The month of March was my month in the Stash Trad bee. It's a bee where we choose a traditional block and our bee members make that block from their stash. We specify the background color. I chose the Winged Square block and asked that Essex Natural Linen be used for the background. The center print should be primarily two colors and then each wing should be a scrappy mix of one of those colors. I have received 11 of my blocks and I made two more so far.
These are the two additional blocks that I made this week. My camera is giving me trouble at the moment so the colors are off on this one. I used a Flea Market Fancy print in the middle in mustardy yellow and coral pink.
This one is a Jennifer Paganelli print in aqua and green with like colored wings.
This is my first bee (well this one and Cocorico--I started them at the same time). I am not sure that bees are meant for uptight people like me. I am finding it frustrating that the linen in a number of the blocks is much too light. How much does it jump out at you? I am enjoying the social aspect of the bees at least. It's a nice way to get to meet people. What's your experience with bees?
I am great with bees as long as I'm not pregnant or with a new baby... so I'm taking a break still. But I have a couple amazing quilts from them, and great friends!
ReplyDeleteI think the blocks look great... but I'm a fan of varied neutrals. If you're planning to make more, I think I'd do some intentionally different ones, to make it seem, well... intentional. :)
I agree with Tracey. I look at my bee quilts as those that are meant to highlight differences rather than uniform. If you are struggling with the varying shades of linen, maybe you could group them by light linen, medium linen and dark linen and work with a layout that would help to make things more "patterned" for you?
ReplyDeleteMy favorite quilt is one where I gave my bee members the freedom to do their own layout (I did a kitchen window variation). I, like you, struggle with these sorts of things, but that quilt helped me to "let go"!
This is such a great block! I think the variation in the linen makes it more dynamic. This is going to be a fabulous quilt!!!
ReplyDeleteThese are some gorgeous blocks! I agree with the others--the variations in the linen adds interest.
ReplyDeleteI didn't even notice the variation until you mentioned it. I actually like it a lot.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great block, and I love the instructions you gave with it. It's what really makes this work so well. Absolutely gorgeous.
I am in my first bee right now. I'm enjoying it, because it's stretched me and made me do thinks I wouldn't otherwise do. But ours seems to have worked out more prescriptive than yours, which relieves some of that stress for me. But I think what you're doing looks really fun!
I'm sorry you're having a hard time accepting these beautiful blocks. Mine looks like one of the light ones, but I ordered Essex linen and that's what was sent. Without having any, there was nothing to compare it to. I certainly don't mind if you want to put it on the back. It's your quilt, so make it work for you (but I will say that participating in a bee really does require a bit of flexibility given my own experiences).
ReplyDeleteFrom my monitor, it just looks like the different shades make it shimmer. So it looks dynamic, rather than unintentional, to me. Does it matter what direction it lies, for linen?
ReplyDeleteI have also read someone's post awhile ago where she mentioned having ordered some of a certain shade of Essex Linen, and received something much lighter. She happened to have some of the last order and even compared the two, but she had a lot of trouble about it anyway.
I haven't done a bee yet, but I did participate in a donation where we all sent in the same pattern, with color quidelines. I didn't know how it was going to fit together and look good as the requested and received chartreuse varied from "minty to lime" but in the end it really looked fabulous.
I think your collection shimmers so far.
Love the block and the idea with the two colors! I notice a slight difference in the background color but maybe you can place the lighter ones in a way that they are mixed in with the darker ones. In other words, don't put the lighter ones all together in a row!
ReplyDeleteThe quilt is going to be fantastic! I love it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great quilt! It is something I'd like to make. Thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteI think your winged blocks are stunning. I would love to try this sometime.
ReplyDeleteI haven't joined a bee yet, but I'd like to try it. Do you have any recommendations? It seems like most are by invitation only, so I'm not entirely sure how to go about it.
Maybe the colourways of the blocks aren’t really saying ‘Amy’? I love the blocks and the different shades of linen though!
ReplyDeleteUp to now, I’ve only been in bees that make quilts for charity and all the quilt looked amazing! The Free Bee is my first in which I will actually receive blocks at one point.
I would love to be in another bee that works from your own stash, because sending fabrics everywhere in the world would become too expensive.
Being a Bee-member certainly needs some flexibility (like Krista already said). It’s often easier to give than to receive. I welcome everything that’s made for me to my house, because I’m sure it’s all made with the best intentions.
I have to say I didn't notice a difference in the backgrounds until you mentioned it, so it's not leaping out at me. With the scrappy nature and variations in colours on the blocks, maybe you can play that up a bit and arrange them with a sort of light to dark gradient for the background?
