It's been a long couple of weeks, but we're officially moved into the new house! Yay! Now the settling in has begun, from unpacking to organizing to decorating. I know I've still got a long way to go, but it's going pretty well so far, especially now that I've started to work on my new sewing space.

I'm totally loving the new neighborhood and house, and I'm loving all of the light in my new sewing room! I haven't spent as much time as I'd like in there yet, getting things set up, but yesterday after organizing the closet and hanging my bulletin board, design wall, and a few favorite minis, I decided it was time to turn on the sewing machine. It felt like it'd been eons since I've sewn - so I was definitely jonesing to make something. I wanted to sew something small, something that wouldn't take too long, but that would help me get just a little bit of my sanity back!



So, I turned to a project I haven't worked on in almost two years: the Farmer's Wife Sampler. AnneMarie busted hers out earlier this summer, which put the idea in my head. I really hadn't given the project much thought since I set it aside, but breaking it out of the box really put a smile on my face. I had forgotten just how many blocks I'd made so far - 37 out of 111! So, I think over the next couple of weeks as I finish up this whole settling in business, I might just make a few more of these guys. They were crazy quick to put together, and awfully satisfying.



The first block I worked on was block #37, Flower Pot. I didn't really notice at first that the block required Y-seams, but I didn't let that stop me when I was piecing, I just kept on trucking and they turned out just fine. I forgot how quick even the more involved Farmer's Wife blocks are! That's the beautiful thing about 6" blocks, they're great for little bursts of sewing time, even if they have challenging bits.



I couldn't resist putting together a second block after the first one came together so quickly. I chose the Friendship Star, block #41, knowing it would be really easy to sew up. I used one of my favorite, classic color combos: red and aqua. I like the way that not only the colors contrast one another, but the prints are somewhat contrasting as well, with the red print being much more harsh and geometric than the softer aqua print.



As I stepped outside to take pictures of my finished blocks, I happened to catch a deer family in the backyard. It's been such fun to see all the wildlife in the conservation that our new house backs up to. I get positively giddy when I see these beautiful deer!



I hope you're all having a great week! Where did the week go? It's going to be August next week, can you believe it? Just a few short weeks before school starts back up around here! Have a great weekend :)

Thanks to some heavy-duty Sudafed and a waning cold, I climbed back up on the Farmer's Wife horse this weekend, which was both refreshing and infuriating all at the same time.  Let's start with the refreshing, shall we?

Block 38: Four Winds
This block has way too many pieced, but I'm really pretty happy with how it turned out.  I used a Joel Dewberry print from Modern Meadow, Lizzy House's pearl bracelet print in pond from Red Letter Day, a Kate Spain print from Central Park, and the green print from Erin McMorris's Weekends collection.   I love the little purple pinwheel in the center, that's what makes this block my favorite of the bunch.


Block 39: Friendship
This block was a breeze to put together, and I could definitely see myself making an entire quilt using a block like this.  I love how cheerful this block is.  The fabrics in this block come from Soul Blossoms, DS's Fairgrounds, Kumari Garden, and Metro Living.


And now for the infuriating...this block is #36, Flower Garden Path.  This block was terribly infuriating to put together.  In fact, I may just redo it at some point...just not today :)  There's just too much going on in the block with the Good Folks fabrics I used, and the dark DS print I used is actually supposed to meet in the center.  Oh well.


Block 40: Friendship Block
I used one of my favorite Good Folks prints in this block, which automatically makes me want to like this block.  That being said, though, I feel like it's a bit...loud.  It's hard to see the actual pattern of the block.  It just feels like the Sanctuary fabric and Good Folks fabric are competing with each other rather than working together.


For the record, I skipped block 35, Flower Basket, and block 37 Flower Pot.  I've decided that it's okay to skip the blocks I don't like, that it doesn't make a bad quilter.  It was kind of empowering to skip over those two blocks and keep on trucking.  So, having skipped those two, I now have a total of 38 blocks finished for this quilt.

