Quilting Bee Blocks

Pick Five Monday: Heather's Nautical edition

noreply@blogger.com (Erin @ Two More Seconds) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 14:30:00 +0000

Happy Monday! This week's Pick Five Monday was written by the adorable Heather from June {Vintage}. She's got some wonderful picks in a great theme. Thanks, Heather!

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Hello! I am Heather from over at June {Vintage} and am excited to share five favorites for this week's Pick Five Monday. I {occasionally} run a vintage store on Etsy when I am not busy being a full-time mom to a 3.5 year old ball of energy and a foster mom to some amazing kids. I used to be a police detective but you can now find me hiding out in thrift stores and behind the lens of my camera. I have been head over heels in love with a sailor for more than a decade-which is why this week's favorites are hitting the high seas!

Pick 1: So many things to love about this: the colors of the water + sun...the fussy cut fabric..the patchwork sailboat... so cute!

(credit: PatchworkDuck)

Pick 2: The charcoal with the rich colors of Plume fabric line by Tula Pink provide a perfect color palette to the simple "sails" on this square quilt. There is a lot of nautical themed items out there, particularly for little boys. If we ever have a girl, this option would be a great nursery addition!

(credit: teaginny)

Pick 3: I love the more traditional repetition of the sailboat pattern on this quilt (it is very similar to a vintage sailboat quilt that I have that was my husband's grandfather's-who was also in the Navy!) However, with the modern fabrics (polka dots!) and the very popular use of a rainbow color arrangement, this quilt is what makes quilting so amazing: a perfect balance of traditional and modern.

(credit: BlueElephantStitches)

Pick 4: Applique, tiny scraps, free motion quilting and one of my new favorite fabric lines (Urban Chik's Dream On): perfection! This isn't a traditional quilt block, but the quilter {Aneela Hoey} made it into a mini-quilt and it is a great combination of some of the most popular modern quilting aspects happening right now...

(credit: Aneela Hoey)

Pick 5: All good sailors use the stars to navigate the vast ocean! Amanda (MrsMcPorkChop) put together this amazing paper-pieced star pattern with fussy cut mermaids...I love, love, love the pop of color on the "horizon" in the corners!

(credit: mrsmcporkchop)

Thank you Erin for letting me share some of my favorites this week...it sure had me dreaming of salty summer air on this cold, winter day!

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Pick Five Monday is a weekly column on the Quilting Bee Blocks blog featuring five of my favorite bee blocks from our Flickr pool. I am currently scheduling guest posters for 2011 to pick five of their favorite blocks and write a post telling us why. Email me for more information on how you can write one!

Pick Five Monday: Alexandras Desaturated edition

noreply@blogger.com (Erin @ Two More Seconds) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 20:30:00 +0000

Note: Sorry for the delay in this week's PFM post! Technical issues have been plaguing me all week! ;]

This week's Pick Five Monday is pretty much the opposite of last week. Alexandra picked some beautiful blocks, but they're far from the bright beauties we had last week! But isn't that the great thing about quilts and quilting bee blocks - you can pretty much find any type to suit your mood at any given time? These desaturated blocks are gorgeous in their own right! Thanks to my friend Alexandra for taking the time to write a guest post for us this week. You can visit her at her Flickr page: asquared(w) or blog: a2(w).

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My theme is "desaturated". I normally LOVE really bright pops of color, but I'm feeling a change toward something less vibrant and more warm and muddied. Perhaps it could be because I am tired of all the sun out here in the desert and long for some gloomy days!

1: I love how that background of each block is made of different taupey fabric and that the stars colors are toned down.

(credit: Patchwork Pottery)

2: I love the mix of different creamy neutrals. There is a pop of color, but it is not a vibrant turquoise.

(credit: The Quilt Engineer)

3: I totally missed the boat on Arcadia! I'll have to scour Etsy to get some! This block has a nice balance of browns/neutrals and colors that blend and pop at the same time.

(credit: Love Old Houses)

4. This block uses a gray instead of brown, but it's a creamy gray rather than a bright gray. The pops of dull pinks and greens really add interest to the block without needing to be blindingly bright.

(credit: maripenquiltmom)

5: This last block is stunning and brilliant. The light blues used give the impression of sun washing through the bottles and fading the color. There's a vintage, tea-stained look to the background fabrics, dulling down the colors as well.

(credit: lucyellen06)

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Pick Five Monday is a weekly column on the Quilting Bee Blocks blog featuring five of my favorite bee blocks from our Flickr pool. I am currently scheduling guest posters for 2011 to pick five of their favorite blocks and write a post telling us why. Email me for more information on how you can write one!

Pick Five Monday: Mellow Yellow edition

noreply@blogger.com (Erin @ Two More Seconds) — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 06:52:00 +0000

I am not a big yellow fan but lately it has been growing on me. Maybe it has something to do with missing the big yellow thing that hangs out in the sky?? I don't care if it doesn't snow where you live - it's still wintertime (at least in the Northern hemisphere!) and the days are shorter meaning less sun. Here's five yellow blocks to help bring some sunshine to your Monday!

