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.

A Little Farming (Week 25)

Pretty little stack of blocks

My love hate relationship with the farmer is continuing.  I haven't been making a whole lot of progress on this one lately and it's already week 25 which means I should have 50 blocks completed and be just about half way done.  But I only have 40 blocks finished.  In reality I'm not as far behind as I thought I was.  Just ten blocks really isn't too bad and really I have one that just needs a little fixing and two that could be finished if I wasn't remaking them because I don't like the fabric choices.  But when all is said and done and all things are accounted for I have a strong 40 blocks and I'm okay with that.  Here's a look at what I worked on this past week.

Block # 5 Bat Wing

Block # 8 Bouquet

Block # 44 Gentleman's Fancy

I think Bouquet is my favorite out of this group.  I like them all but that one is just so cute.  Sorry for the bad lighting but my sewing space doesn't have great light.  I keep wanting to get one of those daylight lamps for my room but haven't yet.  Maybe Santa will bring me one (wink wink).

Please don't mind the mess I ripped my sheets off my bed to snap this photo.

Here is a look at them all laid out together in no particular order.  I pulled the sheets off my bed and threw them all out there together and snapped a quick picture.  I don't have a design wall and I have these all put in a plastic tub as I finish them so I was hoping to get a feel for balance of color.  Funny even in this photo Farmer's Puzzle and the Snowball block stick out as my favorites.  Do you have a favorite block yet?

Farmer's Wife Quilt Along Week 20

So here we are at week 20 of the Farmer's Wife Quilt Along.  I am still loving working on these little blocks at my leisure without the rush of needing to finish something.  Since I made so many blocks early on I gave myself some time off to work on other projects (like those must finish holiday gifts) and then I sort of just slacked off for a while in the sewing room to.  Do you ever feel like that?  Like you love sewing but every time you go into your space to sew you just get distracted or can't decide what to work on and before you know it the time is gone and you haven't made anything.  I get that way sometimes and usually the distraction is reading blocks and looking at flickr which just leads to more must make projects.

This week though I made six blocks.  This brings my "official" block total to 36 which is still two blocks behind schedule.  Well I have 3 more blocks that are basically done.  Whirlwind which still has a corner turned the wrong way.  It will be easy enough to fix I just need to take the seam ripper to it.  I also made Blocks 1 &2 Attic Windows and Autumn Tints early on using a solid fabric.  Well I decided I didn't like the solid even if it is just Kona Snow and haven't used it in any blocks since so I need to take the seam ripper to those as well or just remake the blocks.  Those two luckily will be pretty easy.

Block # 14 Butterfly at the Crossroads

Block # 33 Farmer's Puzzle

 

 

 

 

Farmer's Puzzle is my new favorite block.  I used Lori from Bee in My Bonnet's tutorial on easy corners and this one went together really well.  I love how impactful it looks in person.  It's not as bold in the picture but hanging on my design wall (piece of batting taped to the wall) it looks 3D.

Block # 46 Hill & Valley

Another trick I figured out this week (I know I can hear you guys laughing now, but yes it just occurred to me) is that if I spray all my fabrics will Best Press and iron them before cutting any pieces I have less stretch and pull at the end with the final block.  This was especially helpful with block 46 Hill & Valley although it still isn't perfect it is a lot better than I expected it to be.

Block # 54 Kitchen Woodbox

Block # 58 Mother's Dream

Block # 77 Seasons

Hello...

Funny things happen around the internet when so many sewers meet in one place at the same time.  Flickr has been strangely quiet, blogs haven't been updated, and the online quilting community is like a ghost town.  Funny, right?  I wasn't able to attend sewing summit this year but I can't wait to hear how it went and all about the adventures I know so many of my online friends are having this weekend.

You know what else happens when you aren't spending all of your sewing time reading about what everyone else is being creative and making?  You actually get some sewing done.  I spend my sewing time this weekend working on a quilt I can't show you just yet (Christmas present) and some Farmer's Wife Quilt Along Blocks.  I was so excited that I had made extras early on that I gave myself some time off to work on my quilts for 100 Quilts for Kids but realized this weekend that I was starting to get behind so I made a few blocks.

