Bee Creative featuring “Bee Creative” by Deb Strain 2015.
I think this quilt shows off the Bee Creative fabric better than Bee Blocks (note the lazy name of this pattern). I have a thing for antique ladders and vintage suitcases and the third picture in this post is part of my current Christmas decorations. Deb’s bee fabrics are so pretty and fresh and I thought that this would make a nice wall hanging for your sewing room.
Bee Blocks featuring “Bee Creative” by Deb Strain 2015.
The next three days will be “Bee” quilts (because this trunk show is alphabetical) and are a good demonstration of the difficulty in choosing names for patterns. Sometimes I can come up with something interesting that may mean something to me and I will think “That is really clever, Barb. Well done” Other times the name results like this: “This quilt is made with bee fabric. It’s a bunch of blocks. Why don’t I call it Bee Blocks.” Sometimes I forget that I have already used a name until after I have sent covers to the distributors requiring a quick retiring of a previous pattern or the adding of the year onto the end like: Into the Woods 2017. Sometimes I name the pattern after the fabric line (Spoiler Alert: Day 26 and 27) Bee Blocks measures 68” x 80” and is an easy all pieced pattern with no appliqué.
Beary Christmas featuring “Heartfelt” by Kansas Troubles 2015.
I love this cute little bear. Not your traditional Christmas quilt but appropriate for Christmas in the woods. Of course bears sleep through Christmas but if they did not, I am sure they would all wear Santa hats and bow ties. The bear has legs that are separate shapes from the its body but because I used the same fabric, the bear does kind of look like a blob from the head down in the photo. It really does not look like a blob in real life, lol.
Bean Banners - Talk to Me After My Coffee featuring “Brew” by Deb Strain 2018.
Routine is very important during chaos to establish some normalcy and some measure of control over our own environment. As I write this, I am listening to the news and the latest Covid-19 numbers after having closed the windows up tight because of the smoke from the wildfires in the Pacific Northwest. (I wrote this blurb in the summer) Thank you to my cup of coffee for keeping me sane! I started this project in the summer but then postponed the start of it because the company hosting my website was closing and I had two months to redo it on Shopify. I am really happy with the new site that became two sites, one for the US and one for Canada and the rest of the world. It doesn’t matter if you type in coachhousedesigns.com or coachhousedesigns.ca because a geolocator app will take you to the right site. I can’t believe how much technology has improved from 2000 when I started my first internet store for my quilt shop.
Bean Banners - Coffee in My Cupboard featuring “Brew” by Deb Strain 2018.
Coffee quilt number 2 - this one showing coffee cups in a cupboard (hence the name of the quilt, lol) As mentioned yesterday, my favorite mug was designed by Rae Dunn and it says “create” on the front. I pull it out whenever I am starting a design project. A few summers ago, Kathy Schmitz and Deb Strain came to visit me and I bought one for each of us. Bonding through coffee! I am grateful for these two talented women who have become very good friends.
Bean Banners - Coffee Delivery featuring “Brew” by Deb Strain 2018.
My obsession with coffee began in my twenties as a new lawyer in a big firm. Previously a tea drinker, I felt compelled to join the leagues of coffee drinkers so I would fit in. I started with Mochas, then lattes, then cappuccinos and now I am a three shot americano with a dash of cream (not milk). Needless to say when Deb designed this line, I was all over it. This is the first of three projects in my Bean Banners pattern. This one shows labelled crates of coffee beans topped with 4 cups of steaming coffee! (also shout out to Rae Dunn, the designer of my favorite coffee mug whose cups and canister are shown on the tray)
Beach Livin’ featuring “Beach House” by Kate Nelligan 2014.
This cute little table runner has been a good seller over the years. Appliqué is not as intimidating on a small project! For those of us confined to our landlocked existences, this is one way to dream about that beach vacation when the world gets back to normal. If I remade this, I would use Hawaiian prints so I could picture me, on the beach in Maui (but in the shade of an umbrella with lots of sunscreen), Chi-Chi in one hand, book in the other. Where is your dream beach vacation?