Some pretty yellow and white blocks for the do. Good Stitches bee:

(credit: spottedstonestudio)

Yellow can even be cheery when paired with grey, in this gorgeous block for the Scrappy Quilting Bee:

(credit: nichole.pyle)

Yellow is the focus of this cute block with a tiny little pinwheel center, for the Snip. Sew. Send. bee:

(credit: Lula Dahl)

More yellow and white in this stunning block, again for the do. Good Stitches bee:

(credit: Little Miss Shabby)

And finally yellow takes center stage in this very cool zig zag strip block for the New Kid on the Block Quilting Bee:

(credit: Amy loves Bud)

Hope these yellow blocks brighten up the start of your week!

Finished! Jenny's Four Bee Quilts

noreply@blogger.com (Erin @ Two More Seconds) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 08:35:00 +0000

One of my favorite things to do is search out finished bee quilts in our Flickr group and in many of the other bee groups we have listed on the Master List of Virtual Quilting Bees. Recently I hit the jackpot when I was reading through blogs and saw a bee quilt that had just been finished. In fact, my friend Jenny (mommymae) might hold the award for most completed bee quilts at FOUR! Isn't that amazing? She's made each of her four kids a quilt using blocks she's received in different bees.

What's more is that she included patchwork pieces of 2" squares that she inherited from her grandmother on the backs of each quilt - isn't that the sweetest extra detail? All four of the quilts are just gorgeous and so different from each other - take a look for yourself:

The bee members of Busy Little Quilting Bee helped her make these red and pink beauties for her twin daughters:

details:

She made this darling quilt for her son with the help of the bee members of A Notion or Two:

My favorite block:

Some of Grandma's squares:

And finally her most recent finish, this lovely quilt for her other daughter, from the members of Tethered Threads:

The patchwork from the back:

She has an amazing full Flickr set with more pictures of this quilt if you'd like to see more.

I just know Jenny's kids are going to cherish for many years having such special quilts made by their mom!

Pick Five Monday: Melinda's So Pretty They Hurt edition

noreply@blogger.com (Erin @ Two More Seconds) — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 01:18:00 +0000

This is a going to be a quick intro to Pick Five Monday but it doesn't mean that the picks are any less amazing (just means I'm really busy this week lining up sponsors & teachers for The Sewing Summit)! Melinda really picked the cream of the crop with these blocks, they're all lovely, and she has great things to say about them! Thanks for guest posting, Melinda!

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Hi, I'm Melinda, otherwise known as quirkygranolagirl on flickr and my blog: quirky granola girl.

I currently participate in the 3x6 Sampler Mini Bee where I am also a beehive caretaker.
I'm the admin for the May 2009 Moms Bee and I am in the Sew Buzzy Bee and It's Sew Easy Bee-ing Green Bee.

It took me a l-o-n-g time to sort through my flickr favorites to pick only 5 blocks. In the end, I decided to go with the blocks are so pretty, they hurt. I think you know the feeling. You click on the next image and suddenly your breath catches in your throat and looking at it makes your chest ache a little. Then you continue to stare at it with your jaw open, listening to your heartbeat in your ears. After a minute, you finally shake your head and then look closer as the gears turn in your head to figure out how she or he did it.

(credit: cce181)

I love the rows of peas in the garden and the bushes next to the house and the sidewalk with the bunnies, but mostly, I love how the bright siding of the house jumps out at you from the muted colors of the yard. That, and the adorable chimney. So stinking cute.

(credit: badskirt)

I think everyone can agree that the piecing is absolutely stunning on this block. The points, the curves, the white border, the print colors.....and the cherry on top is that yellow stripe fabric. That is just too perfect.

(credit: Lilys Quilts)

I want to come up with clever words to describe this block, but quoting the comments for this block seems more effective: "pure genius"...."superterrifically talented"...."mind-bendingly incredible."

(credit: sewtakeahike)

I *love* Penny's ice cream blocks. she made 6 for the 3x6 bee and my breath caught with each one of them. But this block....this was the one that convinced me that maybe someday I'd use purple fabric and not just tolerate it. I could *love* purple fabric in a block like this.

(credit: ayumills)

I've tried to put together a sentence about this block for 30 minutes and words can't convey how drop dead amazing it is. Quilting is a visual art and you just have to see this block to believe it.

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Pick Five Monday is a weekly column on the Quilting Bee Blocks blog featuring five of my favorite bee blocks from our Flickr pool. I am currently scheduling guest posters for 2011 to pick five of their favorite blocks and write a post telling us why. Email me for more information on how you can write one!

Spotted: Fabric Stacks and Mailers

noreply@blogger.com (Erin @ Two More Seconds) — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 23:15:00 +0000

Every month all over the world fabric is carefully picked out, compared, examined, then chopped up, stuffed in envelopes, and posted to locations from Australia to Canada, Europe to the United States.