Here's all my Farmer's Wife blocks all together, they're starting to look awfully pretty all together, don't you think?

I really haven't forgotten about the farmer, it's just been busy around my sewing room, getting ready for the Sewing Summit, meeting some behind-the-scenes deadlines, and so forth...so this is my first Farmer's Wife update this month.  I'm now 34 blocks into this quilt, and I still really enjoy the hour or so I spend on two blocks a week.


This week's blocks were a test in random fabric selection, and a bit of an epic fail.  I attempted the brown paper bag method of fabric selection, as I was feeling a little blocked, trying to figure out what the quilt needed more of.  I forgot to follow my usual mantra with fabric selection for this quilt - use what inspires me, use what I'm drawn to.  The paper bag experiment was fun, in a way, but I'll definitely be going back to the old way next week.


Block #33: Farmer's Puzzle
This block used some of my least favorite templates - the parallelograms.  I like squares.  I like rectangles.  I even like triangles.  But a rectangle that's got angled sides?  Not a fan.  I know, it's weird, I dislike a shape, but there you have it.  I'm pretty sure this isn't the first odd thing you've learned about me ;)  Anyway, this is the block that worked out pretty well as far as the fabrics are concerned.  There's a good bit of contrast here, which is what makes this block work well, and I'm happy with how it turned out.


Block #34: Flock
I kind of felt like I'd already done this block, but it's really a variation on another block I did a while back, the watermelon-esque one, Birds in the Air.  This one was easy enough to put together, but this is the block where the random fabric selection just plain didn't work.  There needed to be a bit more contrast between the two fabrics in the larger HSTs, but oh well.  I think it gives the overall quilt some character, maybe a place to rest your eyes amongst all the bright colors in the quilt.

So...just another 77 blocks to go now!  It's starting to really look like a quilt!  If only block #35 didn't involved needle-turn applique...it's quite possible I may skip that block, at least for now.  Maybe at the Sewing Summit, someone will teach me how to do needle-turn applique.  I can't really see why I need to have two different basket blocks for this quilt, anyway...

And check it out, I was interviewed by Angie at Stitching by Starlight for her 10 for 10 series.  She's got a super yummy stack of fabric up for grabs, too, so hop on over!

Well, I didn't get a chance to share my Farmer's Wife blocks last week, so I've got four blocks to share with you this week.  This week's blocks were relatively simple to piece, so there's not much to tell, other than that they look pretty cute, and they don't have seventeen layers of interfacing...unlike another wip I've got at the moment ;)  Please pardon the not-so-fabulous photos - we had a seriously gloomy, stormy day yesterday, so I didn't have a lot of light to work with, and combine that with my lack of camera skills, and this is what you wind up with.  Anyway, here's how all the blocks look together...


Block #27: Darting Birds
This block looked intimidating, and while it was mildly time-consuming (then again, compared to the Economy block, they all are time-consuming), but it was relatively simple to piece.  I used a bright print from Amy Butler's Soul Blossoms collection paired with my favorite aqua print from Kate Spain's 12 Days of Christmas collection.


Block #28: Duck and Ducklings
In the book, this block is shown in red and black, and it looks quite striking.  Somehow, in aqua and purple, it's somewhat less striking, but I'm still happy with how it turned out.  I used an aqua print from Dena Designs' Kumari Garden collection and a purple print from Kate Spain's Central Park collection.


Block #29: Economy
The simplicity of this block, after all of the tedious blocks before it was a welcome change.  This block was by far the easiest to put together, of all 30 I've made, and with the fewest number of pieces as well.  I wish I'd chosen fabrics with a bit more contrast, though.  I used a green and blue print from Dena Designs' Kumari Garden collection and a lime green print from Erin McMorris's Weekends collection.


