Four More Farmer's Wife blocks done

These blocks are calling my name. So I figured I would start at the beginning and make Attic Window, and while I was at it, another nine-patch. The next nine-patch was Box, so that was that decision. I used Marti Michell templates D25, B9, B12 and B13 for Attic Window. I used B13 to trim D25 to the right shape.

Box used B12 and B13.

Then I decide to make something a bit different, and happened on Periwinkle and Night & Day. I used templates I printed from EQ6, which makes it easy to mark the straight of grain, very handy for piece #61, which looks remarkably like an isoceles triangle, but it isn't. I cut out some extra bits because I kept getting mixed up on my light and dark, putting them up on a smallish design wall helps to keep things straight.

Night and Day

Farmer's Wife Sampler - BOW up-to-date

I was one BOW behind, Puss in the corner, but no more :) I decided to get caught up before doing this weeks, but ended up doing BOW #3 along with BOW #9. They both used just about the same Marti Michell templates, so I cut them both out and pieced them at the same time.
Puss in the Corner BOW #3

Evening Star - BOW #9

Then I went on to Peaceful Hours, which does not have many Marti Michell templates. I printed the templates from EQ6, and trimmed the corners with MMs similar template. First time I have ever made this block, actually not too bad to make.
Peaceful Hours BOW #8

Civil War Diary Quilt is begun

A group of friends and I have decided to make the Civil War Diary Quilt by Rosemary Youngs together. Each of us has picked a very different pallate of fabrics to use, so it will be interesting to see the quilts that result from this. We have only met once so far, looking at each others fabrics. I am using a very limited pallate of a blue paisley from the Hoffman Kashmir style line, a pink floral from Hoffman's Kimono Style, a pink Moda Marble and a very light blue Moda Marble, a light blue Hoffman from Potpourri, a gold print from Quilter's Paradise by Gail Kessler (Andover) and a cream with gold flecks.
Last night a few of us got together at a Finish it Friday and started actually making blocks. We started with a nice easy block, Oath of Allegiance, paper pieced squares. Paper pieced because these are 6" blocks and five does not go nicely into 6". I should have had us cut the squares a bit bigger, but it worked out OK.

Then we went onto Alarming Conditions, which is the first block, but not one I wanted to start a novice paper piecing person with. It is also a 5-patch, but with some odd shaped bits. I showed them Carol Doak's tip for pre-cutting the odd shaped pieces, and we got it cut out before everyone left but me. I HAD to get it pieced before I left, and I did.

I guess I wasn't that tired, and our hostess was still stitching away, so I also did the third block, Conscript Law, before heading home. I used Marti Michell's Perfect Templates for this block, A6 and A7. Need to press a bit better, but it really will be 6 1/2" when pressed. Love those templates!

Dutch Treat blocks

The Dutch Treat block of the month restarted recently, in October, and I am trying to make at least one of these a month. I did manage to make Edelweiss, one of the two BOMs for October, but not Sailboat. I managed to finish that one this week.

I tried a new (to me) technique, or at least one I haven't tried recently. I made a freezer paper template, intending to iron it to the back of the yellow fabric, but forgot to reverse it. So I ironed it on top and needleturned with the paper on top. OK, but I want to try the FP underneath next. I have been trying to applique Circus for the last couple of months, got interrupted by Edelweiss and Sailboat. I went back to it after Sailboat was done, and am not happy with it, the applique is getting bunchy with my usual backbasting. So I am in the proces of restarting this block, making a freezer paper underlay. Hopefully this will be easier the second time around.

Weathervane

BOW #7 for Farmer's Wife Sampler is Weathervane. This version is just a bit different than I normally do, and slightly different than in the book, I combined two HSTs into a square when cutting rather than piecing them together. Used Marti Michell templates B12, B14, N79, D29, and rotary cut the 1 1/2" x 2 1/2" pieces I needed (I trimmed the corners using N79 so they lined up nicely with the other pieces).

Prairie Paisley baby quilt

Still unnamed, this baby quilt was made using some extra star blocks and the first border was added using parts of the star to create a secondary 4-pointed star design. Pieced using Marti Michell templates, make those Peaky and Spike type blocks a breeze. Machine quilted used Superior Perfect Quilter thread, Warm and Natural batting. For my great-nephew, due this month.

Basket Weave

Trying to get caught up with the BOWs, this is Week 4, block 4 Basket Weave, and my fifth block. Rotary cut, machine pieced using some of the 5" squares I got at PIQF last year.