(photo credit: Ma.rysia)

It's sent with instructions that were carefully thought out, debated, agonized over, fretted upon,

(photo credit: theplaidscottie)

All for making blocks that will be mailed back, ironed, placed, sewn, quilted and bound, washed,

(photo credit: Petitselefants)

Just for creating a quilt that will be admired, displayed, possibly hugged and petted, lovingly used and owned for years and years. All from a little stack of fabric. Sent all over the world.

Weigh In: Emily's Sashing

noreply@blogger.com (Erin @ Two More Seconds) — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 00:39:00 +0000

One of the great things about the online community is the ability to get a zillion opinions on something in literally two seconds. Twitter is great for this. So is Flickr. Post a picture on Flickr asking a question and your friends are sure to chime in with their opinions in a matter of minutes.

I often see pictures pop up in the Quilting Bee Blocks Flickr group of people asking questions about block placement, sashing, layouts, colors, etc and thought it would be a great idea to extend this to the blog in a new feature called "Weigh In!". I spotted this picture in our group today where Emily is trying to decide sashing or no sashing on a quilt top she's working on from blocks recieved by her bee members in the Fresh Comfort 2 Quilting Bee.

(photo credit: Mle BB)

Emily says: "Should I have sashing or not in this quilt? These are all of the blocks that I have received so far from the participants of Fresh Comfort 2 (thank you for the wonderful blocks!!!!!!). If I choose to have sashing it will be Essex Linen/Cotton Blend in Natural OR Charcoal Kona Cotton. Thanks for your opinions! This picture is missing 10 blocks (made by me) if there is no sashing it is missing 22 blocks. This will be a twin sized quilt to go on my bed."

Click on the picture above to be taken to Flickr to be weigh in and give Emily your opinion! Or you can leave her a comment here, too. Emily, for me - I am really seeing these beautiful, colorful blocks looking awesome with some charcoal Kona. I think the grey would really let them shine!

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If you have a question about what you should do for your bee blocks or bee quilt and want to ask the Quilting Bee Blocks community, Email me a picture and what you're trying to decide! I'd love to help you try to solve your dilemma!

Finished! Ann's Are We There Yet? quilt

noreply@blogger.com (Erin @ Two More Seconds) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 17:42:00 +0000

Recently Zonnah emailed me with a quilt she wanted me to feature. She is in the Snip.Sew.Send Virtual Quilting Bee and one of her fellow bee members, Ann, completed this great map quilt. Thanks, Zonnah, for pointing out this great quilt to me!

Ann sent everyone a fat quarter of Alexander Henry's "This Land is Your Land" fabric and gave the instructions: "I would like to ask for “Map” blocks. They can be interpreted as loosely as you want. It can be a map from your kitchen to your sewing machine, a map of the stars, a map of your city or state, anything you want. The same goes for technique. Embroidery, piecing, applique, painting, whatever you enjoy doing."

She included notes on the back of the quilt containing information about each person that made a block for her on printable fabric.

The finished quilt is gorgeous and each block is stunning in it's individuality!

This quilt is definitely something that Ann is going to treasure! Read more about it on her blog, Film and Thread in her two posts here and here.

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Do you have a finished Quilting Bee Quilt that you want me to feature on the blog? I would love to! Email me with links to your blog posts or pictures of the finished quilt on Flickr!

Pick Five Monday: Geese Geese Geese edition

noreply@blogger.com (Erin @ Two More Seconds) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 12:28:00 +0000

Happy 2011 everyone! I hope you all had a great holiday break .... I definitely did! The past few weeks have been a crazy whirlwind of parties, food, presents, naps, movies, and lots of fun with my two little boys. I even got a little sewing in!

I've had geese on the brain a lot lately --- I've been finishing up a mini quilt using some flying geese and I'm considering a bunch of different geese blocks for my hive for the 1st quarter in the 3x6 Sampler Quilt Mini Bee. Here's my five favorite geese blocks for this week's Pick Five Monday: Geese Geese Geese edition! :]

A pretty rainbow pyramid of geese made for the Australasian Bee.

(photo credit: Whippet Good)

Polka dots and solids for Bee Outside the Box.

(photo credit: stitches&scissors)

Big double geese made for Sew Buzzy:

(photo credit: patchwork queen)

A gorgeous picture of an even gorgeous-er circle of flying geese block made for One Shiny Bee:

(photo credit: JulieFrick)

A great color scheme on this simply pretty block made for Sew Buzzy:

(photo credit: quirky granola girl)

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Pick Five Monday is a weekly column on the Quilting Bee Blocks blog featuring five of my favorite bee blocks from our Flickr pool. I am currently scheduling guest posters for 2011 to pick five of their favorite blocks and write a post telling us why. Email me for more information on how you can write one!

