Eleven.....not quite Twelve

You see, I really do have a good reason for only showing you one block today.   On April 15th we had a very cold day with snow blowing sideways across our farm.   Now for the last 10 days it's been mostly 70-80 degree weather and sunny.   We went from winter to summer in 2 short weeks!   That means "hurry up and plant your garden" time.    That also means my sewing time has greatly diminished.

So here is block number 11....12 will come in a few days.....I'm almost certain of it......maybe.....

Number 11 is called broken dishes and all the little pieces DO remind me of broken dish pieces.   And yes, all those pieces were a bit small to piece together and still get a square block when all is said and done.    Number 12 is called Broken Sugar Bowl.....you'll see it soon.....really.....gonna get back to it......one day next week.....maybe

Busy Gardener,
Debbie

#9 & #10

Ah, yes.   Here we are at 9 & 10.    #9 on the left is called Box.   Hmmmmm, I don't quite see a box, but that's what it's called.   #10 on the right is called Bowtie...and if you turn your head to look at the block, the blue makes up the tie and the green polka dot is the center of the bowtie knot.  Now that one I can see.

But who am I to question the names for these blocks?
Debbie

Ok, on to Blocks 7 & 8

Wow, the weeks are just flying by.    Here are the next two blocks for Farmer's Wife Quilt.

The left hand block is Birds in the air......and I can actually see how someone came up with this name.   The pieces for this block were so small, though!   Remember, the finished blocks are only 6-1/2" square.   So, all those tiny triangles were ....let's say.....interesting to piece together and still come out with a square block.

The right hand block is appropriately named Bouquet.   I think this one speaks for itself.   And I'm still loving the fun fabrics from the 1930's.   Hope you enjoy following along with me as I try to stay on task and make these blocks every week.   Soon, I should be able to lay some out to see what they look like all together.

Till then,
I'll keep on quiltin',
Debbie

F. W. Q., Blocks 5 & 6

This is a quick post....just a pic of the blocks...

Block number 5 on the left is called Bat Wing.....funny name, wouldn't you say?   And the right hand block is called Big Dipper.   I love the crazy daisies on the blue and the tiny green and white check triangles.

Ok, that's it.  Told you this would be a quick post!
Deb

Farmer's Wife Quilt; The Basket Blocks

Ok, so far, so good.   Blocks 3 & 4 are completed and I love the way they are turning out.    Each block for the quilt has different templates that need to be traced and then cut out of template plastic.  After that, choosing the perfect fabric for each block is so much fun for me.   These blocks take a bit of time to put together, despite the fact that they are only 6-1/2" square.

Here are blocks number 3 & 4:

The block on the left is simply called a Basket block, and the one on the right is called Basket Weave.  The handle on the Basket needed to be hand appliqued in place using a narrow bias strip of fabric, which was actually fun to do.   Sometimes it's nice to sit still and do a little hand sewing.

Stay tuned for more,
Debbie

The Farmer's Wife Quilt

Sometimes I am waaaay behind the curve when it comes to current trends.   Apparently, I have been hiding in a hole because every quilter I talk to knows about The Farmer's Wife Quilt book.   About a year ago, I saw the book in my favorite quilt store....but it had already been out in the stores for several years. 

An interesting part of the book is a compilation of letters written by farm wives who entered a contest back in 1922.   The popular magazine, The Farmer's Wife, offered several cash prizes for the best answers to this question:  "If you had a daughter of marriageable age, would you, in light of your own experience, want her to marry a farmer?".   Over seven thousand readers responded and 94 percent of farm wives stated that they would, indeed, want their daughter to marry a farmer.

The Farmer's Wife Quilt book not only has included the best answers to this question but it also has 111 six-inch quilt blocks with instructions  for piecing the blocks on an accompanying CD.   The blocks in the book are a treasure trove of quilting history and aptly capture the time period of the 1920's.    Originally, when the book caught my eye I bought it for my friend, Barb, a fellow quilter who lives on 22 acres in northern Alabama and is "farming" her little slice of heaven on earth.   It wasn't until 4 months ago that I broke down and bought a copy of the book for myself.

The colors of the blocks in the book are more primitive and darker in tone, ie: browns, greyed blues and creams.   My color choices tend to be more vibrant so I decided to break into my stash of 1930's fabrics with the reds, pinks, teals and soft greens.    I'm so glad I choose those fabrics to make my quilt.   Because there are so many different blocks, my goal is to try and make 2 blocks per week for the next year so that maybe I will have all the blocks necessary to complete a quilt by next Spring.  

So for the next year, my challenge to myself is to try and sew and then post on this blog the 2 blocks I've made for that week.   Here goes:
Block 1 is called Attic Windows and is on the left and block 2 is Autumn Tints and is on the right.

As you can see, these are not your Grandma's browns and blues......these are happy colors!!!   I hope you'll enjoy following along as I attempt to make all 111 blocks.

See you next week,
Debbie

Keepin' the Pooch Warm

Yes, I realize it's been months since I've added a post here.   To find out what has been happening in our lives, just go to my other blog, www.threadsofmind.blogspot.com and you'll see why it's been a while since my last post.   Anyway, I'm baaaack!

We have moved to Tennessee from Florida and during the month after the move we struggled to find a good groomer for our Cavachon, Molly.

Here she is in all her fluffy cuteness.   Well, because she hadn't been to a groomer in over a month, her coat had become hopelessly matted and she needed to be shaved.   Poor thing.....she is completely bald except for her head and tail and she gets quite cold in the mornings when we go out for our walk.  

So I got online and found a cute puppy coat made of fleece.   Ha!   That's why sewers keep a stash!   I had a whole bin of fleece just waiting for the right project.     To see the pattern I used you can go online at http://compulsivecraftiness.com and download the pdf file and print out the pattern for yourself.   Too.  Cute.  And it was easy, too.  In less than an hour Miss Molly had a new coat to keep her warm until her hair grows in again.

After printing out the pattern on separate pieces of paper, you simply cut them on the lines

and tape them into one pattern piece.

 The collar is sewn first and attached to the top of the coat and 2 pieces of fleece are then sewn together following all the curves.  Once sewn together, just turn right sides out and topstitch.  

Attaching the velcro to the tabs is the last step and you're finished!   Very easy to make and it fits really nice.   I adjusted the pattern by making it 1" longer in the back as Molly has a long body and it worked just fine.

Here she is in all her naked glory sporting her new coat.   I think now she will stop shivering.

Dog Mom,
Deb