Strawberry Fields

Phheeeww! I got my January block posted just under the wire. Michele, you are a smart gal to always take the first month, everyone wants desperately not to fall behind right off the bat! Here is your block (I only made one so you could use the fabric I'm sending back to finish off some of the others that need a little more): I did have this fabric in my stash. Even made a store sample quilt from it, but not all of these colorways. I LOVE the strawberries...
One thing I always do with block exchange or Bee blocks, is sign them, on the back, on a seam allowance. It's a good way for the recipient to keep track of who made which block as they come back in the mail (and who knows, maybe someday, after I'm long gone, someone will come across this and wonder about the life of a quilter from Iowa who made that block in 2011)...Hey, it could happen.

Our blog has a new look, I finally got the block made I was wanting to use as a header, and added a button at the left for you to grab for your blog. Sorry it took me so long to get it accomplished!

Log Cabins for Michele

Ah… my first blocks for this bee for the wonderful Michele! I must have received the right amount of fabric, as I definitely have leftovers!

I had the perfect opportunity to throw the selvage into the center of one of the blocks:

 

Michele, I will send out as soon I get my fabric sorted out for February! :)

This post also reminded me of what a pain blogger can be with uploading photos! I would recommend you check out Windows Live Writer – it’s a lot more intuitive (more like Microsoft office products) and easier to arrange photos.  Live Writer works for both blogger and my own self-hosted Wordpress blog.

First Block and a "Nice to Meetcha"

Hi there! I'm Andrea over at the little collection and new to One Block Over this year. (Yipeeee!) I'm looking forward to sewing with you all and getting to know some new quilty bloggers!

Kicking it off with January's blocks...

Michele's little package of fabric was waiting for me when I got home Saturday, so this little gal was done by Saturday night.

(Love the fabric for the center medallion!)

When I saw Linda's post, I decided to see if I could squeeze a second block out of what was left but figured I better plan carefully. Like Victoria, I had to do a little extra piecing of bits and crumbs to make it work, but it did!


The blocks and scraps (minus just a smidgen of that sweet strawberry fabric, I must admit) are all on their way home to you. Hope you like them both!

Michele's Wonky Log Cabin Blocks

Here you go, Michele. Your instruction and fabrics arrived in Saturday's mail, so I started sewing right away. That's because:

1. I want everyone to like me because I make your blocks in a timely manner. (Please remember to continue to like me toward the end of 2011.)
2. This is my very first cyber-bee, so I want to put my best foot forward.
3. Like everyone, I have a lot on my must-finish-this-month list, and this "One Block Over" takes priority. (If that approach doesn't make everyone like me, I don't know what will!)
4. The Michael Miller "Meadowsweet" fabric line by Sandi Henderson is so pretty I was excited to see them sewn together into a block.
5. Sewing the block while drinking a glass of wine would help me make "wonky" blocks which is otherwise contrary to my nature.

To top off that impressive list, I decided to make two blocks for you Michele.

Easy to do when chain-piecing, right? In the end it was a problem. I didn't have enough fabric to make either block to your unfinished size of 14-1/2"! Each one is about 13" X 13". Goodness! Maybe being the first person to sew blocks makes one a guinea pig, huh?

Michele, I'm not sure whether it was poor planning on my part to make two blocks simultaneously, or whether I was just a bit overzealous, but my apologies for returning two incomplete blocks to you. Unless you let me know of another way to fix this, I'll put the blocks and all the left over pieces into Monday's mail. Hopefully you have saved some long strips and can attach one or two to each block to make it the finished size.

Well, have I made any new friends yet?!

Linda in Iowa

January 2011 - Patchy Log Cabin Block

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The packages of fabric for the January 2011 block went out in the mail on Wednesday and may be arriving today.  Not knowing really how to divide up so many of the Meadowsweet designs, the baggies are a bit overloaded!  

During the 2010 bee, my favorite block was the February patchy log cabin we made, so I decided to go with that design for myself this year.  At the top of the post is the completed block I made last year, as I haven't made one with the Meadowsweet yet.  Included in the packages coming your way is a letter spelling out my hopes for the block.  
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Please do keep the strips a rectangle shape with straight sides no wider than 3.5".  To keep one common theme running through all the blocks, I sent you one strip of turquoise cotton that is approximately 2.25" wide and one strip of lime cotton that is approximately 1.5" wide (the dimensions are from memory, don't hold me to it!).  What I thought would be great is to have each of you add one strip of each color to the block, one placed in a horizontal position and one placed in a vertical position.  It doesn't matter where you place the strip -- well, please keep it inside the block and not as a final piece -- or which ring it is on, just so one is going one way and one the other way somewhere in the block.  Photo example above. 