Pick Five Monday: Christmas edition

noreply@blogger.com (Erin @ Two More Seconds) — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 22:11:00 +0000

Being it's the week of Christmas I couldn't let the opportunity pass by without featuring some great Christmas blocks for this week's Pick Five Monday! All these blocks were actually found in the Putting the Bee in Christmas Virtual Quilting Bee, which was a small, shorter duration bee that was held this past year in order to make some Christmas quilts for the bee members. What a great idea -- and they had some beautiful blocks being sewn! Make sure to check out their group on Flickr to see more awesome blocks and some of the Christmas quilts they've put together so far. Here's my 5 favorite blocks this week:

This tree with the little tree skirt underneath it is just darling!

(credit: wright_cherie)

I am just in awe of the dresden plate block anywhere I see it, and this beautiful block is no exception.

(credit: traceyjay)

A neat circle block with such pretty fabrics:

(credit: KarrieLyne)

Love how Natalia layered these trees!

(credit: Natalia @ Piece N Quilt)

The fussy-cut snowmen in this gorgeous block are darling!

(credit: AllieKatmom)

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not - I hope you have a wonderful holiday season with your family and that maybe you even get a little time to yourself to sew -- would it be a Christmas miracle in your house?! I know it would be in mine. :]

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Pick Five Monday is a feature I do every week on this blog to feature five of my favorite bee blocks from our Flickr pool. I am currently scheduling guest posters for 2011 to pick five of their favorite blocks and write a post telling us why. Email me if you'd like to write one!

10k photos!

noreply@blogger.com (Erin @ Two More Seconds) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 20:04:00 +0000

We hit a big milestone yesterday in the Quilting Bee Blocks Flickr group! Yesterday morning when I was checking the group I noticed we were getting close to 10,000 pictures in the group. In the afternoon when I was back again I managed to get a screen grab of when we were at 9,999! I sat there and refreshed for what seemed like hours - but no one was uploading. Then *boom* next refresh there were about 10 new pictures added and we were already past the 10k mark, so I wasn't able to get a screen grab of that. But how exciting!

To think of that many blocks floating around out there and in handmade quilts all over the world - just how amazing is that? This community is awesome and I'm so glad to be able to share it all with all of you!

Found: Block Tutorials at Film In The Fridge

noreply@blogger.com (Erin @ Two More Seconds) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 11:51:00 +0000

I've been on the lookout for great block tutorials lately after having redone the Quilting Blocks Tutorial page last week. Ashley from Film In The Fridge has a great selection of block tutorials on her blog and I thought they deserved a post all of their own. Get ready to be inspired! (Thanks, Ashley, for letting me feature and us all gawk at your gorgeous blocks! :] )

Rectangle Squared

The Starburst Block

Dinner Date Block

Quartered Squares - a modified bento box block tutorial

String Quilt Block - paper pieced method

(all photos credit: Ashley / Film In The Fridge)

Pick Five Monday: Corey's Perfectly Pieced edition

noreply@blogger.com (Erin @ Two More Seconds) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 13:00:00 +0000

I've been wanting Corey to do a Pick Five Monday for awhile now because she's got a sharp eye for detail and a great style - so I knew she'd put together an amazing collection of blocks. Plus, she's pretty much a superstar of quilting bees - check out all the different bees and swaps she's involved in! Thanks, Corey, for your picks!

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About me:

Blog: Little Miss Shabby

Bees that I am currently or was in: A Quilting Journey Round Robin Bee, Quilting Divas-An 8 Week-Modern Sampler Bee, Red and Aqua Bee, Three by Six Sampler Quilt Mini Bee, Sew New to Me Virtual Quilting Bee, Scraptastic Quilting Bee, Hip To Bee Square, Ringo Pie, do. Good Stitches

Bees that I admin: Bee Hexed In

I also participate in several swaps: {Handsome} Hexies-The Swap, Scrappy Pincushion Swap, Pillow Talk {Swap}

Beautifully Pieced Blocks

I love looking at new blocks as they pop up on the Quilting Bee Blocks photostream. I am most often drawn to the blocks with saturated color as well as blocks that are pieced beautifully--with all of the corners lining up and all of the points meeting where they should. I learned traditional piecing long before I learned (or even heard of) anything wonky. I find, for myself, the patience and attention to detail involved in traditional piecing to be very rewarding. I love opening up a block just after sewing a seam and seeing everything match up perfectly.

(credit: Rachel-B)

This block made by Rachel-B for the Modern Tradition Quilt Bee really combines my favorites--beautiful piecing & bright colors. There are even some fussy cut martians in there. This block is definitely on my list of to-dos!

(credit: burntfingers)

This block by burntfingers for Bee Addicted is another one that immediately caught my eye. Check out all of those perfect pinwheel centers. And I love that bright pop of pink in the center.

(credit: Mle BB)

Another block that had me hitting the "Add to Favorites" button right away was this block by Mle BB for Bee Crazy. In my opinion you can never go wrong with lots of perfectly pieced tiny pieces. I love all of the bright colors and the movement throughout the block is just divine.

