The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) Block 19 Checkerboard

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) 
Block 19 Checkerboard

These little chequerboard (or checkerboard) blocks look straightforward, but the number of triangles that go around the edge always amaze me. There are 25 pieces in the Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)  Block 19 Checkerboard, but it has the illusion of less.

It is good to be back to some regular blogging.  I realise why I enjoy blogging, it keeps me on track with a project.  

Kim Diehl Half Square Triangle Cat Mat

Half Square Triangle quilt layout

In a change to the usual Farmer's Wife Sampler quilt blocks I have another little project to show you.  It is another mat for the cat, using up the left over half square triangles from last years 'Scrappy Challenge'.  You won't remember that because I haven't shown you yet.  I am interested in trying out different layouts for HST's and there were enough left over to make this mat.

Quilting Feathers

I also wanted to use the project to test my quilting skills.  For over a year I have been practising  drawing feathers, but did not have the courage to try it on an actual quilt.  The muscle memory you gain from drawing really does help and when I took to my machine, they came out naturally - what had I been waiting for!

Quilted Cat Mat - Kim Diehl fabrics

The fabrics are the Kim Diehl leftovers from the Dear Jane quilt, which is still waiting to be quilted. Even with Dear Jane, my 2017 Scrappy Challenge and this small project, I still have plenty of fabric to make MANY more quilts.

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

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

Another block has been completed, largely thanks to getting stuck in three traffic jams on one journey this week.  This is Block 97, Waste Not. As I have mentioned in the comments before, I have been making these blocks at 4" instead of the usual 6" and I seem to spend most nights thinking about what layout I should use.

Bella Solids Fig Tree Bundle

With so few pieces in each block I have been struggling to make them work, so I have invested in a Bella Solids Fat Quarter bundle which co-ordinates with all the Fig Tree fabrics I already have.  Let's hope this will move this project along more swiftly.

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) Block 6 Big Dipper

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) 
Block 6 Big Dipper

I had a request for some of the Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt blocks to be shown off in the snow that we have had in March this year.  We have had almost a foot of snow, the most since 2010. It has taken until today to actually have a block finished to show you, but here it is , Block 6 Big Dipper, sitting on the snow which is now rapidly melting as the temperature has resumed its normal level and sun is actually shining.

Suzi cat

There was also a request for photos of Suzi in the snow.  I think the expression on her face answers that question.  She has settled on the Allietare quilt for the past few days, just watching the white stuff come down in disgust.

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) Block 14 Butterfly at the Crossroads

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) 
Block 14 Butterfly at the Crossroads

Here is another Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt which I finished over the weekend.  Again, a block that probably has another name - any suggestions?
Here in the UK the temperature has dropped and we are expecting snow this week.  I think I saw a 'flake' fall from the sky today, but probably not enough to bring everything to a standstill quite yet.  I will keep you posted. 

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) Block 4 Basket Weave

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) 
Block 12 Broken Sugar Bowl

Another orphan that missed the boat for the Nearly Insane quilt! I really love the red and white combination for a quilt block, but I am trying to break the habit with this new adventure.  This is The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt Block 4 Basket Weave, also known as Rail Fence.  With just 12 pieces it came together quite quickly.

If you re in the UK this weekend you can see my Nearly Insane quilt on display at the Severn Valley Quilts Exhibition in Thornbury, near Bristol, BS35 2AQ.

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) Block 12 Broken Sugar Bowl

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) 
Block 12 Broken Sugar Bowl

Here is the Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt  Block  No 12, Broken Sugar Bowl.  It looks quite familiar and as if it has been part of a quilt I have done in the past, but it went under a different guise - do you know any other names for it?

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) Block 18 A Century of Progress

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) 
Block 18 A Century of Progress

I have been away on a training course this weekend and in the pockets of down time I managed to complete a few Farmer's Wife blocks.  This one, Block 18, A Century of Progress, is looking suspiciously red and white and as if it ought to be in the Nearly Insane quilt.

