A BeeSewcial Wardrobe

I came up with an uncharacteristic solution to the dilemma of what clothes to pack for my trip to Houston International Quilt Show - using our BeeSewcial branded fabric, I sewed five tops for the five days I’d be there, a badge holder and of course a large coordinated tote bag. 

Linking up for the Maker's Choice December Aurifil Artisan challenge it's not one project but an entire new wardrobe!  Two of my most trusted Aurifil 50wt threads sewed everything: a cone of Dove Grey 2600 and a large spool of Black 2692. 

Lawn 

Cotton Poplin

Lawn 

Aurifil Dove Grey 2600 Cone 50wt

The Quilts of Bee Sewcial was an amazing feature of 26 quilts displayed in a prime location of the show floor.  Here's a mosaic to give you an idea but honestly there's nothing like experiencing it in person and I'm so thrilled that ten of us were able to be together to share this debut event.  Seeing them up close and some for the first time ever - plus hearing my beemates during the gallery talks are memories I will always cherish.

BeeSewcial at Houston International Quilt Show Nov. 2022

As you can see, I was not the only one sporting our BeeSewcial branded fabric - there was chiffon, poplin, double gauze, canvas, jersey - tops, pants, a jumper - you name it. 

The vintage pattern sizing caused me to misjudge and my top was too snug.  Just like in my quilting designs, often plan B is even better than the original.  I added side gussets of the upcycled men's plaid shirt.

The last minute tote bag was worth the push as I've used it daily since.  Having a nice big pocket inside for my cell phone and an outside zipper to keep things contained were key design elements.

Aurifil Black 2692 Large Spool 50wt

My quilts Eyes, Reflections, Stretch and Connections were exhibited.  Seeing them hang as a collection was a spectacular sight.  I contributed blocks to 25 of the 26 quilts and it felt like a reunion of sorts, reminiscing about the prompts.

One of three Gallery Talks

Me & my sister Sharyl in front of Stretch & Connections 

The early prediction of "tank top weather" turned a bit cooler as the date got closer so sweaters were added to my suitcase. 

 

BeeSewcial visits Brad at the Aurifil Booth 

Thank you for your sponsorship Aurifil 

Not only was the quilt show itself inspiring, but a field trip to Art Museum was too.  Despite the extra visitors in town for the World Series, getting around wasn't too challenging.  

Houston Art Museum

How fabulous is this swag from my sweet and generous bee mates ?!

Staying at a house that could accommodate our group in the museum district rather than downtown near the convention center was a smart decision - especially during the winning baseball games.  

With more than two dozen finished quilts this year, it feels oddly fitting to highlight my garment making adventure.  Because sewing clothes is outside my comfort zone, it was so helpful to know that I could rely on my Aurifil thread to get me to a successful finish line.

BeeSewcial 2019 Blocks

2019 Blocks

I've compiled the entire year into one post this time.  Yes, every single one of the BeeSewcial blocks deserves to be featured (and some have) but it just feels like making this happen now - before more time goes by - is the best  and most realistic approach to documenting them.

Energy for Leanne

17”x21” “Energy “ for @shecanquilt Dark blue background with a palette that I’ve grown to identify with.  I was able to hand deliver the block to Leanne in person at QuiltCon last week.

Enthusiasm and excitement is infectious and when we surround ourselves with good vibes, great people and positive energy, it’s pretty awesome.  For me, Creative energy is also a balancing act that has an ebb and flow, requiring a recharge to avoid burnout. 

Style of Sonia Delaunay for Ken

For @thekingslacker.  It measures 13”x27” with three sides trimmed and one left for him to puzzle. Fantastic time expressing myself in the style of Sonia Delaunay, an artist who I was not familiar with but certainly can relate to and appreciate. The colors are so "me".   Like many of the bee blocks that i make and mail off, this is one that I would like to supersize and make into a larger quilt.  Not an exact replicate but in the spirit of. 

Inspired by Roberto Burle Max landscapes for Sylvia 

16”x23”  block inspired by the art and landscape architecture of Roberto Burle Marx for @astrangerview .  This one was interesting with a palette so different for me. Working with a 3D subject matter to translate to 2D was also facinating.   I really loved trying to capture shadow and am pleased with the graphic design that i ended up with.  There was quite a lot of cropping and decision making along the way. 

Maxi Scrappy Stripes for M-R

15”x27” August block for @quiltmatters Improv stripes prompt, varied widths, warm with extra orange and a 1/2” edge-to-edge light gray. The end result reminded me of a strip of juicy fruit gum.  There were comments from my local guild mates about how they were inspired by the block and thought " hey, I could do that" which I think is great.  It doesn't have to be complicated to be appealing. 