(credit: fissiett)

Fissiett made this block for the Eurovision Quilters. I really like the composition of the 1/2 square triangles--she has created such a striking block. This is another block with bright fabrics set against a solid background with wonderful piecing--no triangle points missing here! =)

(credit: flossyblossy)

And lastly, this little beauty made by flossyblossy for the Quilt Around the World Bee. This block combines great piecing with another one of my favorites, applique. The dresden plate is certainly a more traditional block but Brioni has updated it with fun bright colors. I just love this fun block!

The Master List - updated

noreply@blogger.com (Erin @ Two More Seconds) — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 17:13:00 +0000

More new bees! Most of these are underway already, with a few gearing up to start in January. Remember if you want to join a bee (tons usually start up at the beginning of the year!) keep an eye on the "I Want In!" thread in our Flickr group. That's the best place to meet other people that want to be in a bee.

Pins and Needles Bee - This virtual bee has 6 members. Each person gets 2 months out of the year. when it's your month, the other 5 members make 2 blocks for you and you can make 2 for yourself. You can pick up to 3 colors and your block desire for your month!

Bits & Pieces Bee - a year long modern quilting bee. 6 member quilting bee. 2 months each. 2 blocks a month. you pick the block and the colors for your month.

The Quick Christmas Bee 2010 - A last minute Christmas bee with five members with the goal of making a Christmas quilt for Christmas 2010..

Bee Hexed In - This is a scrap busting bee based on Tacha's hexagon pillow design, "Hexed in" in Fat Quarterly Issue #1.

Solid Bee Block - A quilting bee focusing on solid fabric only. Any colors welcome. You can choose a single color to focus on or a bunch of colors. As long as you're using solids, you're in!

The VIBees - A virtual Quilting Bee. For Very Important People.

Sew & Bee Happy - A sewing bee using bright, modern fabrics, with an emphasis on trying something new and improvisation.

Tag Square Bee - We are a group of fourteen quilters from all over the world, making each other blocks from our own stash. All the blocks will be based around squares and square designs. Members get to choose the colour scheme they want for their quilt.

Simply Strings Bee - A quilting bee focused on making blocks using the "string quilt" method. Any design, any shape, as long as its made of strings!

Updated Block Tutorials Page

noreply@blogger.com (Erin @ Two More Seconds) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 17:42:00 +0000

I've been trying to think for awhile how to better organize and showcase all the different quilt block tutorials I have listed on the Block Tutorials page. Previously they were just in a big long alphabetized list, which got the job done, but it wasn't very pretty!

(credit: twinfibers | find the tutorial for the sun rays quilt block here)

A few weeks ago my friend Amy used a thumbnail linky to showcase all the quilts being entered in her Bloggers Quilt Festival - and it worked out so well! I loved being able to see little pictures of all the different quilts as I surfed through the different blog posts.

So I switched over the block tutorials page to be the same idea - a big list of block tutorial links with a little thumbnail picture you can view to get a better idea of what the finished block will look like! What can I say - we creatives are visual people, right? ;]

(credit: traceyjay | find the tutorial for the chubby star quilt block here)

I've linked up all the block tutorials that I had previously listed, but I know there are hundreds more great ones out there. If you have a quilt block tutorial that you've made and posted on your blog - please link up! And if you're looking for a great new quilt block to try, go and visit the new and improved Block Tutorials page!

In Progress: Quilt Tops

noreply@blogger.com (Erin @ Two More Seconds) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 19:24:00 +0000

Don't you love to see the progress of a quilting bee quilt? From the initial fabric that's picked out to be mailed across the world, to the pictures of the blocks that start trickling in, to the quilt top that's carefully pieced together, to finally a gorgeous, brand-spankin-new quilt all quilted and bound?

Here's a few pictures of some bee quilts that are on that journey ... some quilt tops to give you inspiration:

ChaletGirl13's pretty green and grey quilt with blocks made for her by the Around the Block Quilting Bee.

Jamie is seeing what her rainbow strips will look like on charcoal sashing - strips made by the New Kid on the Block Quilting Bee.

Urban Crunch is picturing what her circle blocks will look like when they're sewn together in a quilt top - blocks made by the Fresh Comfort 2 Quilting Bee.

TraceyJay got her Christmas quilt top put together with the help of the Putting the Bee in Christmas group, and is trying to decide if it needs a scrappy border.

AllieKatmom sent out black and grey fabrics to her bee members in the Sew 2 Speak Bee, and asked them to add one color. She's trying to decide if she should add sashing or a border.

KimWoolf's amazing Mendocino quilt top put together with the help of the Sew New To Me Quilting Bee.

And namawsbuzyquiltn has this pretty rainbow dotty stars quilt top from the Sewn Together Quilting Bee!