Suzi the cat

And for all of those who are looking for their daily cat fix, here is Suzi the cat enjoying the February sun.

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) Block 10 Bowtie

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) 
Block 10 Bowtie

This is a simple little Bowtie block, but I love the fabric choices I have made for this one.  I think the yellow fabric is from 'California Girl' by Fig Tree quilts.
I have just noticed that my Outlook is putting all your comments into my Junk Mail folder .... silly Outlook.

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) - Block 1 Attic Windows

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)
Block 1 Attic Windows

It is a week ago that I sat down to prepare for my Farmer's Wife Quilt and already I have three blocks done and several others basted ready to be stitched.  I think I like this sampler quilt just because of the speed!
This is Block 1 Attic Windows, the first block in the book.  I usually do a draw system, but I was in such a hurry last week to prep some that I just took the first few from the book to get started.  I definitely need a system to record what I doing.

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) - Block 5 Bat Wing

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's)
Block 5 Bat Wing

Thank you for all your responses to yesterday's post and the start of our new journey on the Farmer's Wife Sampler quilt.
Last night I managed to complete another block, Block 5 Bat Wing, and am back to feeling the rush of starting a new project. In past projects I have usually recorded the number of pieces in each block, but for most of these I think I can count them on my hands.

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt (20's) - The Launch and Block 41 Friendship Star

Fabadashery - Farmer's Wife Quilt

Sewing my name onto my Dear Jane quilt last week reinforced the fact that I don't have a project on the go at the moment.  La Passacaglia has been a struggle as it is quite time / fabric intensive in the prep stage and I have just been longing for a simple project that I can just pick up and see grow easily.  So here you have it - The Farmer's Wife Sampler quilt with the fabric selection.
  
I have had The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt book (1920's) for quite a while now and since then a new book has been published.  I had assumed that it was the same quilt. but having noticed some missing blocks I was already familiar with from long arm quilting a Farmer's Wife Quilt, I have literally just realised that it is a whole new quilt, different blocks based on 1930's colours.  This is a fundamental point I had not acknowledged and I am not sure how I feel about it.

To get started I had to spend a bit of time on my new Electric Quilt 8 software, designing all the 111 blocks into the package and then scanning the 65 different fabrics I plan to use.  For the record, that whole process took about 5hrs 30mins.  That time invested will pay me back as I work through all the blocks.  

Farmer's Wife 20's Quilt - 41 Friendship Star

So, here is the first completed block.  In the 1920's book Block 41 is 'Friendship Star'.  In the 1930's book it is 'Granny'.  Already my star is spinning in the opposite direction, but I guess it depends which universe you observe the star from, which will determine its direction.

For the dedicated followers of my blog, I want to warn you that I cannot promise a post for each block.  Already, I have realised that these blocks are much easier that the Nearly Insane quilt and Dear Jane, so I expect to fly through them quite quickly. Thank you to my regular supporters, your comments are always appreciated - what do you think about the new project?

Dear Jane Quilt - Recording history with embroidery

Embroidered corner block - Dear Jane quilt

Here's a little job which I have been putting off for a long time - embroidering my name on my Dear Jane quilt.  Now it is done there is nothing stopping it from being quilted.  Then all I need to do is the scallop edge ....

Pushing the boat out for Christmas

New Rotary Cutter Blade

I am actually doing some sewing today, it seems like ages since I have had the chance to sit at the machine and make quilt blocks. To celebrate I have put a new sharp blade into my rotary cutter, after all - it is Christmas!

Dear Jane Count

The Dear Jane Quilt  - counting the pieces

I have taken some time today to count my Dear Jane pieces.  As you may know, the original has her name and a count of all the pieces in the original Dear Jane quilt.  It is a job I have been putting off, thinking it would be long a tedious, but no so.  I also managed to find some rogue paper pieces along the way.  In total I have 5163 pieces in my Dear Jane quilt.  Jane Stickle had 5602.  I have clearly introduced modern day efficiencies into mine.  All I need to do now is to embroider the details onto the quilt.  Can you think of any other cryptic messages I should include?

