I don't make a very good maverick

August is my month for the Bee! I just mailed out my packages today. At 5 pm. Just before the P.O. closed!

With the blocks from my month, I hope to make a quilt for my friend and neighbor, Mary. She loves the color scheme in this quilt.

She loves the maverick star pattern, like in these quilts.

I'd like to combine the two into a quilt for her. Her birthday is in the beginning of October, so I hope to have it finished for her then.

What I would like each of you to make this month is a maverick star block. There is a tutorial here. Please make 12 1/2" blocks. (So when I sew them all together they will finish at 12".)

This is my block. I had a few (ahem) issues making it. I chopped a block too short (right side, middle block), so I added on a bit. Some of the fabrics aren't quite randomly placed, but I'm leaving it! It's all ok in the end! Despite my few issues, it really is an easy and fun block to make. I hope you have fun with it.

In each package that I sent, I included one colored square 4 1/2" for the center of the block and one strip of white kona cotton 4 1/2" x wof for the background.

If you would be so kind as to use fabric for the star points from your own fabric scraps/stash, using red and aqua fabrics, I would appreciate it. This will add more color/fabric variety to my quilt! (If you need additional fabric, just let me know and I can pop some in the mail.)

Any questions?

Thanks so much for helping me make my quilt!

Block for Tara

This is going to be a fun quilt!

My New Name

The other day, My Cowboy said to me: "I'm gonna start callin' you Shab Lee, cuz you're such a good whine."

Sadly, I could not have proven him wrong as I was working on this block!

This first attempt was made during our retreat at Gruber's. I saw Stephanie working on hers, and thought, I can do that, too. Hmph! And I swear I wasn't even taking part in the drinking that was going on! Don't even ask me what happened here, 'cause I'm sure I can't explain it, and even if I could, it still wouldn't make any sense.
Having used up all the white fabric I had with me at the retreat, I stuffed it all back into the envelope before anyone could see it, and decided to make my second attempt in the privacy of my own studio.

While I certainly wanted to drink by the time I was done with it, there's nothing strong enough in stock here on the ol' ranch, so I managed to get it done without imbibing. And I must say, I like it! And Tara, I can't wait to see your finished quilt . . . although I CAN see why you wanted everyone else to make your blocks for you . . .!

Yours Truly,
Shab

I finished my block a couple of weeks ago at the Blogger's Retreat I went to, but I've been so busy since I've been back, I haven't even had time to unpack everything! So, last night I unpacked and took photos. Sorry for the wrinkles. I need to get it in the mail now, Tara. This was fun..though I must admit I unpicked more than I usually do with paper piecing. Took me a while to get my head wrapped 'round the funny angles and cutting the fabric big enough to fit! LOL. I can't wait to see how this looks altogether. It's going to be spectacular!

Stephanie (Mama Pea)

Mission Complete!

Hello Everyone,

Yup, it is done!! I love it too!

Tara provided me with red plaid. Very cool in this block.

Loved piecing it too! Fun, fun, fun! Can't wait to see them all together in one big quilt. Thanks, Tara for a great block!

Enjoy!

Done!

I can't believe I did it! Only took 3 hours and a Marthatini (3 parts vermouth and 1 part gin) to get it together. Lots of ripping in the process....hair and fabric, both....but I am SO proud of myself. Once I got the hang of thinking in reverse, it was a smooth sailing. Thanks for this fun and challenging block, Tara. I love the result!

Amanda from Crazy Mom Quilts

I guess I'm a little behind in writing this introduction post! I'm Amanda Jean and I live in Wisconsin with my husband, and 3 kids. I blog at Crazy Mom Quilts. This summer will mark 11 years of quilting for me. I've been quilting obsessively since 2006, when I started my blog. I love to sew with scraps. I love getting the most out of my fabric. I love stashing fabric. I love to play with color and create things. I always have way too many WIP's! Oh, and I'm excited to be a part of this bee!

I sewed up Tara's block the day I received the fabric. This block made me think that I may not like paper piecing! It uses a ton of fabric and all the angles messed with my head. However, now that the block is done, I see that the results are SO worth it. Tara is going to have a stunning quilt!