Quilted Bee Artwork

Inspired by: Buzz Worthy from designer Charisma Horton

Project tester: Martha Gamm

Finished size: 12" square

Yardages and cutting instructions are based on 42" of usable fabric width.

• 1/3 yard teal print (background)
• 10" square each white print, black print, and gold print (bee)
• 12-1/2" square batting
• Lightweight copy paper, tracing paper, or foundation material of your choice
• Flat head pins
• Add-A-Quarter ruler (optional)
• 12"-square art frame

Cut pieces in the following order.

Click on "Download this Project" above for the Bee Wing Foundation Pattern. Each position on the foundation pattern is labeled with a number. As you cut "position" fabric pieces, label each one accordingly. Because the bee wing is foundation-pieced, the "position" fabric pieces are cut larger than necessary. You'll trim them to the correct sizes after stitching them to the foundation material.

From teal print, cut:

• 1—4×6-3/4" rectangle (position 7)
• 1—4×6" rectangle (position 6)
• 1—2-3/4 ×9-1/2" rectangle
• 1—2-1/2×4" rectangle (position 4)
• 1—2-1/4 ×4" rectangle (position 1)
• 2—2 ×12-1/2" rectangles
• 2—2×9-1/2" rectangles
• 1—2×3-1/4" rectangle (position 5)
• 4—1-5/8" squares
• 2—1-1/4×4-1/4" rectangles

From white print, cut:

• 1—2-3/4×3-1/2" rectangle (position 3)
• 1—2-3/4×3-1/4" rectangle (position 2)

From black print, cut:

• 2—1-5/8 ×4-1/4" strips
• 3—1-1/4×4-1/4" strips

From gold print, cut:

• 4—1-1/4 ×4-1/4" strips

1. Photocopy or use a pencil to trace the Bee Wing Foundation Pattern onto lightweight copy paper, tracing paper, or foundation material of your choice. If tracing, include all lines and numbers. (Alternatively, print the foundation pattern on your foundation material. Be sure to print foundation pattern at 100% or full scale and check the accuracy of printing with 1"-square guide.)

2. Cut out foundation pattern roughly 1/4" outside dashed lines.

To foundation-piece, you will stitch fabric pieces to a foundation paper with marked side of paper facing up and fabric pieces layered underneath. The resulting pieced unit is a mirror image of the foundation paper. When foundation-piecing, use a tiny stitch length (12–16 stitches per inch).

Press seams in directions indicated by arrows on diagrams. If no direction is specified, press seam toward darker fabric.

1. Gather foundation paper and one each of teal print and white print position 1–7 rectangles.

2. Turn foundation paper marked side down. Place teal print position 1 rectangle right side up over foundation paper position 1 (Diagram 1). Secure with a flat head pin. Hold paper up to light to check that the rectangle completely covers position 1.

3. Turn foundation paper marked side up. Referring to Diagram 2, fold foundation paper back on the stitching line between positions 1 and 2.

4. On fabric, measure 1/4" from folded edge of foundation paper. Trim fabric using a rotary cutter and clear ruler to create 1/4" seam allowance (Diagram 3). If using an Add-A-Quarter ruler to create 1/4" seam allowance, place ruler lip against folded edge of paper and use rotary cutter to trim fabric along edge of ruler. Unfold paper after trimming.

5. Turn foundation paper marked side down. Align edge of white print position 2 rectangle with trimmed edge of teal print position 1 rectangle with right sides together; pin and check placement of position 2 rectangle.

6. Turn foundation paper marked side up. Sew on stitching line between positions 1 and 2 through all layers, backstitching at beginning and end of line (Diagram 4). Turn paper marked side down. Press open position 2 rectangle using a dry iron, pressing seam toward newly added piece (Diagram 5).

7. As before, fold foundation paper on stitching line between position 3 and position 1. Trim fabric 1/4" from folded edge of paper.

8. Turn foundation paper marked side down. Align edge of white print position 3 rectangle with trimmed edge of position 1 rectangle with right sides together; pin and check placement of position 3 piece.

9. Turn foundation paper marked side up. Sew on stitching line between positions 3 and 1 through all layers, backstitching at beginning and end of line.

10. Continue adding pieces in numerical order, trimming, stitching, and pressing in the same manner, until you have pieced the entire foundation paper. Leave paper in place; press. Using a rotary cutter and a clear ruler, trim along dashed outer lines to make a bee wing unit (Diagram 6). Remove foundation paper carefully to avoid pulling or distorting unit.

11. Referring to Diagram 7, lay out black print 1-5/8×4-1/4" strips, gold print 1-1/4×4-1/4" strips, and black print 1-1/4×4-1/4" strips. Sew together to make a pieced unit. The unit should be 4-1/4 ×8" including seam allowances.

12. Use a pencil to mark a diagonal line on wrong side of each teal print 1-5/8" square.

13. Align two marked teal print squares with opposite corners of a pieced unit (Diagram 8; note direction of marked lines). Sew on marked lines. Trim seam allowances to 1/4". Press open attached triangles. Add marked teal print squares to remaining corners to make bee body unit. The unit still should be 4-1/4×8" including seam allowances.

14. Referring to Diagram 9, sew together bee body unit and teal print 1-1/4 ×4-1/4" rectangles. Add bee wing unit and teal print 2-3/4×9-1/2" rectangle to make bee block. The block should be 9-1/2" square including seam allowances.

1. Referring to Diagram 10, sew teal print 2 ×9-1/2" strips to opposite edges of bee block. Add teal print 2 ×12-1/2" strips to remaining edges. Press seams toward teal rectangles.

2. Layer block and batting; baste.

3. Quilt as desired. Quilt tester Martha Gamm machine-quilted hexagon shapes in the teal background, a crosshatch design in gold print strips, and echo quilting inside white wing pieces.

4. Trim quilted block to 12" square. Zigzag- or satin-stitch block edges to prevent them from raveling.

5. Insert the quilted block into the art frame to finish the project.