The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) Block 56 Maple Leaf

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)  Block 56 Maple Leaf

Happy New Year! 
I hope no one has been waiting on me for the next block. It seems ages since I have even picked this project up.  The main problem has been that I had completed all the Farmer's Wife blocks which I had prepped and have had absolutely no time to get more done.  Yesterday was the day and I spent a lot of time getting more ready so that I can get some blocks done in those magic moments - those times when you can be sewing whilst waiting, travelling and having some down time.

This is Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)  Block 56 Maple Leaf.  It was sitting in my project bag with just one seam waiting to be done, so a few stitches and here is the first block of 2019.

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) Block 53 - Jackknife

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)  Block 53 - Jackknife

Oh so pretty! This is the Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)  Block 53 - Jackknife. 
What I like about patchwork and quilting is that you can use fabrics which you would never wear or have in your house - it gives you another outlet for your love of colour and fabric - THANK GOODNESS!

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) Block 83 Spider's Web

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)  Block 83 Spider's Web

Yes, this project is still moving along, albeit at a very slow pace.  This is the Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)  Block 83 Spider's Web.  Not much time for this , let alone the Good Fortune Mystery Quilt this year :(

Good Fortune - 2018 Mystery Quilt , Bonnie Hunter

Good Fortune - fabric selection
2019 Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt

Are you taking part in the Quiltville 2018 Mystery Quilt - Good Fortune?
Yes, Bonnie Hunter's 2019 Mystery Quilt has been launched, with the first clue being revealed on Friday.  My longarm customers are keeping me busy at the moment and I really don't have time to do it this year, but I couldn't resist pulling out the fabrics from my stash today - if only to do a bit of fabric stroking.  Initially I wasn't sure about the colours, but when these fabrics are together don't they look great together.

Good Fortune - alternative fabric selection
2019 Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt

When I do partake, I usually switch up the colours and do something different.  This time I switched the blue and green for brown and black. going for a more tonal quilt. I am keeping a record of the clues and meanwhile will be watching from afar as the clues develop. 

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) Block 50 Honey's Choice

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)  Block 50 Honey's Choice

I am currently taking a class where we are drafting our own traditional blocks.  However, as much as I try, they all seem too familiar from all the blocks I have done over the years.  The other challenge is making them WITHOUT my English Paper pieces - thank goodness I have my little Farmer's Wife blocks to take refuge.  This is The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)  Block 50 Honey's Choice - seems like it is based on a traditional 5-patch block.  I am learning something.

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) Block 3 - Basket with Embroidery Perse

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) 
Block 3 - Basket with Embroidery Perse

I pieced this block a long time ago, but thought it was a bit 'blah', so decided I would add some flowers to the basket. I prepped the flowers once I made the basic block but it is only recently that I managed to do the detailed embroidery work I intended. The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)  Block 3 Basket, was originally just a basket with a handle, but I have removed the handle, fussy cut some flowers and used embroidery perse to attach the flowers to the basket.  The photo below shows some of the dimension of the flowers.  I think there are several variations of 'basket' in this quilt, so look out for some other baskets of bounty in the future.

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) 
Block 3 - Basket with Embroidery Perse

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) Block 42 - Fruit Basket

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)  Block 42 - Fruit Basket

Yes, there is real fruit in this Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)  Block 42 - Fruit Basket, this time strawberries, from the Strawberry Fields Revisited Collection by Fig Tree Quilts.

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)  Block 42 - Fruit Basket

I have also reached an epic moment in this quilt project where I have reached the end of my sewing thread - 500m in total.  There was a time when I never seemed to get to the end of a reel, but with my longarm quilting business I buy it in wholesale in large cops and get to the end of them more quickly these days. But these 500m have all been hand sewing.

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) Block 97 - Waste Not ... again

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)  Block 93 - Waste Not

Here is the final block which I have redone. Back in March I did the Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)  Block 97 - Waste Not, but it wasn't packing the punch that it needed, so rather than start again, I unpicked the centre and made the wheel a bit bolder.

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) Block 95 - Temperance Tree

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)  Block 95 - Temperance Tree

Once in a while I like to remind everyone that all these Farmer's Wife blocks are constructed by hand, using the English Paper Piecing, so below is a picture of the back of this block.  Here are the 42 pieces of the Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)  Block 95 - Temperance Tree block. 

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)  Block 95 - Temperance Tree

Way back in July I cut a load of blocks ready for piecing and today I realised I had made them all, so another stint of cutting is imminent.  I think I am about half way through, having reached J in the alphabet of blocks. 

Nearly Insane Quilt

Suzi the cat helping with the Nearly Insane Quilt

My Nearly Insane quilt is in the middle of its tour of the USA, having just stopped off at Santa Clara.  Lovely to hear from those of you who have been to see it and a special shout out to Molly from Suzi.  I don't think the notice on the quilt mentions that the whole affair was a joint effort.  I think that this photo is evidence of what a great help Suzi was when I spent 7 days removing the English paper pieces back in March 2015.