On Ringo Lake - Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2017

'On Ringo Lake' Bonnie Hunter 2017 Mystery Quilt

You may have noticed that this week Bonnie Hunter has launched her 2017 Mystery Quilt - On Ringo Lake.  Will you be taking up the challenge this year?  I have done several of her quilts in the past and it has been thoroughly good fun and I have some beautiful quilts as a result. 
However, don't get too excited as I have already decided that I don't really have time to do it this year - I was just curious to see the colour scheme.  What do you think?  As usual I think I would change it around a bit as with just the four colours you could probably come up with something quite delicious.

'On Ringo Lake' Bonnie Hunter 2017 Mystery Quilt

If you are looking for a project to fill in that slow time between Christmas and New Year, I can recommend heading over to her blog to see what is in store.  I expect I will be an onlooker, but will be checking out the progress over the next few months. 

La Passacaglia - October 2017 update

La Passacaglia - October 2017 update

It has been a while since I have had my La Passacaglia out, but a few days away allowed me to resurrect my interest in it.  It doesn't look like there has been much change since you last saw it in July, but  I can assure you that there has.  The colour scheme - well there isn't an overall one, but within each rosette I am enjoying playing with colours.
I could do with a La Passacaglia day, just to sort out how many of the rosettes I intend to do and to bring on each of the circles to the next stage, but I don't see that coming until the Christmas break. 

Wooly Sheep Wall Quilt

'Woolly Sheep' Wall Quilt Kit

I am usually quite good at sticking with projects, but once in a while I want a quick project to stop the monotony.  I have been eyeing up this felt wool project kit for a while and at the last show I went to I picked it from Pelenna Patchwork. The kit is 'Woolly Sheep' wall quilt by Rachel's of Greenfield.  The main reason I bought the kit was because everything I needed was with it ready to go.  No time wasted trying to find all the bits and pieces and preventing me from actually making something.

'Woolly Sheep' Wall Quilt Kit

It has been my go to project for the last two weeks and being only 13" x 15" it came together quite quickly.  I finished off the binding today and it is now ready to hang on my wall.

Dear Jane Progress and Rainbow Scrappy Challenge catch up

Dear Jane quilt - English Paper Piecing, removing the papers.

I have had a few days where I have spent time moving a few projects forward.  Firstly, the Dear Jane quilt has been pulled out and I have made a big effort to remove all the papers. This is slow.  Very slow.  I have done over half, but I have now left it out so that I can go and pick at it in odd moments.  Once this is done I need to count all the pieces so that I can embroider the total on the corner block.

Rainbow Scrappy Challenge - cutting May, June, July, August, September

Then I saw that the September colour for the Rainbow Scrappy Challenge had been released.  I know that my progress on this had lapsed, but when I looked back I realised I was 5 months behind.  Again, I pulled out my remaining Kim Diehl fabrics and cut enough to keep me quiet for a while.  I sewed a few, but some serious machine stitching time is required on this one.

Finally, for a second time, I forgot to enter Suzi into the 2017 Pets on Quilts competition.  So please enjoy this photo of her.

Foundation Star and Round Robin

Carol Doak Foundation Pieced Star

It's amazing how this snazzy foundation pieced star has got me into trouble.  It is part of the reason that the blog is SO quiet.  It is a Carol Doak foundation pieced star which I entered into my local quilting groups annual challenge - I won.  The prize is to choose the challenge for the following year and in my wisdom I decided we should to a Round Robin for 2017.  It is a blind Round Robin, so everything is in secret, so hence no sharing on the internet.  It is a medallion quilt, so each round gets bigger and takes longer to do and that is what I have been doing instead of any other sewing.  I also have the important role of making up the rules as I go along. 

The big reveal is in January 2018, so maybe a few shares then. Have you ever taken part in a Round Robin quilt challenge?