Do you have a Virtual Quilting Bee quilt top put together that you want featured on Quilting Bee Blocks? Do you want the readers of our blog to weigh in with their opinions on what color sashing you should use, what size of border, what backing or binding fabric would best suit your quilt? Email me so I can write about you and your quilt!

Pick Five Monday: Jennifer's Tree edition

noreply@blogger.com (Erin @ Two More Seconds) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 19:48:00 +0000

We've had a lot of new visitors here over the past few days thanks to a shout out on the Stash Manicure blog (thanks Vicki!!). If you're new here -- welcome! Pick Five Monday is an article we do once a week where I or a guest poster picks five quilting bee blocks from our Flickr pool to feature! It's a great way to highlight some of the blocks you might have missed since there's literally thousands in our Flickr group. You can see all the previous Pick Five Monday articles here. This week's guest poster is Jennifer - I'll let her do her thing!!

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Hi everyone! I'm Jennifer and I blog at CraftyJennifer. I am currently participating in my first bee, the Coast 2 Coast Block Party (we also have a blog here). When I signed up to do a Pick 5 Monday, I figured I'd pick a theme and then find some fantastic blocks to feature. What I didn't count on was that it would be so hard to pick just five! You are all making such fantastic blocks!

My theme is TREES!

(credit: jrcraft for the Common Threads Bee)
I love this little tree house, especially the "No Boys Allowed" sign. This would be a really fun addition to someone's neighborhood quilt.

(credit: kelp! for the One Shiny Bee)
I love how simple and yet complex this block is. She used different blues and greens and the same triangle over and over to make a block that features trees in different sizes and different fun patterns. Such a fun little forest.

(credit: by threekitchenfairies for the Quilt Around the World Christmas bee)
I just love that little bird on top of the Christmas tree. It's like the little partridge in a pear tree. I love the little touches like this, a little embroidery to go with a quilting bee block adds just a little something extra.

(credit: by Little Miss Shabby for Hip to Bee Square)
I love, love, love those little owls! What's a tree without a bird, owl or some sort of creature. I love the shape of the tree trunk as well but I love how the colors of the leaves coordinate with the owls. OK, I have a thing for owls so I couldn't NOT include a tree with owls.

(credit: by Tweedledee Designs for the Bee Modern Too bee)
My name is Jennifer and I am obsessed with gnomes. I need to join Gnome-aholics Annonymous. When I saw this gnome with its overgrown wonky mushrooms (yes, technically not trees but it still works with my theme) I nearly died. And check out the fabric on the gnome's hat. Tiny little trucks!

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Thanks so much, Jennifer! I'm with you - I LOVE that little gnome! I'm currently scheduling Pick Five Monday's through the end of the year and need more guest posters - so if you're interested, email me!

New Quilting Bee Blocks blog buttons!

noreply@blogger.com (Erin @ Two More Seconds) — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 16:08:00 +0000

Over the past few weeks I've been tidying up around the Quilting Bee Blocks blog -- nothing major, just a few visual things to make Quilting Bee Blocks nicer to look at and easier to use. One of the things I did was make us new blog buttons in a more standard square size. And people had been asking for the html code to copy and paste to their blogs, so that's now available too (over in our sidebar, just copy the code that's in the text box below the button you want to grab and paste it in your own sidebar).

Feel free to grab a button for your sidebar, and make sure to take the "I've Been Featured" one if you've been featured on the blog (even having your block chosen for a Pick Five Monday post counts as featured! :] ) If you still have the older button there's no need to change it (unless you want to).

Keep checking back to Quilting Bee Blocks - we've got some great changes coming (I'm working on revamping the whole way the quilt block tutorials are listed) and informative topics that are going to be discussed. Remember you can subscribe to Quilting Bee Blocks by RSS or follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook, too!

Found: New Block Tutorials

noreply@blogger.com (Erin @ Two More Seconds) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 23:06:00 +0000

Lots of block tutorials have been popping up on blogs, here are some I've spotted recently:

Pieced Center String Block

(credit: Kaye Prince)

Pinwheel Within a Star Sampler Blocks

(credit: hanies)

Chubby Stars Block

(credit: traceyjay)

Spontaneous Strips With a Splash of Color

(credit: Anna Circo)

Gretchen Block

(credit: Seven Stitches)

I've added these tutorials to the Block Tutorials page & am always on the lookout for more new ones to share. Have you seen any new ones recently? Send me an email with the link so I can feature them soon!

