Bee In My Bonnet: February 2023

Monday, February 27, 2023

Calico Garden Sew Along - Week Five!!

"FORGET ME NOT BLOCK"

Welcome to Week Five of the

"CALICO GARDEN"

Sew Along!

Join me here each week

when I will be doing tutorials

on the blocks for the quilt.

Of course because we are all sewing

from all around the world

we all have different time zones...

But I will be posting each Monday

right here on my blog

and you can follow my tutorials

any time each week that

is convenient for you.

We are making the

Calico Garden Quilt

90" x 90"

The quilt is made with my latest fabric

collection called Calico...

I hope that you all have all

received your templates and

fabric kits by now...

and that we are all ready to begin!!

If you still need them ...

just do a quick google search for

"Calico Garden Quilt Kit"

to find shops who still have some left.

We are also using the

Calico Garden

Sew Simple Shapes

I have posted the

"BEE PREPARED"

post which details all of the supplies

for the sew along and how it works.

I have also given the link there

for the free PDF Download

of the Sew Along Guide

CLICK HERE

to download the sew along guide.

As per the sew along guide

cutting instructions

you should have everything for your

Forget me Not Block

all cut and ready to go!

As per usual for week one in my

Sew Simple Shape Sew Alongs

the FIRST week tutorial is a video.

Because I now have my own

YouTube Channel

I have posted the

Blue Coneflower Block

Tutorial there.

CLICK HERE

to visit my channel and watch the

tutorial and I hope that you love it!

Pretty please leave me a comment

over there and let me know:)

If you like what you see

and my other videos there...

click on subscribe and click on the bell

to be notified whenever

I post another tutorial:)

Here's my Blue Coneflower Block

that I showed you

how to make in my video:)

CLICK HERE

for the tutorial on my

PURPLE CONEFLOWER BLOCK

CLICK HERE

to go to my tutorial for the

CALICO STAR FLOWER BLOCK

CLICK HERE

to go to my tutorial for the

Morning Glory Blocks

CLICK HERE

to go to my tutorial for the

PRIMROSE BLOCKS

CLICK HERE

to go to my tutorial for the

RED ROSES and MUMS BLOCK

This week we will be making the

Forget Me Not Block

This blocks is very similar

to the previous blocks that

we have made except it's taller!

Here is my Forget Me Not Kit

Everything is all cut...

all traced and ready to go!

Here is a list of the

Calico Garden

Sew Simple Shapes

needed for this block:

5 - O-2

1 - O-18

5 - O-41

6 - O-62

1 - O-87

1 - O-88

You will also need to cut

and prepare 1/4"

straight bias strip for the stems:

1 - 11 1/2" long

4 - 2 1/2" long

Cut your background

10" x 19"

as it says in the guide

and press it in half for

centering the flowers and stem

when pinning and glue basting:)

***NOTE***

I'm sure ya'll already know this

but I think it's worth mentioning...

I'm sure that you are cutting

this directional background fabric as

straight as you can as you are cutting.

(light starch before pressing

as you cut really helps!)

When you press your background in half

bee sure to press it straight

with the lines on the background fabric

as well because it is a directional print.

That way you are starting out

with your background fabric straight

and you can line up the shapes as you are pinning them using the many straight

lines and designs that there are on

the directional print.

Your block will look nicer and

it will be easier to trim

your background fabric straight

with the shapes at the same time!

I hope this makes sense and helps

with all of your blocks done on a

directional print background

such as this one:)

Okay...

let's plant some

Forget Me Nots!!

This is what they

look like all sewn and shaped!

Clip the cleavage on each side

towards the bottom of the vase...

And you will have five cleavage

to clip in the flowers before turning:)

Because these are deep ones

be sure to use the seam roller

in these areas like I talked about

in the week one video.

Also keep in mind that the

bottom cleavage will be covered

by the center circle so if it frays

a bit...no worries!!

Okay...

now we are over at the worktable

and I'll show you how I laid out my block

and give you more helpful tips

and measurements for laying out yours:)

First let's talk about the handles.

Glue these two shapes together

like this and let them dry.

Cut them in half

and you have two handles!

Glue them onto the back of the vase

about 1/4" down from the top.

It should measure about 6 1/2" wide.

This is what the back looks like:)

It will also be handy for you to

glue the centers onto the flowers

like this before pinning them

onto the design board.

Easy Peasy!!

All of my Trim-It Rulers

are square but that does not mean

that they don't come in handy

when laying out a rectangle block!

I just use 2 different sizes

stacked because those lines

are invaluable for centering.

*NOTE*

When trimming my block after

applique I'll press it from the back

and then still use the

8 1/2" Trim-It Ruler...

center it and trim each side

as I work my way down

the tall block.

The height of the block will

need to be trimmed 17 1/2" tall.

Just to clarify...

after applique trim your block

8 1/2" wide x 17 1/2" tall

to fit inside the pieced border:)

Now let's continue on

with the layout math:)

This flower is 16" tall

from the top of the flower to

the bottom of the

cute two handled vase.

*Also take note that again...

you will need to

trim the inside ends of each of the

side stems on an angle so that

they can be tucked underneath

the center stem....

and don't glue the center stem

down until sides stems are

glued into place:)

Both two sets of flowers
measure about 7" across.

The bottom two side stems begin
about 2" up from the top of the vase.

The space between the

two side stems is about 4"

The space between the top side stems
and the bottom of the circle
on the top flower is about 3 1/4".

There are 3 sets of
matching leaves in this block.
They CAN all measure the same width...
however the bottom two sets
of mine measure about 5 1/4"...

And the top set measures 4 3/4" wide.

When placing my leaves I just centered

them between the flowers with the

bottom points touching the center stem.