I plan to sash between the blocks maybe with the turoquoise or go with a pink that is a common color in the Meadowsweet line.  I so love this fabric set.  I'm all about sharing fabric, and if you wish to keep a piece or two from the set you receive, please do.  Otherwise, please send back what you don't use, as I need to be sure I have enough to piece any last blocks and just because I love it so and want it home with me in my humongous stash! 

Please contact me if you have any questions.  -- michele

January - All Blocks Are In!

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Oh, my goodness!  All 11 blocks have arrived!  What do I do now? 
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Here are all the lovely January blocks that have arrived in the mail over the last six weeks.  This mosaic is one way to look at them all quilted together.  The blocks are in alphabetical order by name.  Alas, the hard work has come for me.  I was going to sash in the green, but now I'm not so sure.  With the yellows and some of the green in the corner blocks, I'm thinking I need more of a contrast.  Any ideas?  Anyone up for a roadtrip to South Carolina?  I have a private apartment downstairs available .....

Stars, Pinwheels, and Birdie's, Oh My!

My January block for Michele...I added the dark brown with brights mosaic print (in the pinwheel and outer border strips) from my scrap basket to the fabrics Michele sent along. I love that she chose a specific block pattern, and yet, all of our blocks are turning out so differently! (I think Amy's is my fave so far...it must be that Kaffe green she through in there!) ;->I even snuck a little birdie into my pinwheel...ain't she a cutie? Hope you like this, Michele! I bet you're really glad right now that you decided to be brave and volunteer to go first, even though this is your very first Bee experience!

Shooting Star for Michele

edit: Michele asked, and so thought I would just link here in case anybody else needed to know - I learned how to make the Maverick Stars from this tutorial. They're fun and turn out awesome every time. To do it off center, just make all your white base squares the size you want and go as normal from there.

As is my thing, I have more white in this than others. The pinwheel is only 2" instead of four, and I set it off center to allow for longer wonky star points on two sides. I thought that vine print made an awesome shooting star out of my wonky creation! The adorable little bird is pointing the way. I hope you like it Michele!

Heather is way on top of things, I already got her package. I love these greens and blues!

Keeping Up With The Bees

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So not to be last sewing my own block, I stayed up late all the way through the block only to find that I had sewn the last row on backward!  It was too late to make adjustments, so the ripping and resewing and photo shoot waited until this morning.  I've never pieced anything like this before, but other than a bit of finagling and forcing a fit on the bottom center piece (the bias cut got a bit fiddley), it went well. 

To keep all the blocks straight and to keep a little photo log of this month's process, I am framing all the blocks in little frames and titling them on my calicodaisy flickr set for the bee.  You can take them if you like. 

The Same But Different

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I love to look at these blocks side by side.  Heather's little switch of using the solid fabric for that small rectangle seems to change everything.  Victoria's use of a solid in the center causes the pinwheel to look so sharp. 

January Block Package …

from Michele is coming your way! I set up an assembly line at my local Bruegger's yesterday morning and packaged up baggies of fabrics and copies of the pattern. I hope I included everything you need. These are the fabrics chosen for the quilt. They are the Bloom and Grow line from Riley Blake which I purchased from Material Gal. I actually picked up two more designs out of that set on a Sew Mama Sew sale last month (not pictured here), and some of you will see one of those in your baggie.
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The photo right above is the quilt block I've chosen. For those of you not in our quilt bee but are hanging out here with us, the design is in the magazine pictured on top. I was up in the air about going with pinwheels or stars, but, lucky me, I came across this dual design that solved my dilemma!

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Included in your packages, you'll find a combination of three of the prints above, a Kona "spring green" solid, and a Kona "snow" solid. The two solids creating the frame around the pinwheel will be the constant in all the blocks. Use the white for the rectangle pieces and the green for the corner blocks. I will sash in the green when the blocks come back to me. 

Black and white copies of the pattern are included in the packages. Some of you mentioned you've purchased the magazine already, so you may not need extra color copies. However, I did scan the pages to my computer, so if you want a color set, please let me know, and I will e-mail them to you.

So, the rest is up to you. Feel free to put your own stamp on the arrangement of the block. Just keep these things in mind:


1. Please keep the pinwheel within the inset frame and a star design outside of that frame, but if you want to offset the designs or skew the placement, go ahead!  (Jacquie -- I'm looking forward to some of your improv moves!)

2. The fabrics I sent are just a jumping off point. Please use a combination of the prints but feel free to add in other fabrics you might like. 

3. Please use the solids for the inset frame: the "snow" for the rectangle cuts and the "spring green" for the corner blocks.

4. You can keep the excess fabric for your own stash! 

I think that's everything! If I have left anything out, please let me know.  I'm so excited!