Sewcial Bee Sampler - Week #5

Woohoo! It's Wednesday and that means a new block in the Sewcial Bee Sampler sew along, hosted by Sharon Holland and Maureen Cracknell. This week's block is called July Fourth and I made my version in some scrappy oranges and pinks. You may want to grab your sunglasses to look at this one. ;o)

 

Block #5 in the Sewcial Bee Sampler sew along - July Fourth

I am having the best time making my blocks from scraps! Basically, I figure out which colour I want to use and head straight into my scraps to find potential candidates for this week's block.  Yes, it can mean that making my block isn't as straight forward as when you stick to the instructions, because instead of using three fabrics for this block, I have used 24 (which doesn't include the extra four fabrics I used for the borders). That is a fair amount of scrap busting, right? ;o)  I am trying not to overthink my fabric placements, but I will admit that I do some editing.  I am aiming to make my blocks a rainbow of colours combined with low volume fabrics for the backgrounds, borders and (eventually) for the sashing. 

It is exciting to see the blocks starting to add up! Since I am without a design wall in my new sewing room, I find that making a collage is useful in seeing how well my blocks are working together (and guiding me in choosing colours for future blocks). Here's how my first five blocks look together.

Blocks #1-5 in the Sewcial Bee Sampler sew along

 

I want to encourage any one that is hesitating to take part in the sew along, to join in.  The blocks are great skill builders and Maureen and Sharon are doing a wonderful job of inspiring and cheering us all on, plus giving lots of  helpful tips.  Instructions for each block are well written, so it's beginner friendly and for those of us with a bit of experience, we are free to play a bit with things (as I have been doing by making extra pieces in my scrappy versions ;o). Best of all, you can sew along at your own pace, so even if the timing isn't the best for joining in at this moment, you can always download the PDF for each block so you have the information when you are ready to start sewing.

Pop over to Maureen's blog and Sharon's blog  for all the details!