Queen Bee duties completed

This morning I finished The Wee Bees April Quilt!
And I am ridiculously pleased with it!

TA DA!!!

 

Three other Wee Bees contributed 2 blocks each to which I added 3 more blocks. Then I put them together, added borders, quilted using mostly machine quilting but hand quilted with Perle thread around the stars to make them stand out.

I made the outer border from 2.5" squares - my stash of squares plus gifted ones from the other Wee Bees.  I think the mixture added a lot to the quilt.

 

The completed quilt measures 60" square, a lot larger than most of the quilts I usually make.

I thought I would have to piece a backing as I don't really have huge pieces of fabric in my stash.

I found the largest piece I had, a bright pink and turquoise spotty number which, with a bit of cutting and piecing, created a backing of the right size.  Because of the busy print the joins aren't particularly noticeable.

 

 

 

As the quilt is already bright and scrappy I felt a quieter binding was needed.

Another rummage in my stash and I found a large piece of white with pale blue wiggly stripes. This was gifted to me by one of my lovely Patchwork Group friends.  It was a piece of a valance she had made for a bed sheet but as it was no longer needed she gave some to me. 

I felt this was just the fabric for this quilt and I am really pleased with the gentle way it completes the quilt. I like re-purposing fabric too so this ticked two boxes.

 

 

I am so pleased that I chose this block style for the Wee Bees April Quilt.

I think the charm of the quilt is all the lovely, quirky fabrics everyone chose for their blocks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My 3 blocks:

Purple centre block

Bottom right pink block

 

 

 

Blue block

 

There was a lot of work involved in making this quilt but I am thrilled with the end result.

I will be sewing on the label this afternoon and then it will be ready to be parcelled up to send to the Siblings Together Charity.

 

Thanks to Nicky Eglinton who asked for Wee Bees to volunteer to make quilts for Siblings Together.

The Wee Bees has now completed three quilts and the fourth is in the pipeline.  I think we have worked together so well, especially as we all live in different parts of the country and have never actually met - other than on line!

Have a look at Nicky's blog: mrssewandsow.blogspot.co.uk

Arrival of more Wee Bees blocks

I do love receiving post and when it contains two more Star blocks from the Wee Bees Group it's even better!

Tanya sent these blocks:

 

Thank you, Tanya!

 

A red and a pink, using a great selection of fabrics. Funnily enough the Chicken fabric Tanya used in the red block is the same fabric as one of the squares in my blue block. I also have this fabric in yellow, which may be used if the third block I make needs to be yellow. That colour choice will depend on which colours the fourth member of the Wee Bees chooses for her blocks.

 

I am so looking forward to putting these blocks together into a quilt for the Siblings Together Project.

Wee Bees blocks received

At the beginning of the year I signed up for a Bee which was going to make four quilts for
The Siblings Together charity. I have sent blocks to Tanya for February and to Jo for March.  It was my turn to be Queen Bee for April.  I chose a White Star block which I had wanted to try for ages - this was my opportunity! I made two blocks  which I loved and now the group is beginning to send theirs to me.
I was really excited today to receive the first two blocks from Jo.  Here they are:

 

There are some lovely fabrics showcased in these blocks, including the Three Bears, foxes, shells etc.

 

I had also asked if Wee Bees could send me some 2.5" squares as I intend to make one of the quilt borders using squares as I hope to get more variety this way. Jo very kindly included some in her parcel. Thank you, Jo!

 

I know Tanya's blocks are finished so it will be interesting to see which colours I get.  The quilt will consist of 9 blocks so once all four sets are with me I will need to make an extra block to "fill in the colour gaps".

 

If you have a look at the Siblings Together blog and click on the " Quilt Link up " tab you will see photos of all the quilts made so far for this year's summer  camp. The quilt that Tanya organised and completed is Number 26. Really pretty log cabin.

 

If you can help with this worthwhile project please do!