Let's talk quilting bees

Row10 rows so far, originally uploaded by LauraJ_Sews.

This year I had the pleasure of participating in two online quilting bees Row10 and Scrapbeelooza . Each group consists of many women with remarkable sewing talents and skills.

For each group "my month" was July and for Row 10 I wrote the following at the group:

I have a hard time making quilts for Aaron. It's the part about collecting enough masculine fabrics to make something "manly". :) I know he's a little boy still (going on 11) but eventually he will be a teenager (not freaking out, yet!) I thought it would be fun to make him a transition quilt from little boy to preteen. (I want to cry now just having typed that out.)

The chosen colours:
varying shades of green -from light/medium to some dark
varying shades of blue (some light blue to navy)
varying shades of aqua would be nice
beige (neutral)
some brown

I don't want the quilt too dark and drab so add a spot of something fun like a yellow or orange or even red.

I'm thinking of a forest theme would be masculine without being too childish, so each row can contain a number of the many elements (block themes) we've used in the previous months rows.

The photo up there depicts many of the rows I've recieved to date. I have two rows that are still out there waiting to be sent to me and another row I hadn't recieved when I took the photograph. I also have to make a row as well. I'm very excited to see this all come together and on my little growing boy's bed someday. For someone who didn't enjoy the Aqua and red phase that was going viral through the "craft"ernet a few years ago seems to have embraced it now. *wink*

For my second bee I chose the following:
I would like scrappy I Spy log cabins. I would like fun I spy bits of anything and many ranges of colours but I'd prefer bright happy colours if you know what I mean... I would like to stay away from girly things and colours as this will mainly be used by Aaron.
I keep waffling if I'm going to make this quilt for Aaron or my nephew. The poor child is going through life quiltless and everytime, EVERYTIME, he comes to visit me he asks me to make him a quilt in "his size" he says. He's 8 and a half. (The problem with making 1 quilt is that you can't just make 1 quilt for 1 child when he has siblings. His two sisters, my nieces would be extremely jealous if I did make him one and not them. Although.... HE does come to see me a lot more than his sisters do so we'll see.... )

Here are the beginnings of this quilt. Photo was taken in August. I've recieved many more blocks since then. Maybe I should take another photo.



So that's today's post. I'm making a patchwork bag today, for someone else of course and they took the liberties to buy the fabric. Can I just say uhhh not my style. I loved when she said don't you think it's just gorgeous? And I'm like so what style bag did you want?

What are you doing today?