The Sewcial Bee Sampler Sew-Along: Block 22!

Once again this week before I share our week TWENTY TWO block, to better help us to understand what you're looking for in future sew-alongs, Sharon and I have prepared an 8-answer survey and we'd really appreciate you taking the time to help us out! This quick questionnaire is completely anonymous and the answers will give us better insight into how you've enjoyed this sew-along. To ensure the most accurate results, please only take the survey once. A BIG thanks to those of you who've participated in the SBS questionnaire already. If you've not yet had a chance to take the survey, please do so as soon as you can, we're only keeping it open now through the end of the SBS sew along. The link provided on both our blogs will link to the same survey. So, if you access the questionnaire from either Sharon's site or mine, your answers are compiled to the same place. Thank you in advance for your help!

Now it's time for another block release of the Sewcial Bee Sampler sew-along!

Today's free download is for block #22: Mosaic. I'll be sure to add this new pattern to my Sewcial Bee Sampler Page with the previous week's patterns. It's a great place to start for those of you just discovering our bee, where you can easily find everything you need to begin the SBS Sampler right in one place! Simply click on the link or the image below for direct access to this week's new SBS pattern!



For my version of this week's Mosaic block my Swifting Flora print is the star! I used Swifting Flora Swell from Fleet and Flourish and one of the new colorings of this print, Swifting Flora Boho from AGF BOHO Fusions, paired up with my Nightfall Luminaries Silver for a soft & subtle background print!

This week's block revisits the technique for the 'No Waste Flying Geese' method, my absolute favorite way to make flying geese units! Back during week 5 my co-host shared a wonderful tutorial with extra step-by-step visuals for this technique, so if you happen to need a little extra help be sure to click HERE to be directed to that blog post on Sharon Holland Designs!



This is just a suggestion, but if you happen to have two colorways of a particular favorite print that you've been using throughout your sampler blocks, this is a great time to use the same print in two colors in one block. I really love the way two colors of my Swifting Flora print looks in this Mosaic block!



I can't wait to see all of the beautiful Mosaic blocks you'll make this week! Be sure to visit Sharon's blog today to see her beautiful versions, and to stop back for details on how to enter this week's special Sewcial Bee Giveaway Friday with the Knotted Thread!

Happy SBS sewing, friends!  ♡ Maureen    

The Sewcial Bee Sampler Sew-Along: Block 21!

Before we jump right in to week TWENTY ONE, to help us better to understand what you're looking for in future sew alongs, Sharon and I have prepared an 8-answer survey and we'd really appreciate you taking the time to help us out! This quick questionnaire is completely anonymous and the answers will give us better insight into how you've enjoyed this sew-along. To ensure the most accurate results, please only take the survey once. A BIG thanks to those of you who've participated in the SBS questionnaire already. If you've not yet had a chance to take the survey, please do so as soon as you can, we're only keeping it open now through the end of the SBS sew along. The link provided on both our blogs will link to the same survey. So, if you access the questionnaire from either Sharon's site or mine, your answers are compiled to the same place. Thank you in advance for your help!

Now it's time for another block release of the Sewcial Bee Sampler sew-along!

Today's free download is for block #21: Hourglass. I'll be sure to add this new pattern to my Sewcial Bee Sampler Page with the previous week's patterns. It's a great place to start for those of you just discovering our bee, where you can easily find everything you need to begin the SBS Sampler right in one place! Simply click on the link or the image below for direct access to this week's new SBS pattern!



For my version of this week's Hourglass Block I used a combination of prints from Garden Dreamer: Flower Dance and Flower Waltz with on of the main florals from Fleet & Flourish: What Awaits Above. I love this combination of peach, mint, & creamy white!

This week I fussy cut one of my favorite flower clusters from the peach floral print, framing it with Flower Waltz and I'm really happy with this fabric combination! My delivery of AGF's Soft Sand Linen came this week so I had it just in time to add to this block and have already added the linen frame to last week's to be able to share on Instagram later today!



The center of this week's block is my favorite part and includes a new piecing technique called Square in Square that Sharon put an extra step by step tutorial for on her blog today. Be sure to visit her if you need some extra visuals of how this Hourglass block comes together, Sharon's instructions are the best!