Block #30: End of Day
This block was another one that was relatively simple to put together, but I really love how it finished up, and I think that's due to some pretty nice fabric selection on my part.  I love the hot pink Mendocino print I used here, the pop of color and fun that it brings to this block.  I really like the way this block finishes up, and I could see myself making this block again, maybe in a bigger size than 6.5", but for another bee maybe.  I used three fabrics here, the dark blue from Robert Kaufman's Metro Living, the lighter blue from DS Quilts's Picnic & Fairgrounds collection, and the hot pink from Heather Ross's Mendocino collection.

Happy Tuesday to you!  Time to catch up on my Farmer's Wife Quilt Along progress, I've got two new blocks to share with you, and one of them just happens to be my new favorite...


Block #25: Cups & Saucers (a.k.a. my new favorite block)
This block was very straightforward and simple to put together, but impressive looking all the same.  I could definitely see myself making this block again in a quilt.  I love the fabrics I picked for this block, which is probably what's really driving this block to be my new favorite (narrowly edging out my Churn Dash block) - the purple print is from Kate Spain's Central Park collection and the blue/green dot is from Amy Butler's Love collection.
Block #26: Cut Glass Dish
It's no secret that my seam ripper has been my constant companion while working on these blocks.  When I tackled this block, I thought it was pretty straightforward, and felt real confident.  Until I did this...

The triangles should all face the same direction and look identical...

Argh!  I grabbed my handy-dandy seam ripper and fixed that sucker up, but oh boy, it was a good thing the munchkin was out with his daddy, because there was a lot of cursing about my silly mistake there.  I was able to fix it, but I'm still not in love with this block.  I like the contrast in the blues, but I'm not loving the Sanctuary print I used for the larger squares.  I suspect when I finish this quilt and put it all together that this block might wind up looking kind of interesting.  The dark blue print is from Densye Schmidt's DS Quilts collection, the lighter blue from Bonnie & Camille's Bliss collection, and the pink and peach print comes from Patty Young's Sanctuary collection.

Thanks everybody for all of the feedback on yesterday's post, I really appreciate it!!

It's Tuesday, so that means it's time to talk about my progress with the Farmer's Wife Quilt Along.  I kid you not, this week I made a block that looks like triangle vomit.  It's not even a hot mess, it's just a bad mess, thanks to some seriously lackluster fabric choices.  But, I will press on!

Block #23: Country Farm
I really like this block.  It was crazy easy to put together, in comparison to the block that follows, and I'm really happy with the fabrics I used to make this block.  The fabrics for this block come from Erin McMorris's Weekends, DS Quilts' Picnic & Fairgounds, Anna Maria Horner's Garden Party, and Robert Kaufman's Metro Living.


Block #24: Country Path (a.k.a. Triangle Vomit)
On paper, this block doesn't look so offensive.  Sure, it's all brown and dusty looking, but the saturation and value changes make the block work.  But, I apparently was caffeine-deprived or something when I selected my fabrics and started cutting them, because my block looks like such a matchy-matchy mess with zero contrast.  I thought, momentarily, about redoing this block and starting over, but I either don't dislike it enough to scrap it or I don't like the block design itself enough to redo it, so it stays.  The fabrics from this block come from Robert Kaufman's Metro Living, Alexander Henry's Farmdale, and Bonnie & Camille's Bliss.


I am frighteningly close to being a quarter of the way through this quilt.  Every week, I half expect for the charm of the farmer to wear off, and for me to get bored with this quilt along, but I'm really enjoying (despite the griping) learning new block designs and learning more about quilting through this quilt along.  I get a little excited each week when I take out all of my blocks to put up on my design wall and see how they look.


I'm extra excited today because I am headed out tonight (yay!), after dark (double yay!) to see "The Help" with my best friend.  Have you read "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett?  If not, oh my...you are in for a literary treat.  It is one of my all-time favorite books, I've read it (no joke) six times, and listened to the audiobook twice.