Farmer's Wife Quilt Along Blocks

I may or may not have made even more since snapping this picture earlier this afternoon.  Okay I'll give you a clue I did but more on those on Tuesday.  Other than that it has been a pretty normal weekend.  The hubs had to work so I spent my time "playing house," (my mom is still trying to convince me it sounds less like work when you call it play) sewing, and making a mall run.

Target Goodie Bag.  Samples and Coupons make for a good day!

I went to the mall to get some new clothes for work.  I need some more options but I got distracted in Target and ended up getting groceries and coming home instead.  Are the Target's near you remolding?  Ours just added a fresh foods section.  Just when I was ready to give up on Target they woo me back in.  Check out this goodie bag they were passing out today.  And the prices on their new grocery options are comparable to any grocery store.  Plus they carry Panera Bread products.  I almost stocked up on soup (broccoli and cheese) for work lunches but decided against it since I have homemade soups in the fridge and freezer already.  Remember that bug I got to cook?  It hasn't gone away which is great because we've been enjoying some tasty homemade (or at least semi-homemade) around here as of late.  I'll share more on that soon.  Promise!

Hope you all had a great weekend and if you went to the sewing summit I'd love to hear about it.

One Block

The farmer and I aren't fighting much lately.  In fact we haven't really seen that much of each other.  Between a storm that was a brewing (Irene) a vacation with my real hubs and all the preparation that went into those two things I haven't been making much time for the farmer.  I gave myself a pass for the last two weeks because I knew I had made extra blocks early on and that I wouldn't really fall behind if I allowed myself a break from the Farmer for a little while.  I must admit I didn't plan to take two weeks off or that now approaching the third week I would have still only made one block within the last three weeks.  And actually I made this block while Irene was gusting outside of my sewing room window before the power started to surge and I was afraid something awful would happen to Bertha.

Block # 103 Whirlwind

This block was simple enough to make but I'm still unhappy with the way a few of my points line up.  You know that feeling when you think that could be a little better but you take it apart and do it again and it's almost worse.  Well every time I took this one apart (I lost track after the third time) it got a little more off than the time before so finally I decided to leave well enough alone for now.  I still may go back and remake this one before putting the final quilt together.  I'm not sure what blocks I want to work on next so I am hoping a little inspiration will strike me this week.

The Farmer and I

The farmer and I sat down over the weekend and had a nice long heart to heart about our relationship.  I told him I felt like he was dragging me a long on an emotional railroad what with all these ups and downs in our relationship and the hard times we had been facing over the last two weeks or so.

Block # 72 Railroad

He told me not to be such a sour puss and that if I would pay more attention to him instead of silly little things like scrubbing the linoleum we might have a real chance at making a go of it.

Block # 71 Puss in the Corner

Block # 55 Linoleum

 I agreed to try and by the end of the day we had decided it would be best if we did not waste our love.

Block # 30 End of Day

Block # 97 Waste Not

Most of these blocks went together with very few hitches.  Waste Not was made using the templates and overall I am happy with it.  That one point their on the left hand side could stand to be just a little sharper but I'm thinking it will correct itself since it will end up a little bit in the seam allowance anyway.  It's not as sharp as some of the ones I saw that has been paper pieced but I'm pretty happy with it.

I know this post is a few days early but it was such a cute little story I had to go ahead and share it with you all.  Hope you are having a wonderful weekend and I can't wait to see how everyone else is progressing with their farmers.

I'm Moving!

It's decided the Farmer and I just can't play nice together so I'm taking my ball and going home. Back to the city even. No I'm not giving up on this quilt along just yet but this week really has made me doubt my abilities to see this quilt through to the queen size beauty I was imagining. I'm thinking a twin (throw) might be a better goal at this point.

I made this first block up earlier in the week with little to no trouble. I hung it on the wall and I was quite proud of that little block and even went so far as to name it my current favorite. I like that it has some small pieces so it wasn't the easiest block I had made but there is also something about the fabrics in this block that I think just set off the pattern and make it a happy little block.