I can't wait to see all of the beautiful Hourglass blocks you'll make this week! Be sure to visit Sharon's blog today to see her beautiful versions, and to stop back for details on how to enter this week's special Sewcial Bee Giveaway Friday with Needle and Foot!

Happy SBS sewing, friends!  ♡ Maureen   

The Sewcial Bee Sampler Sew-Along: Block 17!

It's Wednesday and that means it's time for another block release of the Sewcial Bee Sampler sew-along!

Sharon Holland and I are co-hosting this community sew-along now through early August and as usual, I like to begin each Wednesday by reminding folks just learning about the bee that it's never too late to jump in! We continue to have new participants joining us each week, the blocks typically take about an hour to male, so feel free to join us and play catch-up at anytime! I also love to continue to encourage all who join us to keep posting to Instagram with #SewcialBeeSampler tagging both @sharonhollanddesigns and myself @maureencracknell when you post anything SBS so we can all see and easily keep track of all your wonderful bee block posts. We'll continue to try our very best to visit with all who join the sew along. Thank you so much for making this so much fun!



Today's free download is for block #17: Spools. I'll be sure to add this new pattern to my Sewcial Bee Sampler Page with the previous week's patterns. It's a great place to start for those of you just discovering our bee, where you can easily find everything you need to begin right in one place! Simply click on the link or the image below for direct access to this week's new SBS pattern!



For my version of this week's Spools block, I went a little crazy with purple! I used a combination of both Moon Stories and my Lunation Dark prints from Nightfall, the violet blender from Fleet & Flourish, and my Fleet & Flourish Lace in Bloom recoloring in the new Boho Fusions!

This week's block provides another chance to perfect the make 8-at-a-time HST method, a favorite fast way to make half square triangles and that leaves no waste! If you need a little extra help Sharon has a super helpful step-by-step tutorial with photos and instructions here on her blog! Spools is such a great combination of both large cuts perfect for fussy cutting fabrics and little patchwork pieces. I really loved making this block!



It wasn't until after I had finished, and felt really happy with how my very purple Spools block turned out, that I set it on top of the previous week's SBS blocks and noticed how it stuck out like a sore thump. I've used purple in a few other blocks, but not quite this much purple! I'm going to see how it looks as I continue to build my sampler, but I might be doing a redo of this one? Do you have any blocks you might need to make again? Pinpointing the issue that makes the block not really work helps, and in my case it's the dark, eggplant purple. The violet would have been perfect, but the eggplant looks too dark. I may try to sneak this color in, in a few more places to see if that does the trick!



I can't wait to see all of the Spools blocks you'll make this week! Be sure to visit Sharon's blog today to see her beautiful versions, and to stop back for details on how to enter this week's special Sewcial Bee Giveaway Friday with our wonderful sponsor The Knotted Thread!



Happy SBS sewing, friends!  ♡ Maureen   

The Sewcial Bee Sampler Sew-Along: Block 16!

It's Wednesday, which means it's time for another block release of the Sewcial Bee Sampler sew-along!

Sharon Holland and I are co-hosting this community sew-along now through early August and as usual, I like to begin each Wednesday by reminding folks just learning about the bee that it's never too late to jump in! We continue to have new participants joining us each week, the blocks typically take about an hour to male, so feel free to join us and play catch-up at anytime! I also love to continue to encourage all who join us to keep posting to Instagram with #SewcialBeeSampler tagging both @sharonhollanddesigns and myself @maureencracknell when you post anything SBS so we can all see and easily keep track of all your wonderful bee block posts. We'll continue to try our very best to visit with all who join the sew along. Thank you so much for making this so much fun!



Today's free download is for block #16: King's Crown. This morning both Sharon and I posting a little early since we're both currently on our way to St. Louis for International Quilt Market and we had to write our  posts a little early. I'll be sure to add this new pattern to my Sewcial Bee Sampler Page with the previous week's patterns, so you can easily find everything you need right in one place! Simply click on the link or the image below to be directed to this week's new SBS pattern!



