Still Buzzing!

And so it continues.......

My sewing time these days seems to be filled with bee blocks.  I love, love, love bees and swaps but I am in so many that sometimes it becomes a bit overwhelming and time consuming so I have made the tough decision not to continue with some of them.

I really need to leave a little time for starting and finishing projects of my own.

This week I have made my final blocks for 3 bees.

 And another supernova block for my new bestie in Oklahoma.

I also finished a mini quilt for an Instagram mini swap.  This one is heading to a new home across the seas.

And I finished some cushion covers for the November birthday girl for the Aussie Handmade Birthday Club.

Now that these goodies are all on their way to their new homes, it is time for me to start thinking about Christmas sewing.  With 7 nieces, 4 nephews, co-workers and friends to make for I had best start sewing.

Until next time.

Sue

Bee Quilts

I am in quite a few bees and swaps which means I have lots of blocks laying around waiting to be made into quilts.

This past weekend I managed to put 2 tops together ready for quilting.

First is a simple nine patch quilt in pretty blues and greens.

This is for one of my nieces who fell in love with this cushion I made for her last year.

Sometimes the simple things in life are often the best.  I love the freshness and simplicity of this quilt and I think this will blend in nicely.

Next I used half of my paper pieced star bee blocks to make this quilt for a co worker who has just had a baby boy 5 weeks premature.

I am hoping to get this quilted in time for the baby to come home but l am stuck for inspiration.
I thought about custom quilting each individual star, then I decided to do the background all the same and maybe highlight some of the features of each star but now I just don't know.
Anyone have any ideas??

I have 12 stars left over so I think I am going to make a few more so that I have enough for a quilt for my husband.  This colourway was his suggestion and despite my initial reservations I love how they play together so I want to reward him for that!

But it will have to wait.  I have 9 flimsy's (not counting the above) that are patiently waiting to be turned into quilts and I am determined to get a least some of them completed before I start another project.  Well that's the plan this week anyway.

Until next time.

Sue 

Busy Little Bee

The last couple of months I have been a very busy little worker bee fulfilling requests of the queens for several bee hives I am part of.

I have so many bee and swap obligations going on that I had to create a spreadsheet to keep track of them all!

Sometimes I have very little time left for me sewing but I can't help it - I love bees and swaps.  I enjoy the friendships and I enjoy challenging myself to make blocks I wouldn't normally consider making for myself and in some cases really challenge myself with blocks I have never seen or heard of before.

So in no particular order, here are the bee blocks I have managed to complete since August.

QBA Star Bee Blocks:

QCA Mini Bee Blocks:

QCA Rainbow Bee Blocks:

Supernova Friendship Block Swap:

Birthday Club Gifts:

Phew!

This week I am trying to finish a mini quilt for an Instagram Mini swap and then I need to concentrate on completing a couple of quilts for Christmas gifts and another for a birthday in January.

Until next time.

Sue

Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend

Super secret sewing not so secret anymore.

I am happy to report that I have gifted 'Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend' to one of my gorgeous nieces so now I can finally share.

This is a Elizabeth Hartman pattern and I just loved making it.  It is no secret that I love scrappy piecing and the string diamonds were a great way to use up scraps as well as yardage.

I was surprised at how easily the whole quilt went together.  The instructions and diagrams were clear and easy to follow.

It took me a while to decide how I wanted to quilt it though.  After much deliberation I decided to go with meandering feathers for the background.  This was my favorite part of the whole quilt.  I love the texture the feathers create and I think it softens all of the negative space.

For the diamonds I just went with a small stipple and squiggly lines.

Overall I love the whole quilt and I an happy to report that me niece loved it too.  She turned 12 years old and this quilt is a bit more grown up for her which is why it was well received.
The front of the quilt.

The back using left diamond offcuts and a very bright floral print.

 And to finish off, the obligatory picture of the binding!

Next up I am trying to finish 2 quilts for Christmas gifts and another one for a birthday in January.
All of the blocks are made, I just have to assemble the tops and get busy quilting!

Until next time.

Sue