Modular for Debbie

Composing and constructing the Modular block for @aquilterstable BeeSewcial prompt was the biggest creative challenge in 2019.  I enjoyed the process and the results but haven’t struggled getting to the finish line that much in a while-looks innocent enough which I suppose is a good thing.  Trying to include subtle color variations and sew in the curved pairs tucked around one another just right with the negative spaces visually pleasing was a rough road.  A quilting journey with a happy ending though.  I'm please so report that Debbie has finished the quilt. 

Portraits for Felicity 

Introducing “Nat”, short for Natalie (or short for NATional Quilting Day when  she was born). She’s sporting a new hairdo with a streak of gray as a nod to transitioning to my natural color. #beesewcial March prompt Humanoid number 2.  I gotta say, she’s a sassy fun one and I had a blast creating her for you @felicityquilts 

Portraits for Felicity 

Meet Marley , 15”x17.5” humanoid number one for @felicityquilts He was created while on retreat and has a sort of cat like vibe.  The palette however brings to mind "Don't worry be happy" so that is how he got his name. 

Improv Play for Marci 

#BeeSewcial blocks for @marci_girl 2.5” 3.5” 4.5” Improv play . These were fun to make creating a bite here and there. As you can see I gravitate to a “bigger” canvas to compose on so there’s fewer tiny ones.  Making these "nibbles" was a nice change up from the large ones that are more commonly made. 

Bee Counted for Stephanie

2019 #beesewcial kicks off with a finished 13.5”x25” block for Stephanie @spontaneousthreads “Be (Bee)Counted” tally marks of our choice.  I love that our members are from all over.  It’s pretty much the only time I visit the post office to mail my blocks each month. Mine represent the five digit zip code for Capitola, using spacing for the zeros 95010 and the significance of the red diagonal dash on the five is in honor of our 5th year as a bee.  Freehand rotary and scissor cut for the sections with rulers used to true up. My poor penmanship extends itself to hashtags so they aren’t neat. Intentional irregularity was tricky but fun.

EYE have three FAL Q2 Finishes

Saving the best finish for last, "Eyes" a BeeSewcial collaborative bee quilt was custom quilted by my sister and I brought it on the plane on the flight to visit her in Montana last month.  There was to be a layover of about 3 hours which made for the perfect excuse to hand stitch the binding down.  

The sleeve was stitched on leisurely with my sister's adorable dog as my sewing side kick. 

When it was completed, I knew that there would be photo opportunities and was not disappointed. I'll write a post about the EPIC first ever BeeSewcial Retreat but for now you just get a glimpse at the venue, the Grizzly Mountain Cabin at sunset.

This picture was at sunrise.  I woke to the most gentle morning light and popped up out of bed, grabbed the quilt and tossed it on the deck in the backyard.  

My favorite picture above captures the majestic mood pretty well- draped on the side fence with only the birds to keep me company - my phone timestamped it at 4:49am but it must have read the wrong timezone, it was actually 5:49am.

You can read about the theme prompt HERE  and see my original FAL Q2 GOALS post HERE

The other two finishes are found on my Instagram feed  #2019falq2capitolaquilter 

Linking up to the Party as the lights dim.  

Happy Stitching, Karen

2019 BeeSewcial "Portraits" - March Prompt

Two Humanoids

Nat 

Felicity requested that we make two Portrait blocks for our March BeeSewcial Prompt and name them.  They could be realistic or abstract, they just needed to read as Humanoids.  As someone who always cringed when it was time to draw faces in art class because I found it intimidating, I was both excited and nervous about the challenge.  

My local guild had a sew day on NATional Quilting Day so NATurally, I named her NAT.   She was actually the second block to be made but I wanted to share her first because I'm so smitten I can't stand it.  She's sporting a new hairdo with a streak of gray as a nod to transitioning to my own natural color although she's in no way a self portrait.  I had a blast bringing her to life and immediately wanted to make one to keep.

Marley

So here's my first block made while at retreat and a few process shots to see how he evolved.   The hair bits were left over from a previous challenge and they jumped right out.  I wanted him to have attitude and the eyebrows are another favorite feature.

Auditioning parts

Laying parts on before cutting and stitching them into place gives me a general idea and is useful.  In the end he gives off a Cheshire Cat vibe, probably because of the pupils.

I named him Marley.  He's laid back, not a care in the world with a life philosophy we could all use at times, "Don't worry, be happy".   I almost named him Dude.

