Tu-Na Quilts: The Three Bees

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I’ve been reading quilting blogs for several years now. During that time I’ve noticed that several blogs sponsor quilting bees where you make a designated block and mail it to that person. Then when it’s your month, they all mail your chosen block to you that they’ve sewn. So this year I decided to join not one but three. I never do anything in a small way.

4a

This block is called Split Hatchet and went to Sharon in Texas.

 

The block above was for the Bee Inspired Group made up of quilters from all over the world. This new group was just formed this year and most of us were part of the 2016 New Quilt Bloggers Group. The block was paper pieced and rather fun to make. I might have to make some more of these for myself. You can find links here at the end of the article to download the paper piecing instructions and templates, just in case you want to make some for yourself.

1a

This block was made for Tanyia in Alabama.

 

The house block above was a fun one I made for the Stash Bee Hive. This group has several subgroups called hives. I belong to a hive of those living in the United States. The hardest part of sewing this block was picking out the colors. Tanyia wanted it to be very scrappy and I love playing with fabric and had lots of options that I would have liked to sew. I think more houses are in my future too. Click here to find the pattern in case you want to construct some too.

 

3a

Jenna in Waco, Texas got this one. I wonder if she knows Chip and Joanna Gains from HGTV?

 

I made the above block called Chainlink as part of the Blossom Heart Hive. Jenna wanted it in bright white, blue, and yellow and told us which colors to use where. She changed the coloring around a bit from the pattern. I found it to be a bit difficult. You can find the pattern here if you want to make it and prove me wrong. Making these blocks gives me an opportunity to find out which ones I really want to make more of. This was not one of them.

The real surprise was when I went to the post office to mail them. I had folded them neatly and carefully put them inside a plastic snap lock bag and squeezed out all the air. It was then folded in half and put into a legal size envelope. I was told the top two blocks could only be sent parcel post and were a whopping $2.67 each. The next day I returned to the same post office with the last block and it went flat rate for $1.19. All were packaged the same and all are similar size blocks. I was helped by different people.

What I Learned Today:

  1. Next time wait in line at the post office until I get the assistant who let me mail it at the cheaper rate.
  2. Start sewing my bee blocks earlier in the month.
  3. Don’t wait until the last couple of days of the month to get my blocks sewn and in the mail.
  4. Since my 22 year old son had already lectured me on internet safety last summer, I had my husband go with me to the post office.

Question: Have you sewn for others?

Linking to Finished or Not Friday and Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?

15 thoughts on “Tu-Na Quilts: The Three Bees”

  1. Betty K

    I just found out recently about the higher price for fabric mailed out. They said if it is not paper then it goes out as a package.

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  5. Jennifer Wiltrout

    I’m in Hive 5 in the Stash Bee and loving it. You are very ambitious to be in three bees. I need to get busy on my block for this month as last month I did it right away and I’m in the middle of our quilt guilds quilt show prep and I’m the intake coordinator. Today was a trip to Vegas to pick up those entries and tomorrow is judging then I have a break for a week before the set up starts and then the show. I must be nuts to sign up for these things.
    My post office is great and they always work with me to get the best rate. I think it helps to be in a small town.

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    1. Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats Post author

      I too have raising hand syndrome and open mouth disease. You sound very busy! I hope you get time to sit and sew a spell too.

      I had asked that first postal assistant for the cheapest rate and also what I could do differently next time to send it cheaper. He was of no help.

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  7. Sandra Walker

    I, too, had some issues over the past little bit with the post office, and always aim to get the two of the three here who will try to get it there the cheapest. Two fat quarters ended up costing me $10 to send to Ireland, $5 both times I had to mail them. Yep. They returned my little ‘parcel’ the first time, even though an attendant had put the stamps on it, get this, because my name was not ‘fully’ on the return address!!!! I had put S. Walker, and they wanted Sandra Walker. So the 5 letters I omitted, as I ALWAYS HAVE DONE, cost me $1 each. I think because I left when the angry worker told me an exorbitant price, flattened it even more, made my own out of paper envelope, and returned the next day, that she saw me, heard the exchange, and pulled it on purpose seeing if she could find a reason to return to sender. I may be overreacting, but she is consistently this mean-spirited, and I’ve seen her be horribly rude to her colleague in front of customers. I always thought our (Canadian) rates were expensive but the US ones are on par now.

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    1. Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats Post author

      So nice to have you drop by and comment with your post office story. It is not only hilarious but also sad. I think I’d be looking for another post office. I hope it didn’t come back again. I don’t know what’s happened with our postal rates lately but they sure have gotten high.

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  8. Pingback: Tu-Na Quilts: February Bee Blocks and the Postage Saga | Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats

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