Description
A swarm of patchwork bumblebees -- gold and brown striped bodies, wings in every neutral fabric imaginable -- buzzes across a gray background with a single honey-colored hive tucked into the lower corner. Elizabeth Hartman's Beehive is one of her most immediately appealing designs: the bees are cheerful and graphic, the gray background makes every color pop, and the wing fabrics are where a quilter's personality comes through. Each bee can have different wings, and the pattern is built to take advantage of that -- one 5" x 5" charm square is all it takes to make one bee's stripe fabrics.
The construction is all conventional patchwork -- no templates, no paper piecing, and a genuine gift to charm square and scrap collectors. At Skill Level 3 of 5, this is an honest intermediate project with clear, well-documented instructions for both the bee and hive blocks.
What the Pattern Includes
This listing is for the printed paper pattern only. Fabric, batting, backing, and notions are not included.
The pattern booklet includes instructions for two quilt sizes and a 24" x 24" pillow cover. The bee blocks are 6-1/2" x 13"; the hive block is 14" x 14". Diagrams and cutting charts for each block are included and can also be used as a guide for making individual blocks on their own.
- Pillow Cover (24" x 24"): 3 Bee blocks
- Small Quilt (59" x 63"): 25 Bee blocks + 1 Hive block
- Large Quilt (73" x 71"): 38 Bee blocks + 1 Hive block
What You'll Need
The bee stripe fabrics are the most flexible part of the materials list. Each bee uses one 5" x 5" charm square of stripe fabric -- which means a charm pack can supply all the bee stripe variety you need for the large quilt. Alternatively, one fat eighth of stripe fabric and one fat quarter of wing fabric makes 5 identical bee blocks.
Small Quilt (59" x 63"):
- Bee stripe fabrics: 25 charm squares (5" x 5") or 5 fat eighths
- Wing fabrics: 25 squares (10" x 10") or 5 fat quarters
- Dark solid detail fabric: 5/8 yard
- Hive fabric: 1/4 yard
- Background fabric: 3-5/8 yards
- Backing: 3-7/8 yards | Binding: 5/8 yard | Batting: 63" x 67"
Large Quilt (73" x 71"):
- Bee stripe fabrics: 38 charm squares (5" x 5") or 8 fat eighths
- Wing fabrics: 38 squares (10" x 10") or 8 fat quarters
- Dark solid detail fabric: 3/4 yard
- Hive fabric: 1/4 yard
- Background fabric: 4-3/4 yards
- Backing: 4-5/8 yards | Binding: 3/4 yard | Batting: 77" x 75"
For the pillow: 2-1/8 yards muslin or scrap fabric for pillow lining and a 24" x 24" pillow insert. A fabric marking tool is also required.
Perfect For
- Charm square and scrap collectors -- each bee takes one 5" x 5" charm square for the stripe
- Layer Cake owners -- the 10" x 10" wing squares work perfectly with Layer Cake precuts
- Anyone who loves bees, honey, gardens, or the natural world
- A child's bedroom, summer home, or as a seasonal quilt with year-round appeal
- Quilters who want a bright, cheerful project with a single recognizable focal point
Why You'll Love This Pattern
The wing fabrics carry the design. Because every bee can have different wings -- white, gingham, subtle print, tonal print -- the quilt reads as both consistent (all bees, all the same gray background) and endlessly varied. The stripe fabrics can be in similar yellows and golds for a traditional bee palette, or pushed into oranges and other warm colors for more personality. The hive, tucked into one corner in warm orange fabric, anchors the whole composition without competing with the bees.
The precut compatibility is genuinely excellent. A charm pack handles the stripe fabrics; a Layer Cake handles the wings. The pattern has been updated to explicitly support making sets of five identical bees from a single fat eighth and fat quarter, which gives quilters who prefer a more organized approach a clear path as well.
The pillow -- just three bees on a gray square -- is one of the nicest standalone projects in Elizabeth Hartman's catalog. It makes the pattern's investment worthwhile even for a quilter who isn't ready to commit to the full quilt.
Product Details
- Brand: Elizabeth Hartman
- Item #: EH044
- Designer: Elizabeth Hartman
- Category: Quilting Pattern
- Skill Level: Skill Level 3 of 5 (Elizabeth Hartman's rating); single repeating block; small pieces; experience with accurate patchwork piecing required
- Technique: Standard Machine Sewing, Conventional Patchwork
- Block Sizes: 6-1/2" x 13" Bee Block | 14" x 14" Hive Block
- Finished Sizes: 73" x 71" Large Quilt | 59" x 63" Small Quilt | 24" x 24" Pillow Cover
- Format: Printed Paper Pattern
- Made in the United States
Specifications
| Brand | Elizabeth Hartman |
| Craft(s) | Quilting |
| Designer | Elizabeth Hartman |
| Product-Type | Pattern |
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