ReplyDeleteI'm in 3 bees right now, one where the bee mama sends out their own fabric to everyone - in this one we're usually asked to chuck in something from our own stash if it will go, but not always. With this one I've found mixed results from asking for contributions for the blocks made for others (it's not been my month yet, I'm just looking at what's been made for the other members) We have a wide ranging age group, and I would say a wide range in fabric taste! Our last month's teapot we had essex linen (or some close relation) sent with a bunch of lovely bright coloured scraps, and instructions to add a scrap or two of our own to co-ordinate. One person obviously didn't have anything to match, so replaced all the fabrics (barring the background) with a variety of what I would best describe as sludge colours.
Funnily enough, the 2 bees where we contribute our own fabric have gone much better, but then I don't think we've had anything more specific asked of us than 'white' or 'grey' or 'black' or even just shades of a colour. With one of them, which is either a giant block (up to 20"x30") or a strip (up to 12" x 72") we did start thinking about asking for specific Kona colours, but then with members spread around the world, many of us without easy access to Kona, especially in the more unusual colours, we decided not to be that restrictive.
Oops, sorry, you didn't ask for a bee essay did you?!
These blocks are so fabulous and I was so busy trying to decide which was my favourite, that I didn't notice any difference in the backgrounds until I read further. I don't know how I would go in a bee. I can be quite particular, the "A" word has been mentioned, and I'd end up disappointed if it didn't match the vision I had in my head. Having said that, I've seen so many wonderful bee quilts that are fabulous because of the differences and individuality of the blocks. Yours will be beautiful no matter what.
ReplyDeleteI go with Tracey's suggestion of making a feature of the varied neutrals. The bees I have been in the past, I was very flexible on block size, which is fine until I come to stick them together- they are still waiting for that!
ReplyDeleteI like the variation of backgrounds! But I know that what looks great on the screen might look different in real life. I have only been in one bee. Had many mixed feelings. I am a rule follower by nature. I have no problems with differing talents and abilities. A rule-breaker will but my buttons every time!
ReplyDeleteGreat block choice! They are going to be a stunning quilt.
ReplyDeleteI didn't notice the variation at first but now that I see it, I actually like it. I'm really liking lower contrast quilts that have a translucent or shimmery {is that a word?!?} quality to them these days.
Jennifer :)
I love the winged square, you can do so much with it! The difference in background doesn't bother me, especially since it's a bee quilt. I think it makes it more fun!
ReplyDeleteI'm in a couple of bees right now, although one isn't that much fun because no one seems to chat or be too interested in the social aspect. It feels very much like a work bee.....oh well, the others are fantastic!
I'm with the others who say that you should embrace the different background shades and make a few more blocks with those fabrics to make it look intentional. The blocks are really neat-- and it's amazing to me that they are all the same size, given all of those triangles!
ReplyDeleteTwo of my favorite quilts have come from bees. A classic "oh crap!" moment was when I received blocks for my Big Orange Wall Quilt that had a fabric in them that I had not sent out. I was worried about how they might stick out in the quilt. It turned out that that teal fabric was one of things that ultimately made the quilt so much better in the end. In the Ingrid quilt, I had a few people who didn't necessarily follow the instructions I had sent out, yet the different blocks also added more interest to the quilt in the end.
Bees and swaps can be a lot of fun, but there are occasional times where things just don't go as planned. Sometimes the workmanship isn't up to your standards. Other times it's phenomenal and you're amazed at what you get. I wouldn't let this one spoil bees for you. If your kids didn't like broccoli the first time they tried it, would you never try to give it to them again?
ReplyDeletePersonally, I don't think the variation is very noticeable in the photo. If it bothers you, why don't you see what sashing would look like in between the blocks. It will change the look, but you might like it and the background variation might be less noticeable.
Either way, love these blocks. A perfect block for a bee.
Very nice!! I love that block and all that fantastic color! I've never been in a bee but swaps are super fun. I think bee's would make me very nervous!
ReplyDeleteI think the different shades of linen make the blocks more interesting, but it's definitely a personal choice. So far, they are all lovely!
ReplyDeleteI didn't even notice variations until it was mentioned. I actually had to look at the picture again. I really love this pattern. I think they all look really great together. I know fabric that comes from different dye lots will vary on the colors even in the same collection. That is probably what happened here. I feel it adds wonderful interest to your quilt. You can send them to me if you want to. ;o)
ReplyDeleteI love these blocks Amy! The differing shades of linen will only serve to enrich the visual impact of the quilt so I wouldn't worry too much about it were I you. I have organized a couple of comfort quilts for friends with cancer and specified an "off white or cream" background. I ended up with varying shades between a pale green through to light grey. I fretted at first but in actual fact I think the variety improved the quilt. Fabric dye lots can vary just like yarn and floss so mixing the blocks together will even out the difference. Your quilt is going to be fabulous!!
ReplyDeleteI am new to bees too! And filled with trepidation as my month comes up soon! These blocks are fabulous and I like that variation - repetition will make those ones stick out less but I don't know if you can live with that?
ReplyDeleteGorgeous quilt!!!
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