Well this is the last block for the hand pieced quilt along. I decided on one of my very, very favorite blocks (don't I say that every week?), Honey Bee! It combines piecing and applique. A great skill builder.
For this block (6 inch) you will need:
4 ~ 2 in. squares (corners, print)
4 ~ 2 x 3.5 in. rectangles (sides, background)
4 ~ 1.5 in. squares (print, inner nine patch squares, mine are yellow)
5 ~ 1.5 in. squares (print, outer nine patch squares, mine are blue)
12 ~ honey bee / tear drop shaped pieces (print, mine are yellow)
freezer paper or regular paper
Honey Bee applique template here
(I printed this out and it is a bit smaller than what I drew so you may have to play with the size a bit or feel free to draw your own.)
or you can save the image here and adjust it to fit the quilt pieces.
I'll start with the applique pieces. First trace the template onto your freezer paper. Cut out the pieces. Iron them onto the back of the fabric.
Trim 1/4 in. away from the template.
Fold the center of the pointed end in first. (please excuse my sick little cutting board. It is far beyond self healing and I am in need of a new one)
Then fold each side in to make a nice point. Thread a needle and insert it into the point
and fold your fabric over the template the whole way around using a basting stitch. Make 12 of these.
**Note that I assemble my whole block before I sew my applique pieces down. That way you can see that everything is placed exactly how you want it and not going to get sewn into the seam allowance. I am just showing you rather quickly for the sake of time. You can use matching thread and make your stitches look much nicer than I did here.
With my applique piece in place, on top of the piece of fabric it is being appliqued to, I bring my needle up from underneath of my fabric just catching the applique piece and go back into the fabric right at the edge of the applique piece.
Continue sewing down your applique piece this way leaving about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch open. Take out your basting thread.
Remove the paper.
Use your needle to turn the seam allowance under and continue sewing in the same manner you did before until your applique piece is completely sewn down.
To assemble block see picture. It is the cutest block and I can't wait to see the 6 inch version when I finish it.
Here are the links to Blocks 1~11:
Block #1 ~ Churn Dash
Block #9 ~ Square in a Square
Come join us over at the hand pieced flickr group!
Next week we will go over assembling the quilt top!!! Have a great weekend!
11 comments:
This is a beautiful block!! Love how your tutorials are so detailed. When I get some time, I want to try all your sweet blocks!! Thanks for sharing!! Have a lovely weekend, dear!! xo Heather
Love the idea of the wee bees, how cute!
Be sure to share the finished block, it looks cute!
Have you ever thought of using glue or starch instead of stitching down the seams? Love your tut.
Erin...this looks like a cute block. I've never seen this block...great choice! Rock on!
your hand piecing is so beautiful
Eek! This one is so cute!
what a Fun block, I like to use a pc of cardstock or plastic template for my applique pcs, then if it is a pc you can do it with. I like to do a running stitch and gather it around my template then finger press. Pull template out and stitch down. When I applique I stick my needle in behind the stitch I came up at. Then come up in front of the previous stitch. This gives your applique dimension and makes it looks so nice. Can't wait to see your finised block and quilt.
great pictures in your tutorial....nothing like hand applique!! I have enjoyed reading through your posts!!
Thanks for such a great visual aid with the applique on the honey bee block. It will be a great help when I get around to tackling this.
The block is adorable!
Great tutorial. I think I'm going to join in.
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