I joined a bee...

....and I'm totally geeked! Before I found Flick last year, I always felt like I was quilting in a bubble ---- I have a couple friends who sew/quilt, but I don't see either very often. My mother-in-law quilts but our choices in fabric and design are a bit different. I like modern and traditional, but traditional always with a twist. Between Flickr and the blogging community I've been making new friends and finding all sorts of wonderful inspiration, how-to, and encouragement to stretch my quilty wings. For someone with an {ir}rational fear of the internet, I sure do seem to get around!  *grin*

Oh, the Bee! I joined up with 12 other women to form NewBee --- a bee for, uh, new folk. I've participated in two online swaps, but never had the nerve to sign up for a bee. The commitment, the interaction with people I don't know, eeeekk! I visited the Quilting Bee Blocks' Flickr group and wandered through the "I want in" section. Hehehe...things move so quickly on there --- an ad for a new group is posted and immediately the conversations fly. Within a day or so (sometimes just a few hours) the bee is filled and others are starting!  *grin*  It's like speed dating...for quilting.

July is our first month for block making --- Colleen of The Busy Bean requested house blocks, wonky or otherwise, using Halloween fabric. Our inspiration is Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. I already have my block drawn out.......and I'm ever so cautiously venturing into the world of paper-piecing and applique! I figure I'll do up a practice block before I dare touch Colleen's fabric, but I am quite excited. Here's hoping my quilting skills live up to all the hype.

And, I also drew up some buttons for the group --- I don't know which we'll go with, but I have my favorites. Namely, the large "Label" and the "Stacks," which is such a fun block in general.