Saturday 3 March 2018

Spring has sprung - though you wouldn't think so!


....and at last I have sprung into gear and conquered my fears!  Those of you who know me, will nod when I say that me and technology aren’t a happy pairing!  The car is a necessity  – the sewing machine I love but anything to do with computers I’m afraid goes to the bottom of the pile!

2018 I told myself,  was going to be a year where I tried new things and blogging is one of them!  So apologies to one and all for my late start!   I relied on Lorraine for doing anything remotely technical - oh how she is missed!


However the good news is that we’ve been pretty productive with the sewing machines in January and February and have gifted the following beauties....


These 5 little quilts were gifted to a local girl’s hostel
 for young mother's and their babies.

Love the soft colours!
Hard to beat a rail fence!


Quick & easy from a charm pack!


Bear Paw quilt - kindly donated!



Again scrappy squares hard to beat!
Quilt top kindly donated..
Beautifully long-armed...








This one was gifted to a lady who was rescued thankfully from a housefire, 
but sadly lost everything she owned including her home.

This started with a donated charm pack to make the HST's.
I call it the 'organic' quilt as it just kept growing!





Remember this – November block of the month
 has found a new home with a gentleman who is
 struggling with serious health issues and finding life pretty hard. 

It's bigger than this only I forgot to take a picture!




This beautiful quilt went to a friend of one of our Saturday Bee Blessed group,
who has recently suffered a couple of close bereavements.
  
Beautifully long-armed which brings the quilt alive!




NEW FOR 2018! 

CRAFT HUB - Making It Social 

This is a new group of creatives who have started to meet in
CFC Cafe Church on the Belmont Road -  on alternate Wednesdays from 10.30 am to 1 pm.

If you love anything creative - why not drop in and find out more, have a cuppa, meet new friends, learn a new skill or teach someone else a new skill.  So far we have knitters, mini workshops on origami, another on how to make hexies, a keen photographer sharing her skills in making photo-books.     A few of us from Bee Blessed have set up a block making corner - quite a productive way of working when the fabric is pre-cut!     It also introduces people outside the quilting world into the mystery of making a quilt.   One lady couldn't sew but she could iron.... oh happy days..... I was making lots of HST's and she happily sewed all my seams open for me!   Remember the old saying - many hands make light work!

Next Craft Hub  -  Wednesday 7th March.


BEE BLESSED dates MARCH to JUNE 2018
  • March 10th 
  • April 14th 
  • May 12th
  • June 9th

 
BLOCK OF THE MONTH

First I must grovel and apologise to those who faithfully send us your lovely blocks each month. Oh how I've missed those little packets dropping through my letter box and eagerly opening them to see what beauties are inside!

I'm keeping it simple this month and giving you free rein to make any block you like.  We throw little away in Bee Blessed and have accumulated a pile of what we call 'orphan blocks'.  The time has come to make these up into a couple of quilts.... so a few more blocks wouldn't go amiss.

  • You can use any colour combination you like - either bright and scrappy or pastels.  
  • The finished block should be 12.5"
  • You can use one of our previous tutorials or a favourite of your own.
  • Or you may have 'orphan' blocks lurking around at home that you could send us.

We would like your blocks in by 7th April please.


Last but not least a big thank you to all who help us get these quilts made - to those who send us blocks monthly, to those who turn up on Saturdays to put the quilt tops together and to Lorraine and Hilary who have done so much long arm quilting.   

These quilts really do touch people at a time in their lives when it's needed.  I love how we can all use our talents to reach out to others.   Bee Blessed couldn't do it without you! 
THANK YOU ALL.


Hey my first blog - I can only get better (Lorraine is a hard act to follow!)   Another thing ticked off my 2018 list!!

Keep warm and safe in this weather ....... and keep sewing!

Ros x



Thursday 11 January 2018

A New Era

I can't believe it has been two and a half years since Ros and I took the 'Bee Blessed reins' from Judith and Sarah - pictured below on their last day in June 2015 - and once again I'm writing a blog entitled 'A New Era'.


Saturday 6th January was my last day at Bee Blessed (I'm Lorraine and I've been running it with Ros since June 2015) and this will be the last blog I write. Life has become very busy and necessitates me handing my one rein to Ros. But, in essence, little has changed and you'll still be getting your monthly updates and Blocks of the Month.

I'll show you a few photographs of what we got up to on Saturday 6th.






The ladies had a ball as they beavered away. Welcome Hilary, who has faithfully made and posted blocks to us for some time now.  It was lovely to meet you.  Hopefully we didn't work you too hard and you'll be back to see us again. Whoops...sorry no photo of me...I'll remain a mystery.😎


Hilary got stuck into stitching down some binding on this baby quilt.


Before Christmas we set this block and on Saturday we had the opportunity to complete the top.


 This is growing...


...this needs binding...


...and this binding needs stitched down.




As usual your blocks didn't disappoint.  Many thanks to all who made and posted them to us. This is the last opportunity I'll get to thank you for all your support.  Your kindness has touched both me and everyone involved with Bee Blessed, not forgetting all the lovely people who receive the quilts. Keep up the good work! And to all the lovely ladies who faithfully turn up each month, a big thank you.  Bee Blessed couldn't exist without you and it has been my absolute pleasure getting to know you and spending time in your presence each month. 😘😘 

And finally, many thanks to all who showed their appreciation for my (much enjoyed) efforts within Bee Blessed during the last two and a half years and to those who extended their best wishes for my future.  You know who you are...😃

HAPPY SEWING

Wednesday 3 January 2018

Happy New Year - January Block 2018

Happy New Year!  I hope Christmas was everything you wished it to be. Hasn't it gone by in a flash!  Saturday 6th January will be our first meeting of 2018 and I'm ready to get back to some normality and routine. If you're feeling likewise and have some free time to make us a block it would be much appreciated.

This month we are making the Greek Cross block and the tutorial can be found here... just click on the 'Bee Blessed - January 2014' link.  Many thanks to the lovely Sarah for allowing us to use it.  You will have a 12.5" block run up in no time.


As regards fabrics we are sticking to Sarah's suggestions.  We would like plain white or white on white for the background, one print for the cross motif and two prints for the corner half square triangles, scrappy and bright, please.

Could you please post your blocks to us by Wednesday 31st January.

I hope you find a few minutes to make this month's block  If you've any questions our details are on our contact page.  Many thanks for reading this.


Happy Sewing