Pick Five Monday: Heather's Nautical edition

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!

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Pick Five Monday: Alexandras Desaturated edition

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!

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Pick Five Monday: Mellow Yellow edition

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!

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Finished! Jenny's Four Bee Quilts

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!

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

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!

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Spotted: Fabric Stacks and Mailers

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.

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Weigh In: Emily's Sashing

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!

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Finished! Ann's Are We There Yet? quilt

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!  

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Pick Five Monday: Geese Geese Geese edition

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!

Read more...

Pick Five Monday: Christmas edition

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!  

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