking one-inch squares but decided that would be way too crazy. This block has 36, 1 1/2" squares and has a 1 1/2 white border, and ends up at 12.5" square. It will be a lot of small square cutting, but I'm hoping to have each of you make a block like this for me when we get to September. I'm thinking about making sashing strips out of more 1.5" squares, and then a sort-of wide white border around all the quilt blocks with one more border of the 1.5" squares. Does that make sense? Would you hate me if I asked you to make me a block like this?