Block # 12 Broken Sugar Bowl

Later in the week I was consumed by preparing for a yard sale and then a sick puppy. The yard sale went well but who knew it would be so much work. My mom and dad saved the day by bringing up portable shade Friday afternoon which came in handy on Saturday as I tend to get sunburn just from seeing the sun on tv. Still no clarification on what is effecting the bulldog but I've been doing some research online and my best uneducated guess is that it's a mild case of canine drop jaw. The vet has no idea what it could be. This brings me to Sunday when I decided to sew up my second block for this week so that I would have something to tell you guys about today. So here is the story of my EPIC FAIL.



Oops those aren't long enough



I started by selecting Block #88 Star of Hope it looked easy enough and some quick math led me to make 8 1 1/2 inch HST and a 5 1/2 inch square. It made sense at the time but oops those side pieces aren't long enough.

Fail # 2

Rather than scrap the tiny HST I searched through the book and found Block #93 Swallow. Again I did some math cut the remaining pieces and went to work. Maybe I need to take a refresher course in math because clearly this did not work out well either. So I called it a night. Monday night I was determined that I was going to make my second block for this week. I had heard a few times about Lori from Bee in my Bonnet and her tutorials so away I went. I read through all the tutorials made a trip to Office Max to get some graph paper and then got to work on Block #50 Honey's Choice. I drew it all out and figured out how big the pieces needed to be. I realized that I could use those same 1 1/2 inch HST but I was feeling lazy and rather than unpick that seam I just made some more. Everything was moving along smoothly. I realized I made a mistake in cutting my center pieces 1 1/2 by 3 instead of 2 1/2 so just a quick snip to fix the problem. I finished the block and I was pretty happy with how the pinwheels were lined up and then I went to square up the block.

Too Small

Tears were shed and that was the end of the night for me. The block only measures 5 3/4 instead of 6 1/2 like it should. So I am 3/4 of an inch short all the way around. I'm guessing I can take this apart and just cut the middle pieces a little bigger to correct the problem but hey what did I miss? On the graph paper it all lined up correctly. But then again the graph paper is drawn to the finished size of the block and not the unfinished size so maybe those pinwheels were suppose to be 2 3/4 and not 2 1/2? It's all so confusing to me. I wish I knew how to paper piece better so that I could make some of these blocks that way. In the mean time I don't guess I will be taking any more short cuts but rather cutting each and every template.

Farmer's Wife Quilt Along Week 10

So since the farmer and I are still recovering from the bumps in the road last week I decided I better stick with two fairly easy blocks for this week. I didn't really want to mess with templates and since I've already discovered my paper piecing skills leave much to be desired I figured I better do myself a favor and go with easy. I ended up making these two little blocks and the only part that required much thought on my part were the center hourglass blocks. Easy enough, I ended up making them larger than necessary by mistake and then just trimmed them down to the right size. All in all I am happy with the way the blocks look.

Block # 109 Windows

Block # 69 Practical Orchard

I found a little bit of Fresh Cottons online and placed an order for a few pieces to give me a little more room to work with. But I am still very much considering adding in another line as well. I reached out to my good friend Corey because I know she loves Fig Tree as much as I do and I knew she would have some on hand to compare. She suggested mixing in Buttercup as it will add blue to my range as well as some peachy tones of pink. I'm thinking the touch of blue might be just the thing so now I am on the hunt for just a little bit of Buttercup to mix in.

Farmer's Wife?

Last week I read a funny little blog post about the Farmer's Wife Quilt Along and a trial separation.  I laughed at all the humor of the post and remarked in the comments that I was sure before this was all said and done I was going to be taking my turn at separation little did I know that this week I would move right past that and be at the courthouse with divorce papers in hand.  I want to leave my farmer this week.  It all started harmless enough when I decided I would try and paper piece one of the blocks.  I'm not very good at paper piecing and it's not something I really enjoy.  Of course you normally get all these nice pretty points and beautiful blocks but not me.  I end up with extra fabric in my blocks somehow and everything in reverse.  So I tried to start with what I thought would be an easy enough block and chose square dance.  I mean really how hard could it be it's really just four flying geese and a couple of squares.  I hated it so much I chopped it all up to reuse the fabric without even taking a picture.  My points we all cut off and I hated it.

Next I tried using the templates again.  Once more I started with an easy block because the farmer and I were already on the rocks and it was the hubs birthday so I didn't have a ton of sewing time.  This time as I was trimming up the block I cut too much off one side and now that block in 1/4 inch too small.  Not a good thing for this farmer and me.

