Quilt Con: do. Good Stitches Exhibit

A special selection of quilts from the do. Good Stitches bee were featured in a special exhibit at Quilt Con. I'm sharing just a few of my favorites today. The level of continuity attained in these quilts created by many different quilters that have likely never met in person and the level of effort put into something that will be donated is a tribute to the wonderful online community of quilters.

Ascent by the Do. Good Stitches Bee

I am proud to have been part of the creation of this quilt, along with my Hope Circle bee mates. Check out my original post for the block specifics.

Eclipse by the Hope Circle of the Do. Good Stitches Bee

I love the eclectic rainbow shining from these blocks of various sizes. This looks like a great solution for scraps of all colors.

Watercolors by the Do. Good Stitches Bee

Bee Blocks - January

Kerrie Porter of Pretty Lady Baby requested straight-forward 9-Patch blocks for this month. For the Hope Circle of do. Good Stitches, she wanted monochromatic blocks in purple, pink, yellow, or green.

To create blocks that will finish at 12", I cut nine 4 1/2" squares for each block. These came together delightfully quickly. It actually took more time to decide on fabrics than to do the sewing.

Christina Biro was up this month for the New Quilt Blogger Bee. She has a full-fledged tutorial for her requested block on her Wips & Tuts blog. Just make sure you make the bottom row of geese go to the left instead of the right.

Instead of doing half square triangles, I opted to create flying geese units using the no waste flying geese method. While not difficult to sew, this block does require some generous cutting time.

They are pretty though, and it's going to be a lovely quilt.

2014 Recap

Let's look back on 2014, shall we? I joined a Round Robin through the Modern Quilting Facebook group, which was a first for me. I've enjoyed the experience, which has been a nice challenge and full of fun surprises.

Online bees have been another fun way to learn new skills without building upon my UFO collection. I participated in the Stash Bee, New Quilt Blogger Bee and the Hope Circle of  do. Good Stitches.

Also, I finished some things! Hooray for that. It's easy to forget my completions given the shameful amount of incomplete projects lurking around my sewing room.

I'm looking forward to what I hope will be another year of plentiful quilting opportunities.

Bee Blocks - December

This month's Impov Wonky X blocks for the Hope Circle of do. Good Stitches were familiar territory after my addition to Paula's Round Robin quilt. Ellen McKee requested orchid and teal similar to the colors in the Art Gallery Indelible line.

This month's Impov Wonky X blocks for the Hope Circle of do. Good Stitches were familiar territory after my addition to Paula's Round Robin quilt. Ellen McKee requested orchid and teal similar to the colors in the Art Gallery Indelible line.

Stephanie Palmer of Late Night Quilter instructed the New Quilt Blogger Bee to create Anna Maria Horner feathers in jewel tones. She asked us to include some white strips and a charcoal shaft. The background has been omitted since she plans to hand appliqué them to her quilt top.

Pam Wilde of Sewing Wilde offered an alternative tutorial. Meredith of Olivia Jane Handcrafted also has a tutorial to lessen fabric waste. If paper-piecing is more your style, Alyce of Blossom Heart Quilts has taken the pattern that direction.

Personally, I cut the pattern pieces out of freezer paper, which I used as a foundation, as in paper-piecing. I cut the finished pieces 1/4" from the edge of the templates so I could turn the edge under using starch and my iron.

Have you made, or are you considering making, either of these blocks?

Bee Blocks - November

Heather Flegel asked the Hope Circle of Do. Good Stitches to create Half Square Triangles with Stitch & Flip Triangles. I began with four 5" chartreuse and Kona white Half Square Triangles. Then I added stitch and flip triangles to the white halves in her selected color scheme. All the other 9" blocks with have monochromatic centers surrounded by white, with Stitch and Flip Triangles in assorted coordinating colors.

Jill Fisher of Pie Lady Quilts asked the New Blogger Bee to create two improv trees using the tutorial at Pinkadot Quilts. There were no size parameters, and due to the free-pieced nature of the process, every tree will be unique. Jill requested a low volume background.

