Farmer's Wife Quilt Along Week???

I haven't abandoned my Farmer's Wife Quilt Along project but I do seem to be having a harder time finding little moments to sew these 6 inch blocks.  At the start it was all fun and games and they were addictive but I am afraid I have done most of the "easier" blocks and left myself with some pretty tough blocks to work on.  I do have a few easier blocks left that I am holding out on for the right moment but since I don't paper piece and I am using the templates and a lot of starch just cutting out these pieces seems to take a long time.  There is all that tracing and then cutting but it is so worth it.  I can't wait to see this beauty finished and I am already thinking about the next one.  I don't really have a plan for this finished quilt although with it being queen sized it would fit my bed nicely if I can convenience the hubs it isn't too girly with all those flowers.  With all that being said I have three blocks to show you this week.  I've lost track of what week we are suppose to be on and I know I am behind again but maybe when things calm down a bit around here and I get back to a normal schedule I will be able to catch back up.

Block # 63 Ozark Maple Leaf

Block # 88 Star of Hope

Block # 104 Wild Geese

The Star of Hope block gave me a little trouble as I used the templates and a quarter inch seam but the HST pieces were still longer then the large square at the bottom.  So after I squared it up the corners look a little funny but I think once it is sewn in it will look right again.  It's just odd sometimes when the templates don't come out quiet right and I have checked and rechecked the sizing so I know I am doing it correctly as most of the blocks are correct.  It's just every once in a while when one goes a little hinky.

Round Robin

Okay seriously I don't know how you guys with kids do it.  We have a 2 year old staying with us temporarily and it is taking a serious toll on my sewing time.  Maybe it's because she isn't mine and I don't feel like I can discipline her the way I would my own child but I find it's easier to just not sew with her in the house.  So I am really behind on my hobby.  It is after all just a hobby and the only real commitment I have to hold to is my round robin group.  Admittedly I have been slow in completing these and getting them on to Dee but lucky for me she is quick and doesn't grumble at me too much for being slow.  Although I am determined to do better when things get back to normal.

For this round Susan had asked for a yellow and gray color scheme but had left the design elements completely up to use.  Nichol added in a few colors with the introduction of her fabrics in the triangles.  So I went back to mostly gray and yellows so that the color scheme would stay strong but I did keep one fabric that tied in the other colors Nichol used.  I wanted something that would offer nice juxtaposition to the sharp angles of the triangles.  A friend recommended I use circles.  And with that I was off.

I used a CD to cut out the circles which worked pretty well overall.  There were a few places where my circles weren't perfect as I was cutting multiple layers at one time.  Overall I thought it worked well though.  One thing I would recommend when doing applique by machine, remember to change to your zig zag stitched.  Okay so I'll admit I sewed down four circles for my smaller sides and then walked away from my machine.  When I came back and was walking back through getting my machine set and I changed my stitch I suddenly realized, duh that's why that wasn't working like I thought it would.  I had forgotten to change it from a straight stitch to a zig zag.

I'm already working on my round for April and should have some progress to show you a little later this week along with a Farmer's Wife Update.