The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) Block 30 End of Day

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)  Block 30 End of Day

Another little block finished on our trip to Ireland. This is The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)  Block 30 End of Day.

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) Block 8 Bouquet

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)  Block 8 Bouquet

There are a lot of basket type blocks in the Farmer's Wife (20's) quilt and this is one of them,  the Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)  Block 8 Bouquet.  I kept the florals in there and love the deeper red dotted amongst the blocks.

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) Block 11 Broken Dishes

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)  Block 11 Broken Dishes

Half square triangles - you have got to love them!  Here is the Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)  Block 11 Broken Dishes, showing them off to their best.  I love this pattern and keep being drawn back to it.

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)  Block 11 Broken Dishes - English Paper Piecing

With my Dear Jane quilt recently on display I was reminded that not everyone realises that the quilt is hand pieced using English Paper piecing.  Here is a photo of the back of Farmer's Wife Block 11, Broken Dishes, with all the papers still in and the tacking stitches still in place.  I am using a light tan thread at the moment so they don't show so well.  I am sure I have said before that if I was required to complete these quilts using a machine, I truly would go insane.

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) Block 27 Darting Birds - visits South West Ireland

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)  Block 27 Darting Birds

I have been away on holiday in Ireland for the past week which has given me plenty of stitching time to work on my Farmer's Wife quilt blocks.  On my return the garden has burst into bloom so I decided to do an outdoor photoshoot for a change. Here is the Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)  Block 27 Darting Birds,  which is a very well travelled block as it accompanied me on a boat trip to Skellig Michael, a small island on the South West coast of Ireland.

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)  Block 27 Darting Birds,
visits Skellig Michael, Ireland

Here it is surviving the large 'swells' of the Atlantic Ocean in front of Skellig Michael, recently made famous by being the reclusive home of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master, in the film Star Wars Episode VIII.  

Dear Jane Quilt Finished!

'Dear Jane' quilt made by Frances Meredith

Did I say I had finally finished my Dear Jane quilt?  There is nothing like a deadline to get things done and as a push I had entered my Dear Jane quilt into the 2018 Quilt UK Show at Malvern this weekend.  The good news is that it has won some prizes including, Best Piecing, Best Sampler Quilt and a first prize in the Bed Quilt category.

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) Block 21 Contrary Wife

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) 
Block 21 Contrary Wife

This one is pretty, the Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)  Block 21 Contrary Wife. I have not had much time for this little project lately as I have been very busy quilting quilts for the Malvern Show which is next week.  One of the quilts is my Dear Jane quilt, which I will reveal in due course!

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) Block 17 Cats and Mice

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) 
Block 17 Cats and Mice

I can't believe we have reached May already.  The good news is that the Grand Prix Formula 1 has started and that provides a good 3 hours of stitching every fortnight whilst I watch events unfold.
This is the Farmer's wife Sampler Quilt Block 17, Cats and Mice, which is just one of the blocks I completed last weekend whilst watching the race a Baku in Azerbaijan. It's great to make the most of your time doing things you enjoy.

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) Block 20 Churn Dash

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)  Block 20 Churn Dash

I wonder how many Churn Dash quilt blocks are being made at any one moment in the world? 
This is my latest Farmer's Wife Sampler quilt block 20 Churn Dash, made up of just 17 pieces.  These little blocks turn out quite quickly and are much simpler than the Nearly Insane quilt or the Dear Jane quilt.

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) Block 31 Evening Star

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) 
Block 31 Evening Star

The Moda Solids I bought a few weeks ago have really helped move this project along.  This is Farmers Wife Sampler Quilt Block 31 Evening Star, where the solids have allowed me to make use of this charm square of pretty Fig Tree fabric.

Suzi the Cat on the Butterfly Quilt

I thought it was time that we had a picture of Suzi.  The weather is on and off at the moment, but Suzi  is managing to follow the sun whilst remaining on the bed.

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) Block 9 Box

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)  Block 9 Box

I tried to do this one before, but it ended up as Block 41, the Friendship Star.  I welded some of the bits together to reduce the number of total pieces in this block.  It meant there were some Y-seams, but they are really no trouble when you are hand piecing.
I usually start a project knowing what I am going to do with it, but in this case I had the fabric and the Farmer's Wife book sitting there and thought I might as well start constructing the blocks and work out the layout as I went along.  Lots of ideas have passed through my mind, but I am thinking I might make up an applique border.  Any thoughts?