Welcome to week five of the
HONEY BEE GARDEN SEW ALONG!
to download the free sew along guide
for this quilt.
to read my Bee Prepared blog post
and find out how my sew along works!
We will be making the
Honey Bee Garden Quilt
which finishes at
72" x 86"
To make the appliqué blocks,
we will be using my
Sew Simple Shapes called of course...
Honey Bee Garden!
The collection that we are using
for the quilt is...
GENTLER TIMES!!
I also did a tutorial here on my
blog for the flying geese
in all of the borders.
to visit my week one blog post:)
Flower Blocks
#5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 -#10
for Week Two
Last week we made the Flower Blocks
#11 - #12 - #13 - #14 - #15 - #16
for Week Three
Flower Blocks
#17 - #18 - #19 - #20 - #21 - #22
for Week Four
This week let's make the
Honey Bee and Beehive Block!
Here is my block ready to get started:)
*When you trace the wings for the
Honey Bee remember to trace
one of each size in reverse.
All of the long oval sections for
the beehive are traced like this...
trace one half and then flip the
SSShape over and trace the other half:)
Each one should look like this.
Make sure that you trace the
center line as it will come in
very handy during the layout!
Here are my strips cut on the bias
and prepared for the stems.
to watch one of my video tutorials
if you need to be reminded
how I cut long strips on the bias.
Let's sew the shapes!!
Before you sew the honey bee body
you will need to sew the strips together:)
Use a 1/4" seam allowance...
Like this...and
Press the seams open:)
Now you can go ahead and
sew the shape as per usual!
Trim...
Turn and press:)
Now sew the rest of the shapes...
Now it's time for all of the beehive shapes.
Easy Peasy!
Now for the flowers.
Don't forget to clip the inner curves
between the petals before you turn.
:)
Now for the leaves and flower buds,
no clipping needed on any of them!
Super cute...
And we are ready for layout!
I used several design boards in a row
and the long part of my table.
*TIP*
It really helped me to be able to
work from three sides of the table
while doing the the block layout.
I cut my background large enough
to have plenty of room to work with
and I pressed it in half
so that I had a good crease
in the center for easy placement
of each hive strip.
I started about 2" up from the bottom
of my background and used a
ruler to keep things straight.
This is why I said the traced center
lines would come pin handy!!!
I continued laying them out from the
bottom up and pinning into
the design board as I went.
I did not glue any of the beehive down
until it was all pinned
exactly where I needed it to be!
I kept things in the center as I went along:)
Almost to the top!
About every 3-4 strips I used a ruler
and laid the side on the center crease
and made sure the top of the strips
were squared up and straight.
Ta-Da!!
Now for the top.
I tucked it underneath the top
so that it extended out 2".
Add the door onto the center bottom:)
I laid out my honey bee so that it
measured 6" from the top of the
head to the tip of the beehive.
Now it's time to lay out the stems.
I placed mine about 1/2" from the
side of the hive and
1/4" below the bottom of the hive.
Repeat for the other side.
*TIP*
I laid out both stems on each side
of the hive at the same time
so that it was easier to remember
the same measurements from side to side
as I went along.
*Also...remember to pin main stems
first and only glue AFTER you have
tucked the shorter side stem ends
underneath like I showed you
in my video for the flowers.
I also continued to work
from the bottom up.
***IMPORTANT***
Use the 20 1/2" x 20 1/2"
Trim-It Ruler for each step
along the way when laying out your
stems, leaves, buds and flowers.
That is how you will know to
keep them inside the
aqua 1/4" seam on the ruler.
Just keep everything within that
window and you'll be good to go!
I continued to work from side to side
as I went along so that I could try
and keep each side somewhat symmetrical.
However keep in mind that it's
not possible to get them EXACTLY
the same and that is just
not a worry at all.
Just do your best like I did
and stay within in the window
and it will be so pretty!
After I laid out and
Sue Glued mine...
I used my tape measure and
took a few photos for you
just in case these
measurements might help you!
I hope those helped!
But as I said...
what really helped me out the most
was just using the Trim-It Ruler
as my guide with every step.
Here's some close ups of mine...
If you want to antennae on your bee,
this is how I did mine.
I just used one of the circle SSShapes
to draw the curved lines.
This is the size that I used.
You may not want one because
the background is pretty busy so
it may not even show up
but I did one on mine anyway.
I will also embroider it with a
straight stitch and 3 strands
of floss at the time of applique.
Ready for applique!!
After I applique I'll trim it to
20 1/2" x 28 1/2"
before sewing it into the quilt.
All of my flowers are
ready for applique too!
We have planted, nurtured and grown our
Honey Bee Garden:)
I simply CANNOT tell you just how much
I love love love these blocks
and how they look so pretty together
on my design wall!!
Next I'll finish up the borders:)
I'll meet you right back here next week
and I'll tell you all about it
and I'll also show you how
I trimmed up my blocks too!
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