Working on this quilt makes me feel like I’m trapped in the Dungeon of Cute. I discussed this with my friend Laurel, who is also doing this, and she said wistfully said, “Yeah. But it’s so cute.” It is, so I keep working on it.
That first section, sun-bee-butterfly-jam-jars-long-flower-two-trees-churn-dash-pinwheels-flower, is all stitched together. I’m trying to get the second section finished before I leave it for awhile.
Obviously the different between the top photo and this one is that I’m trying to get that truck and camper block pinned up, but the other difference is that I re-did the star on the flag. Ms. Holt has us back every shape with interfacing, stitch all around it, clip and turn, press and appliquè. I did it with the star in the top verion; that’s why I had to re-do it. I say, there are multiple ways to appliquè, so do your favorite method. Mine is a combination of needle-turn (à la Becky Goldsmith) and also using freezer paper.
To say the directions are frustrating would be an understatement; they look complete, but are missing crucial information, like the truck piece is too long. I’ve worked out several weeks worth of instructions for Laurel and I, and have put them in PDF handouts. You are welcome to them: Bee Happy Tutorial Sheets. They are found up above under the tab “2020 Projects.”
I put in pictures belonging to Lori Holt, as they are an additional guide to this pattern. I acknowledge her at every turn, and don’t give away anything that’s not on her blog, but hopefully I make it clearer.
Believe it or not, but the Bee Happy block was the easier than the Jam Jars block or the Truck-Camper block. The missing dot on the exclamation point will be a small button.
Quilting this is my antidote to the Dungeon of Cute. A couple of hours every day.
In spite of our president’s tariffs, I ordered new 2″ cotton webbing from China off of ETSY, and it arrived so I could fix my tote bag. If I purchased a certain amount of precuts at Quilt Market, I was given the bag free (free=haha). This happened back in Salt Lake City, and the handle began to shred almost immediately. The New York Times had a great article recently called “What to Do With All Those Tote Bags.” What to do, indeed.
Wanted to play along with this QAL…
…and even purchased the red, white and blue fabric (there’s more in the stash). Sigh. Just like I finished my Christmas quilt in June, I’ll probably get this done in November.
The other night at a restaurant, since my husband and I couldn’t hear each other in conversation, I downloaded the NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) app to figure out how loud the dining room was at California Pizza Kitchen. As a guideline, the average noise level in a home is around 40 decibels (dB) and noise becomes harmful at 85 dB. My husband and I pretty much gave up on conversation, ate our pizza in silence and went home.
I’ve been haunting Letterfolk lately.
Not quite, but I’m thinking about it.
OccasionalPiece--Quilt! 
Your Bee Happy quilt is definitely cute, but in the sweetest possible way! What is it with instructions?! Do you think, because we have (are) teachers, we pick these things up better. I made a new-to-me drawstring bag today and nowhere does it say how much drawstring to buy! Ugh!
I sometimes think the pattern testers are afraid to criticize.
Thank you for this! In love this patterns and I think yours is adorable.
That flag quilt goes together super fast!
Great work.
I can see why the interfacing method wouldn’t be the best choice for a star, though I use it for simpler shapes. We now choose restaurants based in part on the noise level. Some of them are ridiculous.
As happens frequently, I chuckled throughout your post. Are you telling me that pajamas are NOT a fashion choice?
The Lori Holt design is so sweet and you fabrics are spot on with it.
The noise meter is interesting. We tend to simply avoid those restaurants anymore.
I think you will finish the RW&B quilt in no time at all.
I have wanted to make that flag quilt for the longest time. And I love Letterfolk too!
I’m glad you’re having fun with your cutesy-ness. Sorry the instructions aren’t completely clear though. Really, does anyone write good quiltmaking instructions anymore?! (Except us? 🙂 )
I’ve seen a lot of those flag quilts, and they’re popular right now. Hope you have fun with it.
That noise decibel app is pretty cool. I’m guessing you won’t be eating again at that pizza place. I like the thoughts you’ve picked… the truest ones are always the funniest.
Sorry about what happened with your bag handle, and thanks for the link to the article. It was an interesting read, and reminds me to clean my grocery bags every now and then.
Your ‘cute’ quilt will be a happy quilt when finished. Seriously that style always seems happy to me. I tend to cringe when someones says a quilt of mine is cute since it’s not a word I would apply to my work. Maybe one of these days I’ll find myself making a real cute quilt though. Who knows. Enjoy yours.
Love the letterfolk account. So many times the message is right on target.
The quilt is Super Cute! I read the tote bag article. They do accumulate in the night! I actually fixed a handle on a plastic-y tote I have because it was a gift, so I wanted to keep it around.
1) Dungeon of Cute — I totally agree.
2) I would edit the sign to say “…but I am STILL in my pajamas.”
I bought the book and bookmarked her tutorials. I’m glad your blog came up prior to me actually making this Quilt. All Lori’s quilts are cute and most are on my list.to make. One question: did you follow her tutorials? Did she address any of the problems you found in her blog/website tuts?
LOL! The dungeon of cute! I admire Lori Holt for her talent and how well she markets her designs. I can’t see myself ever making one of her quilts but “never say never”, right? It’s good you are balancing the cuteness with something else. The secret to life is balance. 🙂