It’s been ages since I’ve done any kind of swap, and when a bunch of us were talking about quilting bees on Instagram I thought it was about time we had one! And so the Far Flung Bee was born (so named because we’re all from different corners of the globe).

We’ve organised our bee a little differently, and actually I really like how it’s going to turn out. Usually how quilting bees go is that everyone makes blocks for one person each month – so you only end up receiving something in the mail for one month, and all the other months you’re making and mailing out.

For our bee we decided that you know what, we really like getting surprises in the mail! So each month we make blocks for our pair (for that month) and someone else will make blocks for us. So each month we are making AND receiving, and at the end of 6 months everyone has made for everyone, and received from everyone, and we should have 10 blocks! (plus 2 from ourselves, to make a lovely 12-block-quilt!)

June was my month to make for Erika at Guild the Lilly, and she’d requested Dear Jane blocks made from vintage florals and muted stripes.

I was so excited to make more Janes – and bigger Janes! These are 8.5 inch (whereas normally they’re 5 inch), so at this size I would almost go as far as to say they were a breeze! Almost.

It was also a lovely excuse to cut into the only vintage sheets I’ve managed to op so far. Luckily we’re only making two blocks per month because I only have 2 different vintage sheets! I just don’t have very good luck at op shops, but that’s ok because most of the fun is visiting often!

Making these blocks for Erika has really reignited my love for my own Janes, and I’ve been spending my evenings watching TV and alternating between slow stitching with Jane, and the click clack of learning to knit.