Back to Nat

Curved left overs

The very first thing to be sewn was her lips.  So tricky but they gave me a direction of personality right away.  I had made a bunch of quarter circles for another project that left me with some great cut offs in solid that I pulled from the scrap bin.

You can see the "notch" where the concave and convex template positioned in the photo above.  That "flip" was originally going to be preserved but I liked the balance of the purple and what happens with the part in her hair.  With improv, I typically do ruler free work until trim up so I thought these might be too uniform at first but I think the contrast is successful.

Here's hoping your day is filled with a little bit of Nat's badass sassiness and Marley's kick back joy.

Happy Stitching, Karen

2019 BeeSewcial - Triptych Jewels February Prompt

As queen bee for February 2019, this is what I wrote as a guideline for my be mates to help them create a "Triptych Jewels“ block for me:

Blocks Received (not final layout)

"When choosing my prompt, I kept coming back to the concept of stages: Past-Present-Future, Birth-Life-Death, Before-During-After. I’m curious to see your interpretation of this idea with three segments that differ – they do not need to be equal portions and can transition subtly or abruptly with changes in design elements like scale, shape, value and color for example. .

Size: ONE Block equal to the usual size 12.5x24.5 The actual dimension is makers’ choice (long and thin, square, whatever fits with your composition) Puzzling together has become an enjoyable step in the process for me so don’t feel constrained and do not trim down. "

Prompt Logo

Palette: Think emerald, topaz, sapphire and amethyst etc. Use three or more colors in as many shades as you like. Bright and happy. Think less primary than my previous “Freeform Connection 2018 “ and less pastel than “Reflections 2015”.

Makers Tagged on IG

from Wikipedia “Despite its connection to an art format, the term is sometimes used more generally to connote anything with three parts, particularly if they are integrated into a single unit” 

The definition seems appropriate with a nod to collaboration - the individuals each have their own story and it will be interesting to put the chapters together.  I want to share a little more about what each maker referring to the tagged image above:

Stephanie (spontaneousthreads)  Fabric Pull/Sewing together/Finished composition. She felt the prompt reminded her of the quilt process:
Leanne (shecanquilt) : Seed/Leave-Stems/Flowers She included tourmaline for the palette with garnet, citrine and sapphire.
Felicity (felicityquilts): Triangle/Square/Circle shapes of A B C.  Her jewels are amethyst, emerald and ruby.
Debbie (aquilterstable): Water in three forms Solid (ice)/Liquid (an ocean wave)/Gas (steam). Her focus was amethyst, sapphire and emerald with a hint of topaz
M-R (quiltmatters): An emphasis on getting different facets in the jewels to pop. Amethyst, sapphire and aquamarine.
Ken (thekingslacker): "The Birth of Enlightenment" in jewel tones
Marci (marcigirl): "The evolution of Improv" HST and a homage to our BeeSewcial roots
Silvia (astrangerview): Lion/Witch/Wardrobe Narnia, Citrine eye, nose and mane, Aquamarine ice castle or crown, Ruby door slightly open and drawers at the bottom.  She also chose the theme for the spiritual representation.

So much meaning in the blocks and I love them all.  
Happy Stitching, Karen 

2019 BeeSewcial "Be (Bee) Counted" January Prompt

Made and mailed by deadline, I'm realizing that my 2019 BeeSewcial blocks aren't anywhere to be found on the blog.  So,  better late than never - I present 2019 prompt for January "Be (Bee) Counted" for Stephanie.

Be (Bee) Counted block 13.5" x25"

Stephanie wrote the following instructions on her  Instagram post : "in anticipation of the 2020 census I’d like for us to count and to be counted. I have always loved the simplicity of Tally Marks. 

As a method of counting they have been around for a very long time and appear in slightly differing variations in many cultures. My vision is a quilt of tally marks: bold ones, skinny ones, all improvisationally pieced"

process detail

The prompt immediately made me think of the score pad for bunko (I was in a group for ten years) and how easy it was to identify which player was tracking by how orderly the marks were. Mine were the messy ones. Deciding on what my number would be was immediately apparent. 

process detail

I love that our members are from all over. It’s pretty much the only time I visit the post office to mail my blocks each month. Mine represent the five digit zip code for Capitola, using spacing for the zeros 95010 and the significance of the red diagonal dash on the five is in honor of our 5th year as a bee.

the underside

Five with a red slash

Freehand rotary and scissor cut for the sections with rulers used to true up. My poor penmanship extends itself to hashtags so they aren’t neat. Intentional irregularity was tricky but fun. 

Check back for blog posts catching up with the February (my month), March and April BeeSewcial prompts.  Happy Stitching, Karen