Two words: String Circles – this is the block for Modern Instabee Hive 13 that I feared the most because it was way beyond my skill set. After a puckered trial block and a cry to Instagram for help, I was successful. Following the advice I received, I used a lot of Best Press (starch), 32 pins, and did a bunch of stopping to adjust the fabric as I stitched.
That is a lot of pins! I have now completed five blocks for the Modern Instabee and I am having so much fun. July brings us to Painter’s Palette.
Switching gears from a quilt block to a zipper pouch, a surprise zipper pouch to be exact. A very happy birthday shout out goes to my dear friend, Janelle! We have been great friends since college and we do not get to see each other as often as we like. Sadly, Philadelphia and Cincinnati are not conducive to weekly dinners.
I tucked this zipper pouch in the mail on Friday and waited for the phone to ring on Monday. She was surprised and she loves it – those are the reasons that I love putting little surprises in the mail.
I used the trusty Noodlehead Wide Open Zipper Pouch tutorial in the large size. Here is the pouch with my iPhone for size.
Sewing provides a wonderful distraction from all of the chaos going on in my life right now. We have two households in two states, the cats are being moved to MD on Sunday, and I am actively job hunting while the house is on the market. When it all gets overwhelming, I go upstairs and sew.
How about you? Do you use sewing as a reprieve from life?
Tagged: 2014 finish, bag, bee, gift, handmade, modern instabee, sewing, swaps
andpins 
[…] think these blocks were more stressful than my string circle block last […]
I love your string circle block! They’re on my quilting to-do list. I haven’t tried one yet, but thanks for the tips. I also use sewing as a reprieve. It’s nice to just be able to sit at my machine and make something (or part of something) nice after a long day, or week!
Blocks that require millions of pins like that scare me! They look dangerous!
No question here! Quilting is my escape and my therapy. Have you considered piece-lique for tricky blocks like that inset circle? That block scares the life out of me too, but I’ve been doing something similar in my Skill Builder and it turned out not half bad!
Elizabeth—I can see you will accomplish whatever you desire whenever, just like adding more pins and
Off to follow you on IG!
Yes, sewing is a wonderful reprieve for me, and I love being able to create for others. 🙂 Your circle block looks great. They are also a bug-a-boo of mine, but patience tends to solve most sewing problems (I just happen to occasionally be a bit short on patience!).