Festival of Quilts 2017, UK - Pies and Tarts Quilt

'Pies and Tarts' Quilt by Frances Meredith, designed by Sue Daley

Here is my entry for the NEC Festival of Quilts show 2017.  You will find it amongst the Traditional Quilts, No 538. It is a Sue Daley pattern called Pies and Tarts.  My early Followers may remember it. I have just browsed through my blog to see when I actually finished piecing this quilt - it was 5 years ago in December 2012.  Well since then I basted it, left it a while, made a pathetic attempt to hand quilt it, left it a while, bought a long arm quilting machine, still thought I would hand quilt it, and left it a little bit longer.

Unpicking basting and quilting stitches before longarming

Then one day earlier this year I decided that I would unpick the basting and hand quilting I had done (it wasn't very much) and I would quilt it on my long arm machine.  I can remember the time and pain it took to baste the quilt, but the stitching came out in no time at all ....

Long Arm Quilting

So in one day the quilt was quilted.  The binding had been waiting patiently for 5 years in a bag with the quilt.  In the evenings I have quietly attached it, added a hanging sleeve and even stitched out a label for it. It has been delivered to the organisers There is a moral in there somewhere.

Do go and see it at the Festival of Quilts this year, however, you probably won't see its fabulous Kaffe Fassett Millifiore fabric on the back - so here is a picture for you to enjoy.

July 2017 Update - La Passacaglia

La Passacaglia - June 2017

I thought I had better put up a post as my dedicated followers (Jocelyn / Mollie) have been wondering what I have been up to.  Last time I posted I had just started the La Passacaglia quilt and in the picture you can see the progress.  This one is much harder than the previous projects as there are a lot of design decisions along the way.  Life was so simple when it was just a little Dear Jane block to do. Naturally I want to put my own twist on it and finding the time to do that has been the obstacle.  It demands a lot of different fabrics and as a result my workroom has imploded with fabric and there is currently restricted access.  I haven't had time for the Scrappy Challenge and Dear Jane is still waiting for her papers to be taken out.
I have also been creatively sidetracked with other creative stuff.  I bought a Gelli plate and it has re-ignited my interest in mixed media.  Then I bought a Brother Scan N Cut once I realised I could cut all my English paper pieces from it - yes it really can.
If you are wondering what sewing I am really up to, you had better head over to my other blog.  There is no shortage of sewing going on there and it probably the best place to find me  / Follow me if you want to check I am still alive.

Rainbow Scrappy Challenge - April 2017

SoScrappy 2017 Challenge

Four months in and I am managing to keep up with the Rainbow Scrappy Challenge 2017.  The April colour was 'multi- coloured' and I have interpreted it in my own way by using fabrics which don't seem to fit into any category.

Kim Diehl Farmhouse Fabric

I have used this 'neutral' from one of Kim Diehl's fabric collections.  I love it, but it isn't quite neutral enough for most projects, but seemed to be an excellent candidate for this month.

Joining up with SoScrappy!

THE NEW PROJECT - La Passacaglia

I thought it was time I started a new English Paper Piecing project.  There were several candidates in the ring, but The Passacaglia by Wyllyne Hammerstein has won.  I thought this was a good project to use my stash, completely massacre it with some fussy cutting, as well as leaving the option open to buy fabric that was considered 'essential' for the project when out and about.  Naturally I was slightly influenced by Wendy's divine interpretation.  Here is my progress so far.  The colour choice seems to be infinite and I have changed my mind so many times already.

Back in the summer I purchased the book and the templates from Sew and Quilt.  There are only five shapes for the whole quilt which keeps it simple, but allows you to stroke fabric all day whilst choosing your colour combinations.  I don't have a particular colour scheme in mind, it will be dictated by my stash and therefore I expect it to grow organically.

Sew and Quilt Acrylic Templates - La Passacaglia

 So there you go. I think the most difficult challenge will be not losing the acrylic templates!

Joining up with Kathy at Slow Stitching Sunday!