The Summer Scrap Elimination 2023: Week 4

Good morning Summer Scrappers! Can you believe it's already the second half of our program? The summer is cruising along and I hope you are enjoying stitching through your scrap piles! This next one is easy and and fun as well as close to my heart.

When we lived further outside of Tucson, we kept bees in our yard and though you may decide to color your project differently, I chose bright yellows and dark centers to emulate the shame shades as the glorious bees I still enjoy on all my flowering plants here in town.

Please enjoy stitching Bee Flight with me!

Cutting for 1 Block (unfinished size 8 1/2" x 8 1/2"):

Background 9” square of background or

make a 9" square from strips

Light color 6 ½” x 6 ½”

Medium 4 ½” x 4 ½”

Dark 2 ½” x 2 ½”

Last week was a long list of directions, so I think you'll find this week to be refreshingly simple and fast!

Step 1:

Position one of the light 6 1/2" squares in the upper left corner of the 9" square.

Draw a line as shown.

Stitch on the line and trim away the excess.

(If you want to create the bonus project at the end, go ahead and stitch the cut away portion as an HST.)

Step 2:

Press the first section toward the light .

Position the medium 4 1/2" squares on the opposite corner as shown. Draw a line as you see in the adjacent image.

Stitch on the line and trim away the excess.

Step 3:

Press the second section toward the medium.

Position the dark 2 1/2" squares the corner of the original light section and repeat the process we have been using so far to add another triangle element to the upper left corner.

After completing this step your block should still measure 9" x 9".

I decided to make 36 of these.

I had only a few 9" squares of left over light fabrics, but I had piles of smaller strips overflowing in my scrap drawers.

If you find yourself in a similar situation, I suggest stitching multiple strips together.

Press as you choose. There is no right answer to this part.

I made over 30 of my blocks with these strips trimmed to 9" x 9" blocks prior to adding the colored squares as shown in the above steps.

Here is what all of my blocks looked like at this stage. I had also stitched my cut away sections into Half Square Triangles as I went along. I set the darkest ones aside for a long term project I've been planning, but saved the larger two sizes for some additional bonus projects that will be shown at the end.

Sep 4:

Set up your blocks in the orientation shown here and slice each one from corner to corner, bisecting the added color sections.

Step 5:

Repair the sliced sections of the blocks, swapping the sections as seen here to create a variation on half square triangle units.

Pin, stitch and press in your chosen direction.

Pressing seams open in this case is also an excellent choice.

Step 6:

Once your blocks are restitched, trim them to the size 8 1/2" x 8 1/2" . To insure the best possible uniformity of your trimming, position your squaring ruler so that the 1" marking is just above the point of the darker of the triangles.

Step 7:

You will have two blocks with mirror image orientations.

There are several options when laying out this design and you may choose to rotate the blocks in various configurations.

I enjoyed creating this configuration which gave me the impression of bees flying in a formation.

This project will now measure 48 1/2" x 48 1/2"

I utilized the left over HSTs to create these two layouts after squaring the lighter HSTs to 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" and the medium HSTs to measure 3 1/2" x 3 1/2".

The lighter example will measure 30 1/2" x 30 1/2" and make an excellent table topper or oversized cushion.

The darker example will measure 18 1/2" x 18 1/2" and I plan to add a small border and turn it into a pillow to pair with the quilt. Now to discover a fun way to add bees to the quilting!

Last week we had the fabulous Karen Bolan with us and this week I am delighted to introduce you to Nancy Meyers from Patchwork Breeze. Nancy is a master at giving you the "easy breezy" way to stitch your projects, making them feel easy and look amazing. I think you will love the style and simplicity she has to offer you.

This week, Nancy is bringing you a scrappy project to make with your leftover HSTs. If you're like me, it's possible that you're sitting on literal piles of Half Square Triangle Units, just waiting for all the fun Nancy has to offer you this week! Enjoy her blog!

Next week, we'll be back with a new Home Dec project from me and another fabulous project from my friend and designer, Tammy Silvers at Tamarinis!

Finally, how about a little extra fun with the Summer Scrap Elimination this year? You got it!

1. Keep track of the Scrap Projects you create with both my blogs and those of the guest designers.

2. Post any project you complete (it doesn't have to be quilted, but it does have to be a completed top.

3. Tag me @SwanAmity on Instagram or Swan Amity Studios on Facebook. Be sure to also tag the guest designer if your project is from one of their blogs.

When I see your tagged post I will comment and add your name to the drawing for a prize pack of new batik fabrics, a brand new rotary cutter from Quilters Select, and a mystery package of patterns to play with! This prize pack will include beautiful fat quarters from my last two signature lines from Island Batik. We'll also be drawing two additional names and those winners will also receive fabric packs and fun products to keep you stitching happy all year long!