Let's chat, shall we?
I spent some time a few days ago getting ready for my month in the Modern Blocks bee. It's not until November, but I'm not sure when this move is happening and didn't want my fabric all boxed up before I got this done! This will be my first time to be the "Queen" of a bee and have to decide on my block and fabrics to send out to my bee mates. It was fairly easy to narrow down which block to ask everyone to make, since this bee is based off the Modern Blocks book. I only had 99 to choose from, and maybe 10 that I would want. I didn't want to ask for a block that we had already made for someone else and I wanted it to be challenging enough that I couldn't easily make enough of them for a quilt all by myself. But at the same time not be so annoying that everyone was cursing me as they sewed. The hardest part was choosing which fabrics to send, so I ended up making packs of scrappy blues, greens, and a bit of yellow along with some Kona Snow. Which brings me to my first question...
Do you prefer bees where you use your own stash to make blocks, or where the person of the month sends their own?
I'm probably in the minority on this one, but I like using my own fabrics. While I do like getting to use new-to-me prints that I may not otherwise ever see in person, for some reason I just like using mine better. I think mostly it is because if I screw up I know that I can just get more, or come up with another print to try. I live in fear of the day I mess up a block using someone else's fabric and have to get them to send more. Maybe it is also that I'm a little impatient? I like to get started as soon as possible and not wait around for the mail. Weird, I know. But in all honesty, I think it is also because I'm lazy and don't want to make all those packets!
How many bees are you in currently, and what do you like about them?
Right now I'm in three bees: Modern Blocks, Always Bee Learning, and the Imagine Circle of do.Good Stitches. Like I said, in Modern Blocks we each choose a block from the book for our month. Always Bee Learning is a new-to-me bee where we are trying to challenge ourselves to learn new techniques such as curves, paper piecing, and y-seams. My month is coming up in January and I have absolutely no idea what to choose! I'll probably end up going with something lame that we've all done before. The first two bees are the type where we are sent fabrics from that month's person, while dGS is a use-your-stash bee that sews for charity.
Do you ever have bee envy?
You know, where you keep seeing awesome blocks from a certain bee and wish that you could join them? I love seeing the blocks that come from the some of the paper-piecing bees like Ringo Pie and Cocorico but that kind of thing is way out of my league right now! Care to guess which bee I would join? Stash Trad! (The group is private, so I'm linking to Felicity's mosaic of her blocks.) I nearly always completely adore the blocks I see from that bee. I love the idea of taking traditional blocks and jazzing them up with modern fabric and colors. And you know I love the "stash" part!
So tell me, what is your ideal bee?
Not in a bee and looking to join the fun? Try this flickr group and look in the first discussion thread...
Good topic, Toni. I'm in 3 bees right now too - the MBB & Always Bee Learning with you + the FAITH circle of do.Good. I really don't like sending out the packets either, actually - pressure!! I live with the same fear as you about messing up with someone else's fabrics. Using my own for some (4x5 last year) really helped me up my stash to more modern standards, which was a good exercise + fun.
ReplyDeletep.s. Hope you don't mind - I shared your discussion on A Quilter's Table's fb page.....
ReplyDeleteI am in two bees: one where the fabric is supplied and one (which starts in January) where we will use our own scraps. I think both will work perfectly for me and they are all ladies that I know through blogging, so I don't feel under any real pressure. I think I have the best of both worlds!
ReplyDeleteI've been a part of do.good stitches and in both the LAMQG and OCMQG I've contributed blocks to charity quilts. I like pulling from my stash and especially seeing how creative the finished bee quilts are! I am starting my first bee this month with OCMQG which is one where fabric is supplied and I'm looking forward to that too. It's a lot of work in your month to decide, measure and cut fabric for a whole quilt, but as the queen bee I like that you have some control over the finished look of your quilt and in all the other months at least that part of the work of making your bee blocks is done for you (it always takes me A LOT of time to pick fabrics when I have to pull from my stash).
ReplyDeleteI'm only in one bee, and it's the only one I've ever participated in. Ours is the kind where the month's leader sends out fabric to each member. I've liked it so far, but it hasn't been my month yet and honestly I'm not looking forward to putting together packages! So in that way, I think I'd prefer it the other way, using my own fabric each month!
ReplyDeleteOhhh great discussion Toni! I am currently in 2 bees. I have my bee through my guild which is a provided fabric bee (although most months we are given the OK to add from our stash if we want) and I just joined the Harmony circle of do.Good. This will be my first month with dG and I am Queen this month at our guild bee! I prefer the provided fabric one because I just don't have much scraps to use yet, but I agree with you I am always extra careful not to make any mistakes. I am getting a better selection of modern stash and scraps and am excited to be a part of do.Good now, although I am just a sewer there.
