Sew Modern Monday :: My First Bee Blocks!

My first bee blocks ever!

I've always been super intimidated by bees. I mean, sewing blocks for other people with their precious fabric? What if I mess up? What if they don't like it? I didn't need this kind of pressure. But then I met Amy (aka Sukie) at Sewing Summit and she told me all about her awesome bee, the 4x5 Modern Quilt Bee. I would make just 5 blocks per quarter, from my own stash, and in a block of my choosing....um, awesome!

I had a lot of fun making these blocks. The ladies in my hive had some really great color combinations, plus Jeni's block was so much fun to sew up! In case you didn't know, Jeni from In Color Order has started a super fun Half Square Triangle Block of the Month for 2012 and I couldn't be more excited to join in! After playing with all these bee blocks, though, I'm going to have a tough time deciding on what fabrics to use for my own block.

Full disclosure: I didn't read the directions all the way through and didn't trim my HSTs before sewing them together...I ended up with 14" blocks, not the 12.5" blocks I needed for my bee. I ripped them apart, trimmed, and sewed again....1 week late in mailing, but correct this time. See? We all make mistakes :)

What have you been working on? I'm linking up to:

Urban Home Goods Swap

I am over the moon to be participating in the { Urban } Home Goods Swap #3! When they did one this past Fall, I was so sad to be busy prepping my shop for the holidays. Here is my inspiration mosaic for my secret partner.

I'm really hoping for something fabulous to spruce up my sewing room. Plus, that's really the only space I get to do whatever silliness I want with. I've really been loving all the mini-quilts, pillows, and hoops I've seen from other swaps. My fellow crafters are really quite talented! I'm frequently left in awe as I go through all the latest Flickr uploads.

Our cutie-cute new puppy Seamus seems to like dangling objects, so as much as I'd looooove to brighten up the kitchen, towels, runners, mats, and aprons just won't fit into our new lifestyle around here at Casa del Roscoe.

I really can't wait to get my partner so I can start stalking and scheming colors, prints, and goodies!

Hexagons :: Swap Time!

I had a fantastic time doing the hexagon swap over on Flickr. The girls were all amazing, and here's what I received to prove it! Thanks Kelly!

There's nothing I love more than a fab package in the mail, especially one wrapped up so nice! On the other side of the card it says real small "made for you by Kelly" and then space for a note. So cute! Where did you get these, girl?

And this is what I found when I opened it! Gorgeous! I was so excited to receive one of the cutie-cute pieces I had commented on in the photostream.

I absolutely adore the hand-embroidery. It totally makes this little bag, nevermind the super cute surprise lining. It immediately jumped into my bag where it houses my new knockoff aviators from NYC. My hubs calls them my Officer Poncharello sunglasses. I just love them.

Cute hexies! A few of these I recognize, but I love that I don't know what most of these are. Fun surprises to mix up my charm quilt.

The obligatory macro shot. :)

The whole kit and kaboodle. The best!

Have you started making hexies yet? You should. It's addicting. And join a swap. Those are addicting, too.