All Caught Up

Phew! I am finally caught up on all my past-due bee blocks. What's even better is that I'm ahead on my May blocks too, so I'm back in good shape and I can finally start focusing on other things. The most tardy of the blocks was a "Bright and Happy Tree" for Aud in the Sewn Together Bee. February was her month and granted, she sent her fabric late and told us not to worry about a deadline for getting them back to her but I still felt bad being so behind on her block. And it was a relatively easy one too.

She sent us the tree trunk already quilted onto the background and batting and simply asked us to attach scrappy leaves however we desired. I decided that this would be a fabulous time to pull out my Sizzix Big Shot Cutter and break in my Hexagon Die. The thing that made me most nervous about this block was the free motion appliqué method she wanted us to use to attach the leaves. I've never free motion quilted before. So my stitch length is a bit off in places but I think it was a noble attempt for my first time.

Then I caught up on the April Blocks for Sarah in the Bee a Lone Star(burst) Bee. She had the same color scheme that ??? did but she sent along the white pin dot fabric for the backing of the stars. Unfortunately the color looks a little blown out in these photos, which is a shame because I really love how these turned out.

For the Hope Circle's blocks for April, Rachel asked for a simple Purple Strip Block measuring 48" x 6.5" in total. I kept in simple and did alternating square in square blocks strung together. The small centers measure 1.5" and I used some leftover 5" charms for the larger centers.

Finally, for Stacey's April Block in the Sew Fun Bee she wanted a 12.5" block for a boy. Her only requirements were no pinks or purples. I decided to paper piece a sail boat for fun using this pattern. I don't know why but I had a boat stuck in my head. So I'm done! Thank god. I swear I'm never going to let myself get so behind again.