Finished! Dana's Gorgeous Stars on Gray

noreply@blogger.com (Erin @ Two More Seconds) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 17:37:00 +0000

I knew from the moment I saw the picture of Dana's little fabric packs all lined up and ready to be mailed out that I would love this quilt - I have a thing for gray and the combination of green and turquoise right now is one I'm loving. Look how pretty these fabric stacks are:

Dana from Old Red Barn Co sent them out to her bee members in A Notion or Two and requested traditional star blocks - anything but wonky. Look at some of the gorgeous blocks she started getting back (and I couldn't resist adding in the picture of Dana's adorable three-legged cat, Jezebel):

(credit: 1. Don't know if Jezebel approves, 2. March Block - for Dana, 3. Missouri star, 4. Dana's star block, 5. Dana's North Star, 6. Feb A Notion or Two, 7. A Notion or Two March for Dana, 8. for Dana #2, 9. Dana's March Block)

She had a beautiful quilt top put together in no time and then asked for some advice on her blog on how she should finish it. She said she had originally planned on a scrappy border but didn't have any more of the gray fabric to include.

She got lots of suggestions but finally decided to just let the blocks speak for themselves and be the main focus of the quilt ... and the results couldn't be more beautiful.

She wrote more about the finished quilt again on her blog - go visit her to see more pictures, including one of the scrappy back. It's a gorgeous quilt - everyone in A Notion or Two did an amazing job helping Dana bring it all together!

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I'm currently looking for more finished bee quilts to feature on the Quilting Bee Blocks blog! Please email me if you have a finished quilt that you'd want me to write about - please include a link to the picture of your quilt on Flickr so I can find it easily! :]

Pick Five Monday: Jeni's Colorful edition

noreply@blogger.com (Erin @ Two More Seconds) — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 04:13:00 +0000

This weeks Pick Five Monday was done by the always darling JeniB. Jeni's blog, In Color Order, is one of the most cheerful on the internet, and if you don't read it, you must start immediately! (Check out her cute bunny, George!) Here's the blocks that Jeni picked for us and what she had to say about each one of them:

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Flickr Name: jenib320

Blog: In Color Order

I currently participate in the [3 x 6] Sampler Quilt Mini Bee where I am also a beehive caretaker. I am in the {Modern 12} Bee and just got involved in do. Good Stitches {a Charity Bee}.

Here are my five current favorite quilting bee blocks! :)

(credit: Zonnah's Addictions)

I love the beautiful circle of geese blocks that everyone has been making and this take on that concept really blows me away! A circle of wonky stars? Love it!

(credit: ktelschow)

I love everything about this block, the colors, the style, the fabrics! I am a sucker for warm colors, so this block is right up my alley. Add in that cute selvedge, and I'm sold!

(credit: sewgirly!)

When I'm not sewing with quilting cottons, I'm sewing with vintage sheets, so I really love this block! The sheets in this piece are amazing, and the wonky style suits them perfectly!

(credit: Tweedledee Designs)

This is a simple block in comparison to my other choices, but I'm constantly coming back to it. The colors are fantastic and I really love the mini log cabin inside the star, a very cool twist!

(credit: give.it.a.go)

I really admire this block! It's a really great take on the spiderweb block. Love the colors and mix of fabrics, it's busy but really fun!

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Thanks so much, Jeni!

The Master List - updated

noreply@blogger.com (Erin @ Two More Seconds) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 20:01:00 +0000

I haven't done an update to the Master List recently and there's been tons of bees popping up! Here's a few that have started in the past few months.

I've also noticed a lot of bees that are gearing up for a start in January, 2011. If you're thinking of starting a new bee or want to be in one, it's a great time of year to start getting organized. Check out the "I Want In" thread in our Flickr group to post and meet up with others that want to be in a bee as well!

May 2009 Moms Quilt Bee - This group of friends from ravelry are branching into quilting by starting a bee. Each one has a baby at home to keep things interesting. We each hope to get a pretty stack of blocks to make into a quilt by the end of a year.

Fresh & Funky Bee-ginners Quilting Bee - a virtual quilting bee especially for beginners.

Quilting Divas - an 8 week modern sampler bee.

It's Sew Easy Bee-ing Green - This is a virtual quilting bee focusing on the color green.

PBee& J - PBee&J (Piecing Blocks and John Hancocks) is open to beginning/novice quilters who are looking to get started in the world of virtual quilting bees. Each member will be required to create one quilt block and one siggy block each month. There are no requirements on fabric designers, colors, or types of blocks created.

Ringo Pie - a patchwork bee.

Bee in Oz - An Australia (and Tasmania) based quilting bee.

Stitch Six - a 12 member / six month bee with modern fabrics and cool block designs.

The Lovely Linen Bee - a virtual quilting bee that will use linen as one of the block fabrics.

Spotted: Groups of Blocks for the [ 3x6 ] Bee

noreply@blogger.com (Erin @ Two More Seconds) — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 17:07:00 +0000

The [3 x 6] Sampler Quilt Mini Bee has to be one of my favorite ideas for a Virtual Quilting Bee yet. After you sign up for the bee you're assigned to a little "hive" of 6 other people. You're only allowed to state three color preferences, and then you make the same block for the 6 other people in your hive in their stated colors. Once all the blocks are mailed back to you, you will have 6 different blocks (hence the "sampler" aspect) in your colors. Isn't that a great idea?