Okie Dokie...
I hope these tips and measurements
will be very helpful to you
as you pin and glue your
own Forget Me Not Block...

and I hope that you enjoy

growing it in your Calico Garden!

Thanks so much for sewing with me

and Miss Dolly

(my yellow vintage featherweight)

and for joining me for the

Calico Garden Sew Along

I'll meet you right back here

on my blog next week for more

block sewing and applique prep!!

Chat with you later...

Lori

Other Places to find me:

@Beelori1 Instagram

Lori Holt/YouTube

Bee in my Bonnet Company

Monday, February 20, 2023

Calico Garden Sew Along - Week Four!!

"RED ROSES and MUMS BLOCKS"

Welcome to Week Four of the

"CALICO GARDEN"

Sew Along!

Join me here each week

when I will be doing tutorials

on the blocks for the quilt.

Of course because we are all sewing

from all around the world

we all have different time zones...

But I will be posting each Monday

right here on my blog

and you can follow my tutorials

any time each week that

is convenient for you.

We are making the

Calico Garden Quilt

90" x 90"

The quilt is made with my latest fabric

collection called Calico...

I hope that you all have all

received your templates and

fabric kits by now...

and that we are all ready to begin!!

If you still need them ...

just do a quick google search for

"Calico Garden Quilt Kit"

to find shops who still have some left.

We are also using the

Calico Garden

Sew Simple Shapes

I have posted the

"BEE PREPARED"

post which details all of the supplies

for the sew along and how it works.

I have also given the link there

for the free PDF Download

of the Sew Along Guide

CLICK HERE

to download the sew along guide.

As per the sew along guide

cutting instructions

you should have everything for your

Red Roses and Mums Blocks

all cut and ready to go!

As per usual for week one in my

Sew Simple Shape Sew Alongs

the FIRST week tutorial is a video.

Because I now have my own

YouTube Channel

I have posted the

Blue Coneflower Block

Tutorial there.

CLICK HERE

to visit my channel and watch the

tutorial and I hope that you love it!

Pretty please leave me a comment

over there and let me know:)

If you like what you see

and my other videos there...

click on subscribe and click on the bell

to be notified whenever

I post another tutorial:)

Here's my Blue Coneflower Block

that I showed you

how to make in my video:)

CLICK HERE

for the tutorial on my

PURPLE CONEFLOWER BLOCK

CLICK HERE

to go to my tutorial for the

CALICO STAR FLOWER BLOCK

CLICK HERE

to go to my tutorial for the

Morning Glory Blocks

CLICK HERE

to go to my tutorial for the

PRIMROSE BLOCKS

This week we will be making the

Red Roses and Mums Blocks

Of course you know what prints they are

from the cutting section in the guide.

These blocks are very similar

to the previous blocks that

we have made as far as layout

so you should know the drill by now!

I'm going to show you the

Red Roses Block

and then I'll show you the

Mums Block

Here is my Red Roses Kit

Everything is all cut...

all traced and ready to go!

Here is a list of the

Calico Garden

Sew Simple Shapes

needed for this block:

5 - O-2

1 - O-21

2 - O-64

2 - O-66

You will also need to cut

and prepare 1/4"

straight bias strip for the stems:

1 - 4 1/2" long

4 - 2 1/2" long

You will need a 1/2" prepared bias strip

to measure 4 1/2" long AFTER

both ends are pressed under.

Cut your background

10" x 10"

as it says in the guide

and press it in half for

centering the flower and stem

when pinning and glue basting:)

*Remember when I showed you how

to trace the top section of

O-21 Sew Simple Shape

for the Blue Coneflower Block

in my week one video?

Well this pot is exactly the same

so trace accordingly!

All are sewn and shaped!

There are no inner curves

or cleavage areas to clip

in these shapes before turning:)

Okay...now for the helpful measurements

when laying out your block.

This flower is also 7 1/2" tall

from the top of the rose to

the bottom of the pot.

*Also take note that you will need to

trim the inside ends of each of the

top side stems on an angle so that

they can be tucked underneath

the center stem.

Bottom two roses from

side to side measure 7" wide.

Center roses measure 6" across.

The space between the top rose

and second roses is 1"

The space between the second row

and third row of roses is 1/2"

The space between the corner of pot

and bottom row of roses is also 1/2"

After placing all of your roses

your side stems are easily placed

because they are just centered

in the roses tucked underneath

and then the other end is tucked

underneath the center stem.

After all your stems are

Sue Glued...place the leaves

in-between the stems and centered...

Like this!

*Again...it's important to

always use the Trim-It Rulers

when laying out your blocks...

especially if they are symmetrical

like these flower blocks are.

Red Roses Block

all ready for applique:)

Afterwards I will

press from the back and then

I will use my

8 1/2" Trim-It Ruler

to trim down the block before

I sew it into the quilt.

Now for the Mums Kit!

Everything is all cut...

all traced and ready to go!
Calico Garden

Sew Simple Shapes

needed for this block:

3 - O-2

3 - O-43

2 - O-56

2 - O-62

1 - O-86

You will also need to cut

and prepare 1/4"

straight bias strip for the stems:

1 - 5 1/2" long

2 - 3" long

Cut your background

10" x 10"

as it says in the guide

and press it in half for

centering the flower and stem

when pinning and glue basting:)

You will ned to clip the

two cleavage areas in each of

the three flowers before turning:)

Now for a few helpful measuring tips!

The Mums are also 7 1/2" tall.

The large leaves are 7" wide

The small leaves are 4 1/2" wide

The space between my

flowers is about 1 3/8"

The side stems begin at about
1 3/4" up from the top of the mound.

The space between the two leaves
measures 1 1/2"

Okie Dokie...
I hope these measurements will
help as you pin and glue your block!!