This week's Farmer's Wife blocks were definitely a mixed bag - I whipped up one of them in less than an hour, and then totally avoided the second one for a good several days, thanks to the 44 triangles it is comprised of.  I think this is the first week, however, that I managed to not unpick a single seam, which made me super happy.


Block #21: Contrary Wife
This was the easy block this week, and I'm really happy with how it turned out.  I put this block together pretty fast and was also really decisive about what fabrics I wanted to use.  I used some of Kate Spain's 12 Days of Christmas, Patty Young's Sanctuary, and Robert Kaufman's Metro Living.


Block #22: Corn & Beans
I avoided this block for several days.  When I tallied up how many triangles I'd have to cut out to make this block, I started to dread it.  See, me and triangles, we're just not friends the way that me and squares are.  I'm just not as precise when I work with fabric that's got a bias cut to it.  But, I joined this quilt along in part to expand my sewing skills and grow as a quilter, so I sucked it up (after seriously considering skipping this block).  I'm pretty happy with this one, though there are a few wonky bits, like the way I lost a few of the triangle points.  I used some Sew Happy, Flea Market Fancy, and Farmdale.


Even though the fabrics are kind of all over the place and the blocks are all different, this is really starting to feel like a quilt.  I actually look forward to my Farmer's Wife blocks every week at this point, and I really like getting them out and putting them all up on the wall together.  Next week, I've got two pretty straight-forward looking blocks, Country Farm and Country Path.  Stay tuned to see how that goes!

This was an easy breezy Farmer's Wife week, phew!  I made two more blocks, one of which is my new personal favorite, thanks to some super bright fabric choices.

Block #19: Checkerboard
I'm mildly disappointed with my fabric choices on this one - they're a bit muted, in comparison to the rest of my blocks.  This was a relatively easy block to put together, which made me happy, but I wish I'd used a different fabric rather than the blue Bliss print here.  It's just too soft when paired with the white and blue flowered print I used as a background fabric.  Lesson learned - go bold or go home with my fabrics!


Block #20: Churn Dash
While this classic block is pretty popular, this is the first time I've ever done it.  It was definitely a breeze to put together, and I'm really happy with the fabrics I used on this one.  This orange Metro Living print might be practically neon, but I really dig it, and it pairs awesomely with a blue print from Kumari Garden and a blue print from DS Quilts' Picnic & Fairgrounds collection.


I've now got 20 blocks all put together, which makes me feel somewhat accomplished.  I'm getting to the point where I'm almost a quarter of the way through this quilt - wow!  What a thought!  I definitely feel like I've polished my traditional piecing skills, and even the tricky blocks have been worth the effort.  If you haven't already caved in on this quilt-along yet, you might want to give it some thought!

Look at that - I've got 18 blocks finished now for the Farmer's Wife Quilt Along!  I'm pleased that I'm sticking with this project, given that I'm not usually known for sticking with long term projects.  Then again, I've never stuck with a hobby as long as I have sewing and quilting, so I suppose it all makes sense!

It's funny, I tend to find myself attracted to square and rectangle based blocks and quilt patterns, so half the fun of the Farmer's Wife Quilt Along, for me, is stepping outside my comfort zone and working with triangles.   But working with 48 of them for two stinking blocks felt a bit overwhelming.  When I saw the templates for Block #18, Century of Progress, though, I was a little freaked out.  I got lots of nice comments last week about how it was not a scary block, and that all would be well, and I was pleasantly surprised with how well it turned out.


Block #17: Cats & Mice
I had a tough time deciding on fabrics for this block - I just wasn't sure what to add next to my super scrappy FW quilt.  Ultimately, I'm pretty happy with how this turned out, and I'm pretty pleased at how the points seem to (mostly) line up throughout the block.  Those hourglass sub-blocks are super teeny tiny!


