Last fall when my daughters and I were discussing starting a blog and what to call it, it seemed perfect to name it after my mother, Freda. Our home is always a buzz of excitement and confusion with people coming and going, cars in the driveway and happenings both good and bad everyday. So it seemed natural to call our home a hive.
This quilt is one of my first original creations and I came up with the idea for this quilt in the middle of the night. I have always thought a hive was a beautiful image and since I was a young girl I have always liked bees and beehives. My grandfather and uncles were bee keepers the little town of Huntington, Utah where my mother grew up. However, when we named our blog I never dreamed we would have a real live beehive in our back yard!
A couple weeks ago Shelbie posted about the beehive and chickens on our little farm. Well the hive is so amazing. It is so incredible to watch bees in our yard and how they act as they go in and out of the hive. It is inspiring to watch their little community and how they work together to make something so lovely like honey.
The bees LOVE our lambs ear in the front yard. When you walk up to my front door the sound of buzzing is everywhere.We have lots of big mature trees around our home. When we built our home 15 years ago planting trees was one of the first thing we did and I insisted on planting what some might call a trash tree that grew up anywhere and everywhere in Pennsylvania, where I am from, so a few of our trees are Sumac trees. I had to have them. Our yard is kind of overgrown and to me it looks like a Pennsylvania yard, especially with all the rain we've had here this spring. The sumac pods currently on the trees are alive with bees! The bees love those sumac flowers. I don't know what kind of honey sumac will make but the bees are all over these them and are extremely busy going back and forth to the hive from the sumac and the lambs ear.
This little video shows how determined and how active the bees are in our back yard hive. Maybe this isn't amazing to you but it is just so incredible to me to see the nature of a hive and bees. Isn't nature amazing.
I am so glad we called our blog Freda's Hive. I am grateful for my bee heritage and the worth of work that my mother taught to me and my sisters. Lets just hope I can pass a small measure of that ethic forward.
-nanette
44 comments
What a fun post, and I love the quilt you designed. Do you have a pattern for it that you sell? I enjoy decorating with beehives since we are the beehive state. I am always on the lookout for bee skeps to decorate with, but haven't found any in Utah. I'm sure you are passing along a wonderful legacy. Have a super day. Julie
bees are amazing...but are you afraid you'll get stung?????
I loved this post. It made me think of August and June and May, too. Remember them?
My grandpa used to have bees. It was kind of cool, actually, even if we kids were all terrified of them!
Your beehive quilt is very nice.
I loved this post and I am thankful that you shared this with us. It is always wonderful to see what moves us and what is in our past is brought with us into our present and our future.
What a beautiful post and so very interesting. I love watching bees too. Bees are also very industrious...just like you.
That is so funny you ideas come at night, mine come in the shower, guess it is about the only time we are left alone to our thoughts, I just love your quilt, and the video was great, but the best part, getting to hear your voice to put with your face!!!
MMMMM, that is going to "bee" some wonderful honey!!
What a nice, peaceful and thoughtful post - like you are talking to ME, in person. Thank you. 8-)))
I always wonder how each blogger came up with their blog name. Thanks for sharing. The hive quilt is so cute - great idea.
I think a great part of that ethic is revealed in every single one of your posts, Nanette and for that I am thankful.
Thanks for sharing that little snippet from your past. It fits perfectly into the whole picture.
Lovely story Nanette.
When ever I see anything with bees and hives I think of you. It was so fun to see your backyard and where you keep your hives, because now I have a visual to match your discription.
My father grew up in Huntington, as well. Maybe they went to school together. :)
I love the heritage that you are sharing with your name and honoring your mother. LOVE it!
I really enjoyed this post and I loved the video with the bees. It was fun to watch and see pictures of them in your flowers and trees. I think your quilts are wonderful.
as one of the children who used to make that home hive buzzzzz with activity, i have to say the bees the backyard seems oddly perfect.
i must add that if any of us get 1/10th of my mother and father's work ethic, we can count ourselves more than lucky and busy. (busy or buzzy?, hmmm.....)
I loved the post so much and the quilt is gorgeous!
Micki
Love the story--your work ethic is obvious! I love the name of your blog and your beehive quilt...very beautiful! Thanks for sharing!
I'm with Nedra.. whenever I see anything with beehives I always think of you. :-) That was your voice.. correct? :-)
I love your comparison of your hive and the bee hive. Very cool!