For my version of this week's King's Crown block, I used three Nightfall prints -- Bird of Night Mist, Luminaries Silver, and Moon Stories Spark with What Awaits Profoundly from Fleet & Flourish, framed in AGF's Soft Sand Linen. I think this is my favorite combination of fabrics that I have used for an SBS block so far! I love the purple and have been on such a purple kick these last couple of weeks sewing with my next collection, Soulful, as I prepare for Spring Quilt Market. 

This is the second block I have made with a fussy cut owl and I LOVE it! My owls are a little too tall to include the complete owl in the center of the block, but I don't mind at all. I think it still looks perfectly cute and has me convinced that I really need to make another quilt full of owl quilt blocks, they're so much fun!



I can't wait to see all of the King's Crown blocks you'll make this week! Be sure to visit Sharon's blog today to see her beautiful versions, and to stop back for details on how to enter this week's special Sewcial Bee Giveaway Friday with our wonderful sponsor Aurifil!



Happy SBS sewing, friends!  ♡ Maureen   

The Sewcial Bee Sampler Sew-Along: Block 14!

It's week FOURTEEN and another block release day of the Sewcial Bee Sampler sew-along!

Sharon Holland and I are co-hosting this community sew-along now through early August and as usual, I like to begin each Wednesday by reminding folks just learning about the bee that it's never too late to jump in! We continue to have new participants joining us each week, the blocks typically take about an hour to male, so feel free to join us and play catch-up at anytime! I also love to continue to encourage all who join us to keep posting to Instagram with #SewcialBeeSampler tagging both @sharonhollanddesigns and myself @maureencracknell when you post anything SBS so we can all see and easily keep track of all your wonderful bee block posts. We'll continue to try our very best to visit with all who join the sew along. Thank you so much for making this so much fun!



Today's free download is for block #14: Star and Cross. I'll be sure to add this new pattern to my Sewcial Bee Sampler Page with the previous week's patterns. It's a great place to start for those of you just discovering our bee, where you can easily find everything you need to begin right in one place! Simply click on the link or the image below for direct access to this week's new SBS pattern!



For my version of this week's Star and Cross block, I used a combination of Garden Dreamer's Bumble Beez with Lace in Bloom Cloud & Roadside Guides Opal from Fleet & Flourish, framed with AGF's Soft Sand Linen!

This block comes together super quick, which couldn't be more perfect timing considering how much sewing I have yet to do for the Spring Quilt Market show that's just a couple of weeks away. If you follow along on my Instagram, you'll see that I've been working on samples made using my next collection for Art Gallery Fabrics due out later this month, Soulful. It's a busy, busy time! So this block was just perfect, the fastest SBS pattern yet, made up of just simple squares and rectangles. Rather than use all 2.5" patches, you'll notice that I turned several double square sections into a single 2.5" x 4.5" rectangle, making this block even quicker!



My favorite part is, of course, the bumble bees! Fun fact ~ the scale of this print was decided with 2.5" patches in mind. It's perfect for fussy cutting!



I originally had planned to add in a fourth print, but the busyness of the Roadside Guides painterly log cabin print adds plenty of colorful fun in combination with the pretty bees and subtle lacey print!



I'm excited to see all of the Star and Cross blocks you'll make this week! Be sure to visit Sharon's blog today to see her beautiful versions, and to stop back for details on how to enter this week's special Sewcial Bee Giveaway Friday with our wonderful sponsor Omnigrid!



Happy SBS sewing, friends!  ♡ Maureen   

The Sewcial Bee Sampler Sew-Along: Block 11!

It's week ELEVEN and another block release day of the Sewcial Bee Sampler sew-along! Sharon Holland and I are co-hosting this community sew-along now through early August and as usual, I like to begin each Wednesday by reminding folks just learning about the bee that it's never too late to jump in! We still have quite a few new participants joining us each week, the blocks typically take about an hour, so feel free to join us and play catch-up at anytime! I also love to encourage you all to keep posting to Instagram with #SewcialBeeSampler tagging @sharonhollanddesigns and myself @maureencracknell when you post anything SBS so we can both see and easily keep track of all your wonderful bee posts. We'll continue to try our best to visit with all who join the sew along. We're having so much fun!



Today's free download is for block #11: Four Square. I'll be sure to add this new pattern to my Sewcial Bee Sampler Page, so those of you just discovering our bee can find everything you need to begin right in one place! Simply click on the link or the image below for direct access to this week's new SBS pattern!



