We have had another wonderful response to this year’s IG recruitment campaign for more members for the Siblings Together Bees. Enough as it happens, not just to top up the existing Bees, but to create a new Bee 7. This is all very exciting and welcome to being founder members, so thank you for signing up.

I’m going to be nice and gentle for the first Bee 7 block. I’ve chosen a free pattern by Andy Knowlton who blogs at A Bright Corner. It’s called Charming Lucy which reminds me of Lucy Brennon @Charmaboutyou who hosts Saturday’s Craft Along on IG. If you don’t already, do join in the fun on Saturday evening, if you are not out on the tiles of course!

As it is a new Bee I thought I’d just talk about perfection. This is a much overrated concept in my opinion. If the charity wanted perfect, uniformly quilted and sewn quilts then I guess any number of high street stores could have provided them. What they do love receiving are our beautiful handmade, imperfectly perfect, quilts.

Now I have shamelessly pinched that last phrase from the front cover of super talented fabric and pattern designer Karen Lewis’ new book Wasi Sabi.  A great book by the way. But it perfectly summarises the beauty of hand crafted items, all unique and special. If you are like me, you are reasonably accurate using a sewing machine,  but in my case far from technically perfect, so points get lost, seams get misaligned etc.  But  trust me no child/young person will notice or care. Nor will your mama.

The block is from a reasonably straight forward pattern and can be found here.  That takes you to the blog page and then you need to click through to get access to the actual pattern. The pattern gives you cutting instructions for an entire quilt, so to cut to the chase, you will need for the three blocks I’d like you to make, 12  x 5” squares with 24 x 2.5”  white squares which get snowballed onto each corner then joined to make a squarish circle!   I’d like the white squares to be a solid bright white but the squares  a range of blues and greens. They can be all blue blocks, all green, pale blocks, strong colour blocks or an absolute mix. Your call but the more variety the better . The wonderful variety of fabrics just makes for a magic quilt.

Now many of you I know, having had a sneak look at your IG accounts, are very experienced and could quite possibly make these in your sleep! But I assume when I write up blocks that members are at the other end of the learning curve  so am reasonably clear about ‘how to’.  Please skip this if you have snowballed more corners than you have thrown snowballs! But please ensure you trim the blocks to 9.5″ square before sending them to me.

Take your 5” square and place a 2 1/2” square on one corner. The pattern itself is also clear on this technique.

Either draw a line on the white square from corner to corner or press it so you can see a line. I actually put a bit of tape on the machine bed and sew along that but each to their own.

Now sew just to the right of your diagonal line, nearest the corner of the eventual finished block   as below .

Do the same to the opposite corner

Cut away the excess fabric taking care not to cut away your new white corner! Take time to admire my far from pristine ironing cover.

Iron back the new white corners and then trim to 5”. You now have one of the four you will need to sew a squarish circle as in the finished block.

The last job please, apart from posting on IG if you have a public account, is please trim blocks to 9.5″ square.

Many thanks and if you have any queries please come back to me.