Bumble Home

Bumble Home was constructed for the 2024 MQG Make a Difference Challenge where the theme was Pollinators, recognizing, honoring, and celebrating creatures large and small who impact our food supply. This challenge raised $1200 for Wild Earth Allies and this piece won Fifth place as voted for by MQG members.

Conserving habitat for ground and debris-nesting bees is integral to species conservation. Inspired by bumblebees’ improvisational and organic nest construction, this quilt was created by improv-piecing a striped background and iteratively layering improv inset circles to represent the wax pots in which bees initially develop. After emergence, pots may serve as scaffolding or can be reused to store pollen, nectar, or waste. Here, hand-stitched Sashiko panels fill the space in open pots. A dense background quilting design provides a sense of dimension for the non-quilted circular shapes.