(credit: cbmauro8)

Tiffany does a great job at running this bee smoothly. Right now they're in the middle of the 4th quarter, but you can sign up to join for the 1st quarter of 2011. That's the other great thing about this bee - it's run a quarter at a time, and you're allowed to drop-out / rejoin quarterly.

(credit: Say Yes Juliet)

It's already grown to include over 100 people and is one of the most popular bees on Flickr. These pictures are all of the 6 different blocks someone made for the 6 different color schemes in their hives. Tomorrow I'll show you some pictures of the 6 different blocks people got back from their hive in all the different block styles.

(credit: Epban)

(credit: mamaloves2read)

(credit: ktelschow)

(credit: xerxia)

(credit: lindakl)

The Sewing Summit - a modern sewing & blogging conference

noreply@blogger.com (Erin @ Two More Seconds) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 15:20:00 +0000

At the end of the post yesterday I said I had been working on something that I hadn't been able to talk about yet - but that we were close to announcing it. Some of you with eagle eyes might have spotted a new button over on the sidebar ... see it?

I'm planning a modern sewing and blogging conference called The Sewing Summit! My friend Amy from Amy's Creative Side and I recognized a need and a desire for this type of event in our community and decided to take on planning it ourselves. There's lots of other quilt retreats, blogging conferences, sewing classes -- but nothing that is exactly quite right for "us".

We're planning lots of stuff to do with sewing: classes on machine quilting, bag making, garment construction, improv piecing; make and take projects, question and answer panels with some of the best sewists in our industry ... but we're also having an online side to it: using social media, participating in online quilting bees and swaps, blogging. We haven't been able to say much online about it yet, but we have been planning it since July and are absolutely bursting with all the great stuff we've got going so far ... it seriously is going to be the best event, and you are not going to want to miss it!

Who's invited? You are! We've wanted from the start for this event to be for the people that sew as well are somehow are involved with the online community (if you're even reading this blog -- that's you!) but might not have lots of friends in their real lives that they can talk to about or sew with. Won't it be awesome to be surrounded by hundreds of other people that you know will squeal in delight with you over the newest fabric line?! Or sit up all night and chat and sew with in our all-night sewing room packed with 50 machines? Or go out to dinner and explore the city with a bunch of your friends that you've been in quilting bees with and have known online for years - but have never met face to face?! Like I said - not going to want to miss it!

It's on the books for October 2011 in downtown Salt Lake City. One of our main goals has always been to keep it accessible for lots of people to attend and so we're trying to give you plenty of time to plan for it both monetarily and time-wise. We hope you'll want to make a girls vacation out of it and come along with a big group of your friends! We promise we've got more awesome details coming soon - but here's a few hints: our venue is a 4* hotel in downtown Salt Lake City with a room rate under $100 per night! swag bags that are going to be filled to the brim with awesome stuff, probably worth more than the ticket price alone (did you see that Moda is a sponsor?!!) Famous sewing and quilting bloggers? Yup, we've got them - some already committed to coming in and we're still on the look out for more!

What can you do? Start saving your fun-money to be able to attend. :] Help us spread the word -- tweet, blog, Facebook about it, and we've got buttons on our blog that you can snag to use in your sidebar. Fill out our survey so we can make sure we know exactly what it is you'd want to get out of an event like this -- because after all, we're planning it for you!

Can't wait to hear what you think!

Pick Five Monday: Katie Jump Rope edition

noreply@blogger.com (Erin @ Two More Seconds) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 07:02:00 +0000

It's no secret that Katie Jump Rope by Denyse Schmidt is my favorite fabric line, ever. There is nothing more cheerful than a big stack of that happy, bright, fun fabric. I am pretty close to having a little bit of each of the prints (a full set!) and if I'm having a downer day I can always count on that fabric to cheer me up - just walking in my sewing room to look at it makes me happy. Is that silly? Does fabric make your day brighter, too?

If you don't believe me that this is some of the happiest fabric around - take a look at these five blocks I found that feature Katie Jump Rope. (This was SO hard to narrow down to five - there's a ton of great blocks featuring this fabric!)

(If you're new here -- welcome! Pick Five Monday is an article we do once a week where I or a guest poster picks five quilting bee blocks from our Flickr pool to feature!)

Amy made this dutch pinwheel block for the Around the Block quilting bee.

Heather made this log cabin with that darling fox in the middle for the Bee-autiful Bee.

Kristena used lots of those pretty daisies in this cute block for Twelve Squared.

Melissa made this orange and yellow beauty for the Sweet Dreams Quilting Bee.

And Angela made these blocks trying to decide if she wanted to use them for her month in the Bee-autiful Quilting Bee.

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You may have noticed posting has been kind of sparse around here lately. The end of summer / beginning of the school year hit me like a ton of bricks and I've been completely overwhelmed. I always hate when people say "I've been working on things I can't talk about right now" but I now find myself having to say that too! But you won't have to wait very long -- watch for a post later today with a BIG, FUN announcement!