I did finally manage to sew up a few blocks with little incident so I have something worth while to show you.  So here they are my week 9 blocks.

Block # 48 Homeward Bound

 For Homeward Bound I did change this block a little bit since I was making it without the templates.  Those 2 1/2 inch squares in the corners are tiny 4 patches in the original block but since 3 of the squares are the same fabric I just sewed two small squares together and then cut a 1 1/2 by 2 1/2 inch strip for the other side.  Does that make sense?

Block # 62 Old Windmill

 

Block # 70 Prairie Queen

I know I'm not going to have enough Fresh Cottons to make all of the blocks and sashing for this quilt so I am debating adding another Fig Tree line to my blocks.  If anyone has suggestions of which line you think will blend nicely with Fresh Cottons let me know because I am open to suggestion.  Since this is such a long term project I'm thinking I need to find something a little newer since Fresh Cottons is already proving difficult to find.

Farmer's Wife Quilt Along Week 8

Week 8 Group Shot

I don't know about you but my fields could use some extra water this week.  I only managed to sew up three blocks worth reporting on.  I sewed one more but it turned out a smidgen too small again.  I was having a lot of trouble with my blocks coming out just a little short of the 6.5 inch block when I used the templates.  Moving to a scant 1/4 inch seemed to help but then after making another block this weekend which came out short even with the scant 1/4 inch seam I went back to the discussion boards.  I thought my printer was printing correctly since my square templates were all printing at the correct sizes.  Turns out it was shrinking them down after all.  Once I discovered that I made up two more blocks using templates and they turned out fine.  My total block count right now is 22 done.  But I am considering remaking 2 of them to make them a perfect 6.5 inches and 2 more blocks are in the running to be remade because I used a solid in them.  I can't decided if I should remake them or just mix in the solid to more blocks going forward so that they will all blend together.  It's just some Kona Snow and it looks fine with the fabrics.

Block # 15 Buzzard's Roost

Block # 20 Churn Dash

Block # 39 Friendship

And just for fun I would love if someone could tell me the difference between Block # 20 the Churn Dash and block # 111 Wrench.  I swear to you I don't see a difference at all.  I thought this was amusing because she mentions needing one more block and not wanting to pick a favorite to have a duplicate of.  I guess subconsciously maybe Churn Dash was her favorite.

Farmer's Wife QAL Week 7

I managed to sneak in a few more blocks for the farmer's wife quilt along.  Here is a look at my blocks for this week.

Block # 81 Snowball

I think that block 81 might be my favorite so far.  The colors in the photo are off just a little bit but I really like the bright pink against the white with a hint of pink background.  I also decided this might be my favorite way to make snowball blocks.  I used half square triangles instead of the templates.  Snowball blocks just never seem to work out quite right for me and I spend a lot of time pressing and remaking.  This one went together like a dream.

Block # 49 Honeycomb

Block # 66 Periwinkle

 Perwinkle is one of the few blocks I've made actually utilizing the templates.  I took it about 1/2 way apart after sewing it the first time because it was slightly too small.  It's better now but see that section in the top left.  It's still just a tad short.  So I am sure that I will either be seam ripping this one apart or remaking the block.  Typically I would just remake it because I'm lazy like that but I really like the colors in this block and since I am using the limited fabric I have for this collection I'm a little scared to just recut.  I just don't know if I would like a different color combo as much.

Block # 41 Friendship Star

It wasn't until after I took this group shot for last weeks blog post that I realized there was something wrong with my friendship star block.  It's a little hard to see there in the lower right of the photo but one of the star points is upside down.  I took the row apart and flipped it over and resewed it and then realized that didn't work either.  Not sure what I was thinking.  So I took it apart again and took the whole row apart (I did this while talking on the phone, I should have known better because I was already super tired) as a result I took the wrong row apart and had to then continue ripping seams.  It was a good lesson learned that even though these blocks are addictive when you get tired you make silly mistakes and sometimes have to just say enough it's time for bed.

