Farmer's Wife - The finale!

Well folks, here it is. The end of the road for me and my adventures as a farmer's wife. And before the end of January at that!  I've had so much fun making this quilt and learned sooo much along the way. I can say I definitely feel like a more accurate piecer after having made all these blocks :) And more importantly, I absolutely love the finished quilt.  I knew I was making a queen sized quilt, but I am still periodically shocked at how big it really is. I am so happy I went with a solid black binding so that nothing takes attention away from the blocks.

The quilting was it's own issue. It felt like it took forever due to sheer size, and it was so hard to maneuver on my little machine, but I made it through. I did two straight lines in each sashing strip, so it is one big grid. You can pretty much not see it in any picture, and it is even hard to tell in person since I used black thread on the black sashing. It just melts right into it. Which is perfect. Keeps it nice and soft. There are certainly some puckers around the edges where the borders didn't lay quite right, but it is barely noticeable unless you are looking for it so I deal with it. The busy border fabric helps too. I reads as kinda gray in these pictures, but it is really a small black/white cathedral window type print.

And now a few pictures. They really don't do it justice, but I had to work with what I had. Which was no one to hold the quilt. So I trucked it out onto the front sloping lawn, in the freezing cold, ice and snow still in patches on the ground, while wrangling my daughter and trying to keep her from falling off the porch. It was an adventure, to be sure. Also, that would be why I have no good upright pictures. So you may have to tilt your head to the side to see it properly. All that to say, not the greatest pictures, but they capture the spirit of the thing.

Oh I am so in love with it! So traditional, yet so not! The back is all one piece, and while part of me feels bad for not putting more into the back, I like it and it works with it. I got to a point where I was going to shove it in a closet and not deal with it because I was having trouble figuring out the back, so this saved it. It was so hard to get enough fabric for a quilt so large, and the black and white prints that I wanted were just not working out for one reason or another. So this nice 108" backing fabric saved the day. And that is about it. A finished Farmer's Wife quilt. I can hardly believe it. And maybe when the weather is nice and I have some help, I'll work on getting some better pictures....maybe. For now, I'll deal with these. Oh and I'll snuggle under it. Every day. And maybe put it on my bed for a while :)

MondayMondayMonday

Oh hey there Monday, how are you? It was a good weekend around here. Quite good in fact. A touch cold (and by that I mean it was -2 when we woke up yesterday), but good.

My farmer's wife quilt is quilted and I am going to get some binding today. I was trying to decide between plain black and scrappy rainbow, and black won. I'm classy like that. But I am just about out of black, so I'll need to remedy that first. And if I am lucky I will get that sewn on Wednesday. All I have to say after this weekend is huge quilt + tiny machine = not so much fun quilting. It took me like 8 hours all together. But it is done and I like it. I just went down the sashing twice to frame the blocks. It is a bit wonky which I'm a bit upset about, but it will be alright. Hopefully once it is all bound it will be less noticeable. I am a little afraid to wash it though, I'm afraid that it will be ruined somehow. I guess it will have to happen eventually if we are going to use it. Also, I did realize that a queen size quilt for the couch is excessive. But I'm okay with it. I figure if I turn it sideways it is the perfect snuggle blanket :)

Maybe today I will get another embroidery block started. I just realized today that we are halfway through the month. Which on the one hand blows my mind with how quick it happened, but on the other, I am pretty glad to be halfway to starting some new quilts :) I think next week I will be working on sorting my scraps so I'm ready.  I'm pretty excited. I don't know if I actually have enough scraps for the scrappy quilts I want to make, but I can at least get started and add as I do other things, right?

Also, in completely non crafting news, I made beef stew last night, and irish soda bread (minus the raisins). And it was really delicious and perfect for a winter night. And somehow, it made me feel like a grown up. And I loved it and I think I should probably cook more often. Who knew standing over the stove for 2 hours would be so nice. Did I mention it was delicious?

And that's all. Sorry for the lack of pictures. I just wanted to say hi :)

Farmer's Wife -the next chapter

I wasn't going to post this today, I was going to wait, but I got too excited and had to share. My farmer's wife blocks are all together :) They look so happy and wonderful. It took me alllllll weekend. I still have to add the borders, but for the most part, the top is done.

for the record, that is:
111 blocks
252 sashing strips
110 cornerstone squares
32 cornerstone triangles
32 setting triangles

It was such a long process that took over the entire living room floor, but I am so happy it is done. I used the diagram from the book for the layout and then moved some things around so the colors were balanced. I still need to figure out exactly what I want for a back. I am considering flannel, but I think that is just the cold weather talking, so we'll see.

In other news, this is my 200th post :) I hadn't even realized. 

Now I have to go work on other things since my list is still a gagillion miles long. And I have very few days left to get things done before we leave. I did finish the quilt I was working on; it is being washed at the moment, but there will be pictures soon. And hopefully by Wednesday my list will have quite a few more things crossed off!

Farmer's Wife - the one in which the blocks are DONE!

