Save The Bees Finish

It is another 2018 Block of the Month Finish!  Woohoo!

I simply refuse to let the monthly blocks sit in a pile and become UFOs... two down (Pat Sloan's Let's Go Camping and Save the Bees), two to go (2018 Color Challenge and It's a Wild Life).  

The Save The Bees BOM was a short stint, but it was fun.  Two of the blocks offered a choice of applique or hand embroidery.  The embroidery would have been fun, but I wasn't really interested in that... (had there been road trips planned, I probably would have considered it to pass the time.)

And, well, applique... not my favorite, but thanks to the designers of the It's A "Wild" Life BOM, I have gotten over my dislike and fear of the technique.  It is far from my favorite, but has become a technique that I don't mind. (My favorite would be piecing!).

I chose to be a bit more creative and do some painting with thread.  It is really more like the paint with water books for toddlers.  I had received a set of aurifil thread in a give away and used the brilliant jewel toned colors from the set.













The bulk of the quilting is stitch in the ditch and then I did FMQ to outline the flowers and bees and did loops in the borders (similar to the path of the bees in the flower blocks, all with nylon thread.  The binding is a scrappy binding, adding a final pop of color and playfulness to the quilt.  The finished dimension is 52" x 46", the perfect size for tummy time on the floor with plenty of color and interest to entertain a baby.

This will be gifted at an upcoming baby shower that will welcome a little one... Eliza.  She was a healthy little(?) gal at 9 lbs 6 oz and 22-1/4" long.  I cannot wait to see her and hope that I have a chance to snuggle her and love on her.  

I just love the way the quilting "popped" the flowers and the bee's path








And, quite honestly, I was surprised at how the appliqued letters and the honey comb block were not as stiff as I had anticipated.  Yay!

My first finish of the 2019 is "in the books".  You can catch up on the other blocks by following the label "Save the Bees" or follow the links here... Blocks 1 and 2, Block 3 and Block 4.

I have read from numerous quilters that, while they enjoy BOM sew alongs, they tend to not assemble the blocks to make the top, thus creating another UFO for themselves.  This is a concept that I cannot grasp...  

Have you had your first finish for the year?  

Leave a comment.  I'd love to hear what you have been working on. 

Quilt Happy!

Melva

Melva Loves Scraps - Home of the Quilters Through The Generations series

Linking with:

Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter
Mid-week Makers at Quilt Fabrication
Let's Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts
Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation
BOMs Away Monday at What A Hoot Quilts
Moving It Forward Monday at Em's Scrap Bag
Main Crush Monday at Cooking Up Quilts
Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework
Pieceful Sunday at JANDA Bend Quilts