There are a lot of great pictures of blocks showing up over on flickr.  You can check them out here.  I really like the way a few people have put their own spin on some of the blocks.  For example Camille really added a nice touch to block 73 Rainbow Flowers by adding a little detail in the corner of each layer.  I love the way Kerri brought focus to the pinwheel in Big Dipper.  I have already made this block but am considering remaking it with the pinwheel as the focus because you all know how much I love a good pinwheel.  What about you, what are you doing to add a special touch to make this quilt one of a kind?

Farmer's Wife Quilt Along Week 5

After playing catchup over the weekend I am now on track with the Farmer's Wife Quilt Along.  The goal is to finish 2 blocks a week for the next year.  I think that goal is pretty do-able since these little blocks don't take too much time to make and are actually a bit addictive.  So this week I made blocks 84, 16, 10 and 92.  These four blocks make me even with the quilt along.  I haven't really been going in any sort of order with these blocks.  Just whatever I feel like making that day or what I already have the templates or measurements figured out for.  Here is a closer look at these two blocks.

Block # 84 Spool

Block # 92 Streak of Lightning

I think I will take after Elizabeth over at Don't Call Me Betsy and try to post about these blocks every Tuesday.  That is if I can have them done each week by Tuesday.  And yes I know this is really my week 5 but I figured since that is where the group is at that I would get caught up and then just pick up with everyone else.

Block # 16 Calico Puzzle and Block # 10 Bowtie

The Farmer's Wife

I caved!  I was trying to avoid new projects because I just have so darn many that I need to finish up.  But I may or may not have sent my mom an email while she was in Texas telling her about this quilt along and that I thought we should make this quilt.  I was surprised when I saw her Friday night and she brought me this book.  So Saturday when I got tired of hand sewing down binding (I can't wait to show you guys a finished quilt in a few days) I was chatting through email with my good friend Leanne and we started talking about this quilt along.  I had planned to make these blocks scrappy because I'm not allowed to buy any fabric right now.  I couldn't decided what to do.  L had a great idea of making the quilt out of solids but I looked around and well I just don't have many solids.  Truthfully I don't have much of a stash at all I tend to only buy what I need for a specific project unless it's something I just love and happen to find on sale.  Out of all of the lovely photos in the flickr group I kept coming back to one person's in particular.  Of course being the fabric designer of the line and having access to fabric that doesn't come out until October helps.  I pondered what I wanted to do while I sewed up bee blocks for Do.Good Stitches.  This is the only bee I am currently participating in and since it only requires sending finished blocks and not the back and forth of fabric I think it will be a good one.  Besides the quilts are all donated to charity and that makes it even more gratifying.  If your not already a member be sure to check it out.

Finally I realized what it was about Camille's blocks that I liked so much.  All of the fabrics blend really well together and they are in softer tones which means the fabric isn't fighting with the block to see who is in control.  I had a jelly roll and layer cake of Fresh Cottons that I had originally purchased to use for a hexagon quilt along over at the Old Red Barn Quilts group.  Since I had only gotten a few pieces in and figured I would probably not get back to it anytime soon and I have my little hexagons going I thought it would be okay to cut that project from the list and use the fabric for the Farmer's Wife Quilt Along.  And I must say I am pretty happy with the results.  While these fabrics are not as bright as the ones I usually use I think their softness is the perfect blend of modern/traditional fabric.  I think that is exactly what I needed to make this very traditional quilt in a more me style.  I'm excited to keep going but I have to admit that these blocks are very addictive.  I was able to catch up to the group in just one evening of sewing.  Here is a more detailed look at my first 6 blocks.

Block # 1 Attic Windows

Block # 2 Autumn Tints

Block # 4 Basket Weave

Block # 6 Big Dipper

Block # 9 Box

Block # 11 Broken Dishes

I found that the blocks are relatively easy to piece.  I have used a combination of both the templates and using my math skills.  For example in block number 6 the Big Dipper I used the templates from the CD in the back of the book.  But on block 11 Broken Dishes I used my regular method of constructing half square triangles instead of the templates.  I knew that using the templates would mean sewing all of those little triangles together on the bias and I tend to tug and pull on my fabric a little bit especially when using small pieces so I felt this was a safer way to go.  I'm happy with the way it looks and I don't feel that my points are off in the block so I think overall it was a success.