This month, I picked up a couple of extra blocks to do for the “Bee’s Helping Bee’s” Flickr.com group: Wonky Stars & Floating Heart
I wish I had all the time in the world all the fabric I want so that I could make a top with all the neat blocks I have been learning/doing for the flickr.com groups.
This month’s block for my flickr.com group (We Be With It) are String Blocks.
They are an 8″ block and they went together so nicely I made 2 extra. They were a lot of fun to do.
Yep, without leaving my 5 acres in central Minnesota!
I am making a block for the “Bees helping Bees” Flickr.com group.
She is missing 3 blocks, I am making Block #12.
This is a simple idea, lots of little squares, but I really like it. I hope to be able to make the whole thing some day.
So, I’ve got my little squares and I’m gonna shuffle off to sew some subway tunnels…
Made with 2″ squares will make a 12 1/2″ unfinished block.
The whole process is amazing when it is all put together. You can see the whole thing and get the directions/pattern at Oh, Fransson!”
She has some other quilt patterns on there that I am putting higher up on the list than this one…like the picnic quilt that rolls up. Awesome idea…I am going to try to make that one this summer for fall picnics.
Update: Well I finished this block – twice.
My first one was completed when I was pressing it for the last time, I got 3 stains on it form my iron or ironing board. So I started over. This one turned out much better – no stains.
I would love to do this whole quilt some day. I love that it’s dimensional and represents something at the same time.
This is the fabric for my last set of blocks for my We Be With It – Flickr.com Bee. I love the colors, very summery!
My other bee, We Be Learning, it’s my month, so I’ve already made my blocks for the tutorial for the Woven Ribbons / Plaid Block made with 2 1/2″ strips. So I feel short sheeted with nothing more to do this month, maybe that will get me outside to work on my perennial gardens or work some of the stink out of my pony.
When I first ran across this block Woven Ribbons over at QuiltersCache.com, I immediately fell in love with it and knew I wanted to make it sometime. But I love using pre-cut strips, so I took the original pattern/tutorial and modified it to use 2 1/2″ pre-cut strips. And I love it even more now.
This tutorial will make an 8″ finished block (8 1/2″ raw block).
You will need 4 colors – because I am writing this tutorial for the “We BEE Learning” Flickr.com group, I am going to call out the colors and pattern that I want created for my block.
Fabric Requirements:
You will have 4 – 4 1/2″ squares.
Take the square with the large blue strip and sew that to the square with the large green strip, make sure to connect the large Blue strip to the Yellow/Blue side of that block.
Next, take the two halves, match up the center seams and sew together.
Square up and you should have a 8 1/2″ block.
Using the 2 1/2″ strips to do this block you can get 6 blocks out of 1 strip each of 4 colors, you will need 1 1/2 strips of white though to complete those blocks.
Well, they are completed and in the package to be sent away.
We used the Christmas Starry Night tutorial from Fresh Lemon Quilts for this block.
These two blocks were so much fun, I am not used to doing things with such vivid colors.
Paperpiecing blocks are so much work, but they turn out so nice.
My finger tips are sore and I have paper cuts, but boy of boy do I love these two blocks.
I it going to be so hard to mail these off to their new home, even if they aren’t my colors.
Before I sew these together I wanted a picture of them put together each way.
It’s almost hard to say they are the same sets of pieces. I don’t know which way I like better.
These are so NOT my usual color palette
– my eyes almost hurt from looking at these colors this long.
But I can’t wait to see what the blocks look like when they are completed!
I am actually excited that it’s a gloomy, rainy day today – it’s bright and shinny in my sewing room!
I love doing spur of the minute projects – although it helps when I actually follow the instructions, but then it just wouldn’t be one of my projects if I didn’t switch something…
This weekend I joined a flicker group that steps in where other BUZZZZZZZZZy BEEEEEEEEEs have not fulfilled their commitment. I love these type of things because it’s a quick request and I don’t have too much time to think about it and procrastinate!!! My worst trait is procrastination, and best gift – I do some of my best work under pressure.
The block is a 6″ Paintbox Quilt Block – instructions can be found here: http://www.ohfransson.com/oh_fransson/2010/01/paintbox-quilt-along-how-to-make-classic-blocks.html
So in my grand tradition I messed them up.
First I cut the solid strips the wrong width, but this could have been fixed so easily if only I would have done the math correctly. So the solid strips started out too big and ended up too small. Good Grief. Only the ones on the far right are correct.
I guess I’ll have to find some more fabric and redo the other ones.
Well, the calendar says April and we just got 3″ of snow today.
Something is very wrong somewhere.
April is so busy for us that I did my Bee projects right away this month, so I didn’t have to rush later on.
These two blocks, were difficult, but I really like how they turned out. Although, the directions called for the seams to be pressed open, and I really didn’t care for that finishing look.
These blocks were quick and somewhat easy to do, I spent more time on finding the center fabrics than I did putting them all together.
So I’m off to play in the snow for awhile…