Morse Code Blocks

I sort of stumbled into the 3x6 Bee. I was reading the blog of someone that I like who wrote that the sign-ups would open soon. I don't even remember where I read it now! My fingers flew over to flickr and I hopped in. I always wanted to do a bee and it seemed like I was always too late or you had to have been in an online bee before. I got in though! It is officially called the 3x6 Sampler Quilt Mini Bee and I was in quarter 4 hive 5. The solids, "Solid as a Rock!". Solids make my heart pitter patter in happiness. This is what I came up with:

They are blocks that spell out "quilt" in Morse code. I was a bit worried about the design as it is somewhat minimalist and wonky. I did ask the ladies in my hive if they were okay with that, they said yes.  I figured I'd take them on their word so I made them!

I have been sketching designs well forever really and specifically quilt blocks for a few years so I knew I had lots to work from. I kept coming back to the idea of codes or messages in a quilt. I love the idea that there is a message in the design. Like the language of flowers for the people of yore. I remembered thinking when I saw rOssie's Kelp Quilt that it looked a little like Morse code to me. I filed that idea in my brain, with all the other 70 kagillion ideas I have to make things, until the bee. I figured as it was a "modern" bee I might as well make a modern block. Not that these have a mid-century feel to them, which the Kelp Quilt does a little, but maybe they were a little minimal like Mondrian, or pixelated Pollack splatter chunk. By the way, not at all do I even compare my quilt block to the ground breaking art of those two artists, I just liked the feel the blocks gave. I sewed up a couple changing lines, spaces and wonkiness. Then made paper templates, covered with tape, that I attached to fabric to cut in order to keep the blocks mostly uniform. I paid attention to grain line so that it matches on the whole block and shouldn't distort.

I really do like them and now would like to make a rainbow something or other for myself and fell a little in love with the grey/white/blue and grey/white/green colorways. I also set these as my goal for the A Lovely Year of Finishes group or party or finish-a-long? There's also a flickr group for it here.You set yourself a goal for the month. As big or little as you'd like. I wanted a push to help me finish a few projects without it being a big stressful you-are-a-crazy-that-didn't-get-anything-done thing. Goal accomplished, check! Gold star for you. Or dark chocolate dipped cookie, since I like those better. 

The ladies in the Hive 5 were so welcoming and friendly and lovely that most of my trepidation went away quite quickly. If you have a chance to join in I'd recommend it, especially if you have loads of time and plan to have nothing unexpected happen in your life. The blocks that I've received so far I love. They were both exactly and nothing like what I expected in a great way. My thoughts of how the quilt would turn out are now totally different and it's going to be beautiful. Especially since my new digi-friends will be sewn into something that will be close to me every day. In a non-creepy heart warming way (I don't want to sew you ladies into a quilt). They didn't even know what was going on in my life but the blocks will always remind me of the kindness, thought and creativity of strangers at a time that is/was difficult. Thank you ladies! And thanks to rOssie as well for her blog and idea launch and to all the other bloggers who post and share so much and gave me lovely things to distract myself with.