See that stack there?? That is all 111 of the farmer's wife sampler blocks! So many pretty blocks! I finished up the last 6 this week, and the sashing/cornerstones/setting triangles are all cut and ready to go! It is going to be spectacular :) I can't even wait to have this top together! Hopefully tomorrow that will happen. But that is for another post when it is finished. For now, here are this weeks {final} 6 blocks. (please forgive the somewhat unfortunate pictures, it was super cold and windy and there was snow on the ground)

#108 - Windmill

I made this one backwards actually. I don't remember if I had the fabric upside down or the template, but in any case, there it is. I like it a lot though and it was a really simple block. 

#60 - Noon & Light

I was waiting for this block just so I could use the stripes like this and I love it! They lined up amazingly well!

#103 - Whirlwind

Love! So simple and lovely.

#2 - Autumn Tints

Yellow may not have been the ideal color choice for this since it doesn't give it much contrast, but I like it anyway.

#40 - Friendship Block

I love this block. I kind of want to make a whole quilt of it. 

#88 - Star of Hope

 I generally don't love the blocks like this, but since it was the last one, I'm feeling all lovey towards it :-P

I'm not going to lie, I got a little sad {and triumphant} when I made that final block. It was such a milestone. I have loved making these little blocks more than I could have imagined and I am certainly sad that there are no more to be made. I am pretty sure that snuggling under the huge, colorful finished quilt will make up for it though :)

So that wraps up the block posts for my FW quilt. Wow. Next week I will hopefully have at least the main part of the quilt top to show (without borders I suspect, but we'll see). For now I have a star quilt to quilt and bind! Wishing everyone a lovely {and productive} weekend!

Farmer's Wife: the almost done edition

I am so close to finished these blocks I can taste it! I made 5 more blocks this week, so I only have 6 left (one of each color) which I will finish next week. I thought about pushing through and finishing this week, but I still don't have sashing (hopefully I'll pick some up today) and I have so many other things I need to work on. So next week the blocks should be done. I have mixed feelings about it since as much as I can't wait to snuggle under this quilt, I will miss making these happy little blocks. But enough of that, I can worry about that later! On to the blocks!

#92 - Streak of Lightning

This one is a really fun rainbow one. It is a simple block and I love having all the colors in it. 

#102 - Whirlpool

I had a hard time figuring out how to make rainbow work for this, but in the end I just went the random route an I like it a lot. 

#16 - Calico Puzzle

Nice and simple. 

#63 - Ozark Maple Leaf

I like this one a lot more than I thought I would. It's quite a cool block. 

#14 - Butterfly at the Crossroads

I don't tend to love the blocks I make with these polka dots, I am not sure why. But I love this. A lot. I want lots of these happy little blocks.

And there you have it. Tune in next week for the final installment of blocks. And then I kick the hubby and the kid out of the house and put together a very large quilt top next weekend :) I am very much looking forward to it. But first things first, this weekend I have much to sew and some holiday decorating to do, and a parade to go to and hot chocolate to drink....you know, December things! Have a good weekend everyone!

Farmer's Wife - 100 blocks!!!

I feel like I've reached a milestone. My last milestone before being done! This week I pushed through and did two days of blocks and hit 100. That's right, only 11 more to go. I would say I will certainly be done the blocks in 2 weeks. I am so stinking excited! I just love this thing! So here is some FW overload with my 10 blocks this week

#41 - Friendship

Simple. Nice. 

#104 - Wild Geese

I love this block. The rainbow makes an already cool block so much more fun.

#48 - Homeward Bound

I don't love this. I don't know what it is about it. 

#76 - Sawtooth

I always think these types of blocks are weird, but I guess it's nice :)

#13 - Buckwheat

This is one of my favorites. I just. love it.

#97 - Waste Not

I had been waiting for this one, and I love it. It lived up to all my expectations and was even easier than I thought

#93 - Swallow

I was surprised how much I like this one, but I really do.

#110 - Wood Lily

This is almost the same as the spider legs block. I like it a lot, but man are those pieces tiny. I think they end up something less than an inch.

#62 - Old Windmill

I don't really get this block because the pattern isn't defined enough for me I think. But it looks nice.

#109 - Windows

I actually don't like this as much as I thought I was going to considering it uses my favorite purple, but it is still pretty. I think it is just too much light purple.

And in honor of my 100 block milestone, another collage.

It is so crazy to see them all together like that. I am used to seeing a couple at a time and the rest stacked up. Don't get me wrong, it's a very nice rainbow stack and I enjoy looking at it daily, but it's just so huge to see them all at once. I think my mind is going to explode when I am done the top haha. Anyway, now back to family time and a second thanksgiving dinner :)

Farmer's Wife - Week 17

Yay Friday!!! And yay Farmer's Wife blocks!! Clearly I am overly excited today :)

This week I made another 5 blocks. I am up to 90(!!!!) now. That just seems so huge! Believe it or not I am hoping to spend 2 days working on them soon and get at least another 10 done and hit that 100 mark! I think I am pushing myself to do it more as I get more and more excited to see them all together. I am just loving all these rainbow blocks and I am so anxious to be snuggling under them. I feel like it will just be a little piece of nice warm joy in my living room.

On to blocks! This weeks weren't too bad. The first couple had quite a few pieces, but it could have been worse.

