Wooly Bees

Wooly Bees is a group of members of the Edmonton and District Quilters Guild that have a special interest in working with wool.  We have created a couple of group quilts for our local show and enjoyed that very much.  We have also hand dyed wool.  Sometimes we find new wool but mostly we work with recycled wool.  This comes from donations of yardage, used mens suits and samples from suiting manufacturers.  We manage to use everything we can lay our hands on.
A couple of years ago we each made a block for another member so that they could make a quilt.  Most popular were wonky houses.  Birds were the choice of one member and I chose a vintage sunshine block that I found in an old quilt.
For several years the hostess for the monthly meeting has prepared a project that we can do sitting around a dining room table or in a living room.  This month we had a guest instructor, one of our member’s mothers showed us how to use mens suiting samples to create hexagons.

Yes it looks like black and white photography.  In reality it is grey wool samples.  It was really simple to do once the basic principle was mastered.  I spent time for a couple of evenings as I watched “The National” doing the hand sewing.
What really excited me about this little project was the texture and pattern created on the reverse side.

With the folding of the circular piece it  creates between two and three layers of wool.  It could be used as a coaster or hot mat or perhaps part of a wall hanging.  I just know that I am really enjoying it.  It has been filed in my brain for further consideration.  I am sure that one day an idea will pop out.
Many thanks to our hostess Suzanne and her Mom Barb for a great evening and a fun project.