For this week's Four Square block I'm bringing in new fabrics to add to my Sampler from my earlier collections ~ Wild & Free's Folk Plaid and Fletching Chant, with Gentle Mantle Flame from Fleet & Flourish! When I laid out all ten of the previous week's blocks, I noticed I was reaching for my Nightfall prints the most when it came time to stitch up a new one. This block pattern was perfect for fussy cutting different elements from each of these older prints!

I especially loved cutting different motifs from the Gentle Mantle Flame stripe to use in my block, the pop from the berry purple flowers and the subtle print used in the outer corners. I really enjoyed making this one!





I'm can't wait to see the Flour Square blocks you'll make this week! Be sure to visit Sharon's blog today to see her beautiful versions, and to stop back for details on how to enter this week's Sewcial Bee Giveaway Friday with our wonderful sponsor The Intrepid Thread!



Happy SBS sewing! ♡ Maureen 

The Sewcial Bee Sampler Sew-Along: Block 10!

It's week TEN and another block release day of the Sewcial Bee Sampler sew-along! Sharon Holland and I are co-hosting this community sew-along now through early August. I always like to begin each Wednesday by reminding folks of the details, especially those of you who may be just learning about the bee. Most importantly, it's never too late to jump in! We still have quite a few new participants joining us each week, the blocks typically take about an hour, so feel free to join us and play catch-up at anytime! I also love to encourage you all to keep posting to Instagram with #SewcialBeeSampler tagging @sharonhollanddesigns and myself @maureencracknell when you post anything SBS so we can both see and easily keep track of all your wonderful bee posts. We'll continue to try our best to visit with all who join the sew along. We're all having so much fun!



Today's free download is for block #10: Butterfly Crossing. I'll be sure to add this new pattern to my Sewcial Bee Sampler Page, so those of you just discovering our bee can find everything you need to begin right in one place! Simply click on the link or the image below for direct access to this week's new SBS pattern!



For this week's Butterfly Crossing block I'm using two of my Nightfall prints, Nox Iridescence Dim and Magical Gust Crisp. These two prints share a similar deep teal blue shade that I thought would contrast nicely with Fleet & Flourish's peachy-coral Sacred Amulets. I spent a bit more time deciding on this week's fabric than I typically do. I had planned out my block fabrics before beginning my own sampler, but little changes made along the way have me pulling for new fabrics each week. I'm having so much fun with it!

This week's technique is a new one, using the method for making two-at-a-time HSTs to create little 2.5" finished hourglass units. I've used this method for making hourglass blocks several times, but never to make ones this small. It was fun, but challenging, and I could certainly use another go at this block pattern to see if I can be a bit more accurate!



This block has a narrow frame, and as usual I'm using AGF's Soft Sand Linen, a sweet pairing with the colorful, busy prints I chose for this week's block. I took careful time to fussy cut and center my dragonflies to have them all flying in the same direction. It wasn't until after I finished and photographed my block that I decided it would have been both a better looking block and much more fitting with this week's block name, had I used more of my Magical Gust print rather than the dragonflies. I would have ended up with a block full of little butterflies (moths) floating all throughout the block, very fitting for "Butterfly Crossing." Oh well, I still love it!



I had mentioned a few times throughout the past couple of months that I was all packed up, busy working on moving my home studio to a new storefront downtown. Well, unfortunately those plans are at a standstill and I had to unpack about a week ago, so I can get back to work right here at home. I had hoped to have enough space in the studio for a design wall, but for now I'll happily continue to keep my blocks together using my go-to hanger system. For more than a month my sewing room was such a mess anticipating the big move, but now that everything is put back together I'll try to snap a photo of my TEN blocks to share! Can you believe we're already at week ten?! I hope you're enjoying this Bee as much as Sharon and I are!



I'm can't wait to see the Butterfly Cross blocks you'll make this week! Be sure to visit Sharon's blog today to see her beautiful versions, plus the wonderful, extra step by step details & photos to help you learn this week's brand new technique! Stop back for this week's Sewcial Bee Giveaway Friday with our wonderful sponsor Lady Belle Fabrics!



Happy SBS sewing! ♡ Maureen