Honey Bee Quilt Tutorial

 :::: Just publishing this to my own blog... previously posted on the Benartex blog.::::

Hi! My name is Erin. I blog at Why Not Sew? Today I am happy to share with you a tutorial for a lap size Honey Bee quilt with a patchwork border. The blocks sew up quickly and using your machine to applique the bees down saves a ton of time. This would make a lovely gift for someone special. Thanks so much to Benartex for asking me to participate in the Holiday Gift Blog Hop. Let's get started!!!

What you will need ~

Various shades of light, medium and dark fabrics. Fat quarters and fat eighths are great for this project.   ( I used This 'N That by Nancy Halvorsen for Benartex )
2 yards ~ white fabric for background, sashing and first border
3/4 yard ~ fabric for binding. 
backing fabric for approx. 56 x 70 inch quilt
batting for approx. 56 x 70 inch quilt
1 yard ~ Fusible iron on adhesive like Heat'n Bond

Cutting for the entire quilt top you will need:
108 ~ 2.5" squares for the center nine patches of each block
48 ~ 3.5" squares for the corner squares of each block
48 ~ 3.5 x 6.5" rectangles for the top, bottom and sides of each block (white)
144 ~ Bee applique pieces * my daughter helped me trace all of these onto the paper side of the fusible web. This was a big help, so that I could cut and sew while she traced, and traced and traced.Template HERE
8 ~ 2.5 x 12.5" sashing strips (white)
2 ~ 2.5 x 40.5" border strip for top and bottom (white)
2 ~ 2.5 x 58.5" border strips for right and left sides(white)
342 ~ 2.5" squares for patchwork border * about half light and half med/dark for contrast

For each block you need ~
9 ~ 2.5" squares for center nine patch
4 ~ 3.5" squares for the corners
4 ~ 3.5 x 6.5" rectangles for the sides, top and bottom of the blocks (white / background)
12 ~ Bee pieces , download template HERE
 

First make your nine patches. For this quilt you will need 12. Set aside.

Cut 6.5" X width of fabric. For the fabric I was using I needed 4 strips total to get 48 3.5 x 6.5" rectangles.

Cut the strips into 3.5 x 6.5" rectangles. 48 total.

Choose a fabric for the four corners and cut 4 ~ 3.5" squares.

Sew a 3.5" square onto each end of two 3.5 x 6.5" white rectangles.

Sew a 3.5 x 6.5" rect. onto the left and right side of the center nine patch block. Press the corner squares in the opposite direction of which ever way you press the rectangles on your nine patch. I chose to press everything towards the white background fabric for these.

Sew your rows together.

Now take the template you downloaded. You can download it HERE if you missed it above. Trace the template onto the paper side of the fusible web. 12 times per each block. 144 total. Cut away from paper leaving a small allowance from the drawn line.

Iron piece onto the WRONG side of the fabric you want for your bee parts. Cut out ON the drawn line.

Take the paper off of the back of the piece.

Place them on the corner block and the ends of the rectangles. It's easier to place and press one piece at a time so nothing shifts when you lay your iron down.

Put 3 bee pieces in each corner. Make sure they are all pressed down and bonded nice and strong.

Now machine stitch them down using your preferred stitch. I chose a blanket stitch. a zig zag stitch would work too. You can straight stitch but eventually you may get some fraying if the blanket is laundered and or used very often. You can also use monofilament if you prefer your stitches to not show. My preferred method and if-you-have-the-time method is appliqueing by hand. I have a "how to" on that here.

Now repeat the above steps until you have 12 blocks in a variety of colors that are pleasing to you. Lay them out how you like in a 3 x 4 grid. Cut 8 pieces 2.5 x 12.5"  and Cut 5 strips 2.5" x width of fabric (WOF) to get 2.5 x 40.5" strips from the white fabric for sashing. Sew the 2.5 x 12.5" sashing between the first and second block and then the second and third block in each row. Now sew the 2.5 x 40.5" strips between each row and the top of the first row and bottom of the last row of blocks. Cut 3 strips 2.5 x WOF to get your white side borders. Cut one of the three strips in half. Now take the two pieces you have from that and sew one onto the end of each of the 2.5" by WOF strips you have left, making sure to trim your selvedges before attaching together. Now trim those strips to 2.5 x 58.5". Attach to sides. Press seams. Now it's time for the patchwork border...

For the border you will need 342 ~ 2.5" squares. Light, medium and dark colors. I like to break the border down by piecing enough 3 patch strips to make the top, then the bottom, then the sides. I sew one border at a time to check placement and make sure I don't have too much of one color grouped together.
66 squares for the top border
66 squares for the bottom border
105 squares for right side
105 squares for left side
To start I chain piece 22 ~ 2 patch units using light, or white background with print and a medium or dark fabric. Like the top picture in the diagram. Next take 11 of those units and sew a different medium or dark square onto the other end of the light square. Like the second picture in the diagram. Then take the other 11 units and sew a light colored square onto the end of the medium and dark square, Like the last picture in the diagram. Sew your units together to make the border. Alternating a dark unit and light unit. Repeat for the bottom border.
Use the same method for each side border but now you will need to piece 35 units for the left side and 35 units for the right side. 17 dark units, 17 light units and 1 of whichever unit you started your border with (in my case it was light)
*** a note about pressing. I press toward the darker fabric for these units. They should all lock together nicely when sewn.

When you are attaching your borders be sure to line them up neatly with your top. Six 3 patch units should "fit" or line up with a block. One 3 patch unit should line up with a white sashing strip. When your top is together baste, quilt, bind as you prefer and ....

Enjoy!!!