FWS blocks - Contrary Wife and Corn & Beans

BOW #12 for the Farmer's Wife Sampler was #21 Contrary Wife, which I was about to cut out anyway, so that was a pleasant surprise. Cut using Marti Michell templates B12 and B13.

While I had those templates out, I pulled out two more, B14 and D29, to make the next block in the book, Corn and Beans.

33 done, 80 to go. These blocks were sitting next to each other on the design wall, and the background fabric is the same. Boy, does each one look different.

Let's Go Fly a Kite

The other day I finally finished the binding on my California North American Mystery Quilt which I call"Let's Go Fly a Kite". The background fabric is Peking Kids, where in another print you can see the kids flying kites. These are just the Kites.

I did kites and kite tail quilting in the background pieces, and a large stipple in the orange bow tie sections.

The blue border is also from the Peking Kids line, but the oranges were all leftovers from my Women of the Bible quilt, still a UFO, but no more orange is needed. The border has kite tail quilting. All of the quilting was done free motion, no marking, on my Bernina 630. The quilt is about 62" square, with cotton batting (I thing it was warm and natural, but it might have been Hobb's Heirloom), from leftovers of another quilt.

FWS blocks - Frienship Star and Friendship

Friendship Star was the BOW (#11), and while I had the book open (or EQ6 up), I decided to also cut out Friendship.

Friendship used Marti Michell templates C20 (four cut from light fabric), and A2 and A6 (cut 4 dark fabrics using each template, so a small and a large triangle from each fabric). I found these went together nicely if I pressed two squares' seams towards the large triangles and two squares' seams towards the small triangles, then the seams nested when I sewed the squares together.


Friendship Star used B12 and B13 (like so many other blocks in this quilt). I reversed the dark and light fabrics, making a gold star in a black background.
31 blocks done, 82 to go!

Not much quilting going on

While I am working away at trying to finish my Kites quilt ( stitching down binding when I get the chance, hopefully some more tomorrow night), I have been mostly working on making shopping bags for gifts. I finished up the sixth one today, sending three to each sister-in-law. I get complements on mine, they hold a bunch and they are sturdy, and did I mention they look good? They might get used to wrap the other presents that we bought, or not. This is the same bag I did this summer with the flower fairy fabric (to hold the flower fairy quilt).
Then I also made two pillowcases for the eight year old, with paper doll fabric that is just too cute.

I did actually make one block today, using Marti Michell's 5-patch templates, making a humongous 12" block.

Too tired to cut, so I think I will just read a bit then go to bed.

FWS BOW#10 - 93: Streak of Lightening

A somewhat longer post than I would typically do for this block. It was rotary cut, and not correctly the first time, I cut a few a bit too long, as is evident in the first photo. There shoud be:
3 light and 3 dark 1 1/2" squares
7 light and 8 dark 1 1/2" x 2 1/2" rectangles
Then I proceeded to lay them out wrong. It is always a good idea to look at the picture, which I neglected this time. So I cut out an extra dark rectangle, thinking I hadn't counted right.

I actually pieced the whole block before realizing my mistake, and came up with this new block

I proceeded to rip apart part of the block, I could actually use five of the rows, and only needed to dissamble (rip-it) one row and use that extra light piece I thought I had cut in error. After re-arranging I came up with this:

And finally a Streak of Lightening block.

Christmas wall hanging

Taking a break from small blocks, sort of. I made a Christmas wall hanging using a pre-printed panel from Clothwork Fabrics (Peppermint Cottage by Diane Knott for CF). It will go in my cubicle for the holiday season. It only has six 6" blocks in it :), which I did make using Marti Michell templates. Just can't seem to not use these when they are available.

Calico Puzzle, Churn Dash, Cats & Mice, Checkerboard

Calico Puzzle was pretty straightforward, used Marti Michell Templates B-12 and B-13

Then I skipped a few to do another nine patch, with the same templates, more or less. I strip pieced the bars, then trimmed with B-12.


Went back and did Cats and Mice, a block I had messed up when I did it for Sylvia's Bridal Sampler (I ripped and fixed it), so I was careful to get the fabrics in the right spot. Used Marti Michell templates G-11, D28, and D29

And while I had those templates out I madeCheckerboard with B-14, D28 and D29.

28 blocks done!

Buzzard's Roost

Once again, cutting this out with Marti Michell templates, A-1 (square), A-4 (large triangle) and A-6 (small triangle). The cropped corners made it easy to piece the triangles together. 24 blocks done, 89 to go.

Butterfly at the Crossroads

This is a 5-patch or 25-patch block, and I can't use Marti Michell templates for it. Boo hoo. so I went with regular paper templates and it took a while to cut this out and piece it too. Maybe I should have paper pieced it, but didn't.

Buckwheat

This block was made using Marti Michell templates B-14 and D-28. Checkerboard also uses these templates.

Broken Sugar Bowl

I used Marti Michell templates B-12 (large square). N-79 (small squares) and B-13 (triangles) for this block

Broken Dishes

I used paper pieced HST for this block. You could also use A-6

Bowtie

Bowtie is a block that can be cut with Marti Michell templates, but needs to have some of the pieces cropped. For a 6" block, use A-1 to cut two background and two bowtie pieces. If you want to use y-seam construction, cut one knot fabric with A-3, or if you want to piece the knot, no Y-seams, cut four knot fabrics with A-6.
Here is one A-1 piece before it is cropped

Use A-6 to crop A-1, it is easier to get the edges lined up if you use another template pushed against the fabric, then gently nudge A-6 against the template, lining up one edge (the far away edge that is harder to see).

Trim the extra triangle away.

You can see that it is smaller than the trimming piece, because of the seam allowance that you want to leave on the cropped A-1.

Since I am using Y-seams, I mark the seam allowance so I know where to stop stitching.

Here is the block before stitching. I noted that the stripes didn't line up nicely, so I cut another piece. I debated about using the same fabric for the knot, but decided not to after all.

Finished bowtie block with Y-seam construction.

Five more Farmer's Wife Sampler blocks

After playing around with these blocks yesterday, today I thought I would just start at the beginning, with #3 Basket (I already made 1 and 2). I modified the block just a bit to make it easier to applique the handle. Once again I used Marti Michell templates, A-5, A-6, A-2 and C-19. I trimmed C-19 with A-6 to get the odd bits of the basket. That is actually a neat trick I learned from the Patchwork Party blocks. To trim, place the appropriate piece such that the part to be trimmed is exposed, the seam lines virtually on top of each other, so the seam allowance is left. Not explaining that well. Next time I'll take a picture.

Then on to #5 Bat wing. This was templates printed from EQ6.

#6 Big dipper was made using the quarter square trick I learned from Jackie Robinson.

#7 Birds in the Air - I used A-2 and D29, but also used HSTs on gridded paper from http://www.blockcentral.com

#8 Bouquet, used MM templates, A-2, A6, and C-19 (trimmed with A-6), then rotary cut the background pieces that didn't have templates.

Have 18 blocks done now!

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.