 #101 - Wedding Ring

So many pieces! But it came together nicely. And I got a little king face in there without even trying :)

 #36 - Flower Garden Path

 This was a bit scary. I was quite worried that it wasn't going to meet right in the middle, but I think it came out alright. This was definitely the hardest of the bunch to piece. I had to make sure I kept laying it out to make sure I had things in the right place, and I still ended sewing one upside down and having to rip it out. But I made it and it's pretty.

#106 - Wild Rose Square

This is one of those blocks I feel like I just keep making over and over again. I guess they are slightly different, but very similar. I do like the yellows for this. 

#5 - Bat Wing

This is such a simple block with great impact! And this is pretty much my favorite purple fabric every so that helps.

#84 - Spool

I didn't think I would like this one, but I am surprised how much I do. Another super simple block. I think I had it together in like 10-15 minutes, including cutting it out. Which was a nice note to end on since I was squeezing it in at the end of naptime :)

They are all looking great. I guess it's about time for another collage of all the blocks together, so I'll have to get on that. I kinda have this little hope that in the next month I'll have the quilt top together. But that might be too ambitions. We'll see I guess. But for now, I must get back to my to-do list. Which I really need to stop adding to (hello thanksgiving t-shirt for the little one!). Happy Weekend!

Farmer's Wife - Week 16

The sashing drama continues! After I ordered the sashing I really wanted a few weeks back and found out it wasn't actually in stock, I was bummed. But I kept looking and found a black fabric from connecting threads (morse code in black in case you are wondering) that I thought looked nice. So finally I ordered that and it arrived yesterday. The problem is, the little dots that looked gray on the computer screen, they are actually brown. And I hate it. I actually think I am going to return it, that's how much I dislike this fabric (and it was cheap, so if I didn't hate it I would totally save it and use it for something else). So I'm kinda sad about it. I'm not sure what I am going to do. Maybe solid black, maybe black pindot, maybe I'll keep looking for the Michael Miller fabric that I wanted in the first place.

Also, I really wanted to get 6 blocks done this week but I barely got done 5 yesterday and I have so much else to do that I didn't want to drag it into another day. Maybe next week I'll do some extra. All around it was kinda disappointing. But I will say that I love the blocks this week. And I have 85 done now. The first 3 I did were a breeze. I got them done quickly with no problem. Then things got a bit more complicated. So here they are:

#29 - Economy
So simple and nice :)

#81 - Snowball
Once again, nice and easy and I love this green fabric.

#3 - Basket
I like this one. I even got the handle appliqued quickly and without trouble. It was amazing.  Although I will say that the handle seems too big and I'm afraid it will get caught in the seam allowance when I sew it all together. I guess we'll see.

#78 - Shooting Star
This is where things got difficult. Please do not inspect my points too much. Also, I decided to do it in rainbow but since the original is done in two colors, I separated them into warm/cool and I like the way it worked out. 

#82 - Spider Legs
Man these pieces were tiny. I love the block, it looks really cool. And it wasn't even that difficult really, but those pieces are very small. And things aren't perfect. But I like it anyway.

I am just so happy with how this is coming out. I only have 26 more blocks to go. I am starting to think about how I'm going to quilt this bad boy, but I just don't know. I am considering just straight lines in the sashing or something since I'm not sure what I could do that would look good with so many different blocks. And I should be able to quilt up to 10" apart with the warm and natural batting and the blocks are only 6" finished so that might work. Any suggestions???

Have a good weekend! I'm going to go celebrate 11.11.11...possibly at 11:11 :)

Farmer's Wife - Week 15

*Whew* it has been a crazy week! Obviously I had a lot to share this week, but it's winding down. Due to some training for work, I spread my FW blocks out over 2 days this week and got 6 done. I have 80 blocks finished, I can hardly believe it! Only 31 more to go and I realized today, that means only 4-5 more of each color so I think I'll have enough fabric *crosses fingers* I am hoping I'll be able to finish up the blocks in the next month or so, but I'm not sure how that will work out. I'll try anyway. And I ordered sashing {again} so this time I hope it is in stock and I actually get it. I'll post more about it when I do, maybe next week.

Blocks for the week!

#55 - Linoleum

Considering my usual feeling toward the purple blocks, I don't love this one. It's okay, but not great. Nice and easy though.

#89 - Steps to the Altar

I like this quite a bit more than I expected to. 

#71 - Puss in the Corner

This one I switched and did white for the medium color....really just so I could fussy cut a horse.....and I am totally okay with that :)

#90 - Storm Signal

Good but not wonderful. I feel like the center design should be bigger....but I think that is just because of the plain white background.

#4 - Basket Weave

I like this one. I took me a while to figure out which blues to use, but I am happy with my choices

#44 - Gentleman's Fancy

I love this. A lot. I love the design, I love the orange. Just perfect.

I am loving them as always. I just love sitting down to make these, and it is starting to hit me how near the end I am getting. This weekend though, will be pretty free of sewing I think. If I'm lucky I'll get to work on some hand sewing, but with guests visiting you never know. Have a good weekend everyone!