Block #18: Century of Progress
I don't love this block...though I do very much dig the fabrics I used for this one.  I'm just not loving the layout of this block - in fact, if I did it again (which I don't think I would), I think I would lay the fabrics out a bit differently.  The way the fabrics move through the block just feels off to me - but that could totally be the fabrics I used.


Next week, I'll be tackling two (seemingly) easy blocks, so I'm looking forward to them.  And look!  Only four triangles!  Yay!!!!

For some reason, I was really feeling this quilt-along over the last week.  I wound up doing four blocks this week for two reasons.  1) I cut out all of the fabric for the first two, and thought I might need some easier blocks to cheer me up if the first two didn't go so well, since the first two looked a bit intense and 2) The second two looked so simple to put together, I thought I might as well sew them up too.

Here's what all of my blocks look like together now...all sixteen of them!


Block #13: Buckwheat
I cursed this block.  A lot.  There's tiny eight HSTs in this block, as well as 12 other non-HST triangles and a handful of squares.   It wasn't so much the piecing, it was how tiny each of the darn sub-block units was that brought out my sailor's mouth.  In the end, I think this block worked out nicely, but I am very happy to have it behind me now.


Block #14: Butterfly at the Crossroads
After Buckwheat, everything else seemed simple.  This block was a breeze to put together, although I'm not in love with the final look, because of my fabric choices.   Wish I'd gone for pink instead of red.  Oh well, next time.


Block #15: Buzzard's Roost
I'm really happy with my fabric choices on this one, I love the monochromatic look of this block...but it came out a bit wonky. I may remake this one at some point, but for now, I'm moving on.


Block #16: Calico Puzzle
I actually stuck with the color palette the drawing in the book shows, which I'm pretty happy with.  This block was definitely the easiest to put together of the four I did this week.  I'm really happy I was able to work in the blue print, which I picked up at a not-so-local quilt shop kind of in the middle of nowhere.  In a shack.  Well, it looked like a shack on the outside, at least, but on the inside, oh...modern fabric heaven.  Loulouthi, Innocent Crush, Good Folks, Bijoux, Nicey Jane, Soul Blossoms, Folksy Flannel, Modern Meadow, and soooooo many more.  And these awesome buckets of 5" charm squares that were 12/$1.  We went through every single one of those buckets (which took somewhere around 2 hours) and bought all of the good ones, including these blue prints, which I'm fairly sure are from Anna Maria Horner's Garden Party.  So...this block makes me happy because it's cute and because it makes me remember a super fun, crazy fabric shopping trip.   Although, as AnneMarie so kindly pointed out, one of my HSTs is pointing the wrong direction on this block, so, I guess I'll be doing some seam ripping on this one as well...argh...


There's a block next week that I'm kind of dreading - #18, Century of Progress.  But I'm going to press on, maybe I'll learn something, working with scalene triangles.  Yikes!

When I saw that the two blocks for this week were full of triangles, I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up a little bit.  I'm starting to feel a bit HST'd out at the moment, after having pieced another 50 HSTs for my warm/cool quilt, but fortunately, these two blocks came together quite easily.

Block # 11: Broken Dishes

The original block from the book

My take on Broken Dishes

This block is comprised of 32 triangles, and came together surprisingly easily.  I think I'm finally getting the hang of working with triangles.   I really like the contrast between the fabrics I used in this block, which are from Erin McMorris's Weekends collection and Amy Butler's Love collection, respectively.  I adore that Amy Butler Sun Spot print, it's one of my favorite polka dot prints ever!

Block #12: Broken Sugar Bowl


I really like this block.  I interpreted it a bit differently than the book, using a lighter valued print for the corner squares and coordinating center squares, and I really like how it turned out.

So here's what all my blocks look like together so far, all twelve of them - and so far, I'm really digging the whole scrappy approach.  I was concerned at first, about them looking just too crazy, but so far, it's looking great.  Some of these fabrics have been sitting in my scrap bin for a while, waiting to become something, so it's a bit exciting to start using them and to start seeing my scraps shrinking!