Great post! I love your Freda's Hive quilt...and I think it's so fun that you now have a real hive! I'm really afraid of bees, though I've never been stung!
What a cute blog you have. It's nice to find someone else who has "quilt love"! Blessings . . .
What a great post Nanette. Now I know and love the hive just that much more :-)
How wonderful! I Love your beehive quilt and that you keep bees! Awesome!
My husband has alway wanted to do that as we have a number of fruit trees in the yard, but we don't live on a farm or out in the country so its not very practical. ;)
I also wanted to thank you for your kind words about our Ubu. We miss her terribly but, its comforting to know that others understand.
Kimberly :)
I just love this post. The quilt is fantastic and the beehive is amazing. It is not boring to me at all. When I was growing up, my parents friends had hives and I used to love to go over and watch the bees. But the best part was watching them harvest the honey. MMMMM... good! I am sure that you have passed your work ethic forward, I can just tell.
One of these days I need to make a bee hive quilt. My name, Deborah, means busy bee. I have a nice collection of bee things. My favorite was purchased in Dresden, Ohio is a wooden letter "B" painted as a bee. A "B" that is a bee.
what a lovely post. Thanks for sharing your hive. I hope the sumac produces a lovely honey :)
Your hive quilt is great!
You will have some wonderful honey to enjoy!
I love this post, Nanette! And I love being able to hear the sound of your beautiful voice too! And I do so hope you've named the queen "Freda"!
Oh, Nanette, I think you're passing along a LOT of your heritage - not only to your children, but also to everyone who reads and learns from your blog. As Martha would say, "It's a good thing"!
I love that you have a real Hive! The story behind it, and the love and creativity you are passing on to your children is really inspiring. xo
I like beehives too, and that quilt you designed...heavenly! It really is gorgeous. We have lots of sumac trees in our backyard, and I think they're beautiful too. They can be weedy but they are sooo pretty, especially in the fall. P.S. I bought tastykake butterscotch krumpets the other day! You inspired me. :-)
Your beehive quilt is fabulous. But the bees -- aren't you afraid of stings??
I really enjoyed your post!! I think it's cool that you have a live hive! Of course, your hive quilt is awesome!!
This is a sweet post. I, too, enjoyed hearing your voice.
I have lots of lambs ears, which means I have lots of bees. It's good to know I'm contributing to them making honey. I love that stuff!
This is a sweet post. I, too, enjoyed hearing your voice.
I have lots of lambs ears, which means I have lots of bees. It's good to know I'm contributing to them making honey. I love that stuff!
Now how cool was that! I loved watching you lil video, though I am deathly afraid of bees! All Gods Creatures Big and Small are here for a reason.
Thanks for sharing that with all of us.
Rae Ann
V. here... I love your beehive quilt. ALL the different fabrics are gorgeous. We have NM lavender growing in our front courtyard here in Rio Rancho (OUtside of Albuquerque)right below our front windows and the bees are thick. They can't leave that plant alone. We had no idea when we planted it that the bees would be a bonus. I was very interested in photos of your last post that showed some of your sewing room. I would love to see more or am I too nosey?
How perfect for you and your family to have bees Nanette! I love the hive quilt -- it's wonderful!
I love when creative people (like you!) share where they get inspiration. Thanks for sharing yours with us!
Good for you for having a hive! Bees are in so much trouble and more people should have them. I've been interested in a while but haven't taken the plunge yet.
What a fun post about something we both love - honeybees. My Dad never kept bees because there was no need, our next door neighbor Don and his wife Georgie kept bees and would trade honey with us for cream from our cows.
My brothers and sisters and I loved it when Don would bring us the big slabs of honey comb to clean and bottle for the the winter. We would chew the wax like gum!! I can still remember the sweet taste of fresh honey.
I loved watching our friend Don out with his bees and was always amazed that he didn't wear protective clothing- the bees knew him well, he kept them for years.
Thanks for the post and the wonderful memories.
Lori
How wonderful, Nanette! I didn't realize bees were part of your background! I think raising bees and harvesting honey is an incredible way to connect with the plants and nature - and you get such goodness from them!
Cheers!
thanks for sharing this...the name is a perfect fit.
This post is wonderful, Nanette! I love the history and the photos are wonderful. We have lots of plants in our yard that the bees just love, and I so enjoy hearing them going along their busy, buzzy way.
The hive quilt is gorgeous!
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