Merry (bee-lated) Christmas to the Do-Bees!

I know, I know... you've finally recovered from Christmas and here I am bringing it up again! But I have a good reason! One of my Bees - the Dartmouth Do-Bees - has an annual Christmas get-together. Normally, it's held in December, but for the past two years, we've made things easier on ourselves and pushed it to January. Sorry, I couldn't invite you to out to supper, but I do get to let you in on a couple items that have been in the Quilting Project Protection Program. You never can tell who's out there reading what you put on the internets!

It wouldn't be a party without presents! Each bee member buys or makes a present with a value of roughly 5$. At the get-together, everyone goes home with 8 gifts (9 if they buy one for themselves!) There are often bee themed items, sewing notions, Christmas ornaments, or tasty eats. Practical or frivolous, what you buy is up to you. Here's a selection of some of the past presents that are still in use around my studio. Others have been used up (fabric!) or eaten (chocolate!) ☺

That little silver and aqua thing on a ribbon is a reducing glass made from a door peep hole... clever bee-mate!

This year, I made mini Origami bags from Amy Butler's Style Stitches. It's also the source for the infamous Cosmo Bag I made last summer. I've now made four projects from this book. Mind you, I've made the Origami bags a dozen times! For these little darlings, I cut into my stash of Keep Calm fabric. I love this fabric, but could never quite figure out what to do with it.

I couldn't resist using some Konas (Amethyst, Jade Green, Orange, Caardinal, and Bluejay... I think) as accent colours to make each bag unique.
Also on the unique front, the zippers are a variety of colours! It's fun coming up with different combinations. I can't even decide which one I like best, but the teal and orange ones are definitely in the running.

Fair warning - Amy Butler's patterns are not for the faint of heart. To be truthful, even thought it flies in the face of being prepared, I find it easier not to read them in advance. There are so many steps, but if you follow them, it all turns out in the end!

 They look so lovely together that I almost hate to break them up!
To finish these off, I tucked a in a few Clover Wonderclips. Thanks to Dominique over at The Running Thimble for letting me know that Michaels carries them. Can you say coupon? I knew you could!

This year, in addition to the gift exchange, we did a runner challenge. Everyone got the name of another Bee member in a random drawing and was tasked with making a runner that suited her style. Nerve-wracking, to be sure! I opted for my latest obession - EPP hexies!

I haven't been using many Balis lately, but I think the Bee-mate for whom I made this will like the saturated colours. She loves bright and art-y! I knew I couldn't pull off an art quilt runner, but bright I can do! Some of these Balis traveled all the way from Alaska. I do love buying fabric on vacation!

I thought about quilting it in all directions like I did my needle case, but two directions felt like enough. You can see my whipstitching in this pic, but I'm not concerned. I mean, I'm still learning, right?

And here's the lovely runner made for me by Mrs. G. She's a pretty traditional quilter, but she went outside her comfort zone by making wonky cross blocks for my runner. It was her first ever layer cake purchase and she chose the red to go with the accents in my kitchen/dining room. Thanks, Mrs. G!

And thanks to all my lovely bee ladies for their fun and thoughtful gifts! I know the chocolate won't last, but the memories of our evening out will!

 Good night all!

J