ReplyDeletePS I would like to join more bees, maybe a beginner paper piecing or skill builder bee. :)
DeleteFollowed you here from A Quilter's Table on FB...I like your discussion today. I am in two bees - Happiness circle at do.Good Stitches and the 4x5. I have to say I am glad both require us to use our own fabrics. I have no desire to pack up several blocks worth of fabric and get them mailed; my first thought is in the time it would take me to do that, I could make my own blocks. I have appreciated being able to use of various scraps in several of the blocks thus far and where another bee member's colour scheme is different from mine, I do a little shop and grow my own stash a little bit. In Canada, we purchase fabric in tenth's of a metre (4") which is often more than enough, so it isn't terribly costly. I don't know if there is an ideal bee; for me, I joined because I want to connect with quilters who have similar tastes.
ReplyDeleteNice discussion, thanks!
Hmm, I'm in 3 bees right now, although it's the last month for one of them, which is one made from our own stash (I'm queen this month) I don't mind either way on the fabric, of my remaining 2, 1 is and 1 isn't from my stash, I don't mind if people send me fabric as long as there's plenty (a bee that I was in previously we rarely got enough sent through)
ReplyDeleteYes, great discussion, Toni! I too would prefer to use my own fabric, for all the same reasons you mentioned. I get nervous I will mess up someone else's fabrics, plus, I like the creativity of pulling from my own stash. I think the quilts that come out of these arrangements are always so interesting because of the great mix of fabrics. I have done two bees this year-MBB with you (:) ) and a sort of bee with my MQG which was kind of a combo of providing fabrics and letting people use from their stash. And yes, I have bee envy at times, and interestingly enough, I also love Stash Trad and Ringo Pie. and Traveling Quilts-what a brilliant idea. Maybe we should start our own stash bee for next year...hmmm...
ReplyDeleteSuper topic today, Toni! It's just been a few months since I jumped into the "bee" hives, Happiness @ do. Good Stitches, and Star of Africa. Both require our own fabrics, which makes me extremely happy! Like you, I would feel horrible if I ruined fabric from someone else! I really enjoy reading posts from all the quilter who belong to bees. I like to watch from the sidelines!!
ReplyDeleteGood question. I'm in two bees. One where we send fabrics around and one whe we all make the same block using our own fabrics (3x6). I like them both but perhaps the one where we use our own fabrics seems a bit more sensible. The outcome will be very different though.
ReplyDeleteI am in 2, Brit Bee (the best bee in the universe!), where we send fabric, and Stitch Tease where we don't and that is a bit different and a cross between a round robin and secret santa!
ReplyDeleteI love sending and receiving the fabric - too much of a control freak - mostly as fabric is so expensive in the UK I cherish all I have bought and if say someone wanted red blocks, they would have to whistle or wait for me to buy some!
I love to be pushed a little, but not too much as it is meant to be fun x
Love those fabrics you have chose. I am in one Bee, I am still not sure whether I am enjoying it or not ;-)
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness...I totally have bee envy sometimes. I love the idea of the Traveling Quilts, but the whole idea freaks me out a bit too b/c that seems so overwhelming. I really like the bees that have a unique way of doing blocks -- thinking outside the box. I think that is what makes the Ringo Pie and the Cocorico bees so cool is that they are doing some very creative blocks that are so different from what you see in "regular bees." I am currently only in one bee b/c I felt after last year, I was getting bogged down by being in two other bees. I felt like all I was making was bee blocks all the time and had no time to do what I wanted to do. Next year I might change my mind though.
ReplyDeleteAs for the fabric...well, I could go either way. For DGS, I like sewing from my own stash b/c I can work on it when I want to and be as creative as I want using the fabrics that I love. When I was in other bees that weren't for charity, I will admit that I prefer sending fabric out...b/c I want a unified look. Sometimes, it is harder when everyone is sewing from their own stash and all the fabrics might not completely go together. But I am working on letting my perfectionism go on that - ha ha! DGS is really helping me to embrace more of the scrappy look that I struggle with so much. :)
I've only done one bee, and it was a modern block bee, where each person in the group chose the colors they preferred. Each participant was then emailed a list of the members and their color choices. Then we picked one modern block and made that block for everyone on the list, in that person's colors. All fabrics from our own stash. That was the fun part, not knowing what block you were going to get or what fabrics would be in it. :)
ReplyDeleteI am glad you are in bees with me. I always worry about messing up other people's fabrics but when it is my fabrics I worry that they are not what the person will want. I manage to stain Debbie's fabric with my iron and I learned that it is fine to just send back the bits and your bee mates will just take care of it for you if you mess up the fabrics. Oh and I am in 5 bees right now, which is a lot.
ReplyDelete