My greatest challenge wasn't the improv piecing; it was putting together the pieces after my children decided it would be fun to toss them into the air like confetti. At least my directional birds gave some indication as to how the pieces should be reassembled. Next time I do slice and insert, I'm doing a single slice at a time.

Bee Blocks - October

These low-volume, pastel Crazy Quilt blocks are going to Sara Richardson, the October Queen Bee for Hive 3 of the Stash Bee.

They are a generous 18", and will be used to make a quilt for Sara's 5 year old daughter.

As for the New Quilt Blogger Bee, Katie Yates at Thread Everywhere wanted Modern Maple blocks using the Modern Handcraft tutorial.

She adjusted the measurements to make an 18" block (Maple Leaf Fabric - 10" square & three 6 1/2" squares; Background - 10" square & two 6 1/2" squares; Stem - 2" x 10" rectangle). Gray was the requested background color, with leaves in any naturally occuring color.

Epilogue: Here's what became of them.

Cath Hall at Wombat Quilts selected Cross blocks using the Wooden Spools instructions for the Hope Circle of Do. Go Stitches.

Here's to getting my November blocks done toward the beginning of the month!

I'm linking up at:

Bee Blocks - September

I present to you, September's episode of "Bee Blocks".

Leading the charge is Samantha Linehan, September Queen of the Stash Bee. 

She challenged her hive to create a 13" - 15" Flying Geese block incorporating olive green, red, gold, and/or chocolate brown with a cream background. I enlarged the free Circle of Geese pattern on Craftsy to 14". It came together without incident, and looks nice. I'd love to try another with different value placement to highlight the star in the center (currently the background color).

You can check out the other Stash Bee blocks on Flickr.

Bonnie Hunters' free Scrappy Trip Around the World pattern was used for this month's Hope Circle of Do. Good Stitches block. Kimberly Swink of Swink Girl Quilts requested prints in orange, yellow-orange and orange-red with one strip of dark blue running diagonally through the center of each block. I discovered that it was possible to have the blue running from corner to corner, while still sewing the strips together in an incorrect order. Ooops! I'm glad I got that straightened out. Don't you love the bravado of these colors?

As for the New Quilt Blogger Bee, Deb Harrison asked for Churn Dash blocks following the tutorial at A Quilting Life. 

She desired a medium color range that wasn't too light or primary, and a background that read as a solid. Here are her blocks, which she considered a little tame.

My blocks are not so tame. I'm hoping they play nicely with their more mellow counterparts.

Do you participate in online bees? If so, which one(s)?

Bee Blocks - August

As for the Stash Bee, Sarah Nunes, who blogs over at Berry Barn Designs, asked for a red, low-volume white, and blue half square triangle block for this month's Stash Bee Hive #3 block. It's still in four pieces because she wants to scatter all the members blocks for more evenly dispersed scrappiness. You can check out the other blocks created for the Stash Bee on Flickr.

I have joined a new bee formed from participants in the New Quilt Blogger's Hop at Plum and June.

Lin March over at Lin's Quilts is our queen this month. She requested 9" nine-patch blocks using white and brights.

Cath Hall, author of Wombat Quilts, asked for Arkansas Traveler blocks for this month's Hope Circle of Do. Good Stitches block. Lee, over at Freshly Pieced, gave a free pattern for this block as part of her Summer Sampler Series, which has a Flickr group.

I had been wanting to make this block for a while; it's so beautiful. Honestly, I think I've got that ambition fully out of my system. The instructions were clear, but the creation of these blocks requires many steps and a decent time investment. There are several opportunities within the process for things to go awry if you aren't careful. Many seams come together in the center of the block. I'm not certain of the best way to coerce this intersection to lay flat, but I suspect it involves a mallet and some extreme force. Cath's color choices were yellow, orange, and gold with a light gray, scrappy background. View more Hope Circle blocks on Flickr, if you so desire.

I'm off to the post office.
Update: Cath finished her quilt. Check it out!