Straight Border Tutorial

Here are the instructions for the straight version of the square for my "bee block".

I started by cutting all my fabric into 3" strips (the width of the edges is 2.5 but this gives me a little wiggle room). Then I sort them by color.

Next I start cutting different widths (from 3" to 1") and putting them in a row. I sew them together using a 1/4" seam and iron them in the same direction after each one. I found it helpful to check one edge on the cutting mat periodically to make sure I was not too far off from straight. You want this row to be about 14" wide. Once you have the width you need trim up the row and make it 2.5" wide. Lay the row on the center square, making sure you have at least 2.5" on both sides.

Sew together using a 1/4" seam STARTING and STOPPING 1/4" from both ends. Do not iron.
Do this for all other sides.
To Miter the corners:
fold the square in half and line up the edges. I used the 45 degree angle on my cutting board and lined up the fold along it. Draw a line on the edges that are overlapping. Sew along the line. Trim.

Iron so that the seam goes towards the center. YOUR DONE.

Bee There or Bee Squares

It is time for my month, and I am very excited. I have been "preparing to work on my Birdie Stitches for 5 months now : ). I wanted a different border than just the squares, and I had been drooling over the Sun Rays block at Twin Fibers for a while.
http://twinfibers.blogspot.com/2010/08/tutorial-sun-rays-quilt-block.html
Here are some things I had to keep in mind while preparing my block.

• 
• This is a picture of the tape I put down on my cutting board, to use as guidelines.
• keep the strip between 1"- 3"

• the wider the strip, the longer it has to be to cover the 2.5" span
• Check the 45 degree angle often
• after adding three strips together, trim one side to help line up the border easier
• when drawing the line to create the mitered edge, use a 45 degree angle across the line of the center square to help guide you
• the border pieces should be 16-18" long
• use the squares at the ends of the border

Give away Time

Run over too JayBird quilts to qualify for the sponsored giveaway from Green Fairy Quilts. I hope I win, I would LOVE some new fabric. I really like the fabric lines "Bliss" and "Max & Whiskers". I think the later would be perfect for Coby's birthday. Go CHECK IT OUT!