Bee Blocks

I've been saving up bee block photos to consolidate the posts. Apologies for those of you who saw these ages ago on my flickr stream. I don't think I've posted them here yet. If I did, you just get a double dose of blockiness.

For Round 2 of Around the Block aka A*round2, we've adopted a new work at your own pace plan which means you get to pick whose blocks you work on first. No one is assigned a specific month and that way no one is last or gets the short straw on effort when everyone else is uber-busy. We still have rules though. You must make one block a month or you will be flogged with a linen crayon rollup. This is a Sheridan bee and she is tough during muster. No stray dogies on her watch!

Did you know that the correct term is dogie? I always thought they said 'Get along little doggie!' but didn't know if it was spelled with ie or y. I googled it and learned there's just one g. Who knew? You probably knew though... you're clever like that!


My first pick for A*round2 was Becky's pink and green triangles. She opted for creative blocks with an anything goes approach. Her underlying theme was triangles. My first block was the one on the right. I thought a triangle made of triangles would be clever. I foundation paper pieced the triangle pieces so the points would all line up but in the end this just made for some really bulky seams. Sorry, Becky. If I were trying this block again, I might go for English paper piecing instead.

With the remainder of the fabric, I decided on triangle log cabins. I didn't have quite enough variety left in the prints, so I needed to add a few. Becky said adding matching fabric was ok though, and I sent her pieces of the added prints so she could tie them in with the border/sashing or her own blocks.

I've been trying to limit the number of bees and swaps, so I can whittle away my own incomplete project pile. Then Penny of Sewtakeahike and Ayumi of Pink Penguin launched Ringo Pie. Resistance was futile. They had me at hello.

Based on the name alone, I joined in. Second vocabulary lesson for today: ringo is the Japanese word for apple.

I'm with some really talented girls in that bee. Unlike most bees where block designs are suggested, this is a really openended bee. We're given a general theme and then free reign to construct a block from our own stash. Technically we aren't even into our first month yet, and the blocks are already making the circuit. Our first month is October. Kerry of verykerryberry is up and she requested collections of any sort. I went for my current favorite collection (do two sets and one special sugar box make a collection?)


I decided to use some of the Kona's that I ordered to match my own canisters too. Then I harvested appropriate phrases from assorted fabrics and added a splash of vintage love with the diamond shelves.

I'm really excited about this bee because it's really educational. Everyone is so willing to share their ideas and ways of thinking and the blocks are really awesome.

Have you thought about joining a bee to stretch your skills and meet new people? I highly recommend it. You can find a list of quilt bees and openings at Quilting Bee Blocks. If none of those take your fancy, then you can start your own!