Farmer's Wife Friday (on Saturday!)

I pull out my Farmer's Wife quilt blocks when I want to sew, but can't make up my mind what to do!  I found this site Craft Sew Create that hosts a linky every Friday for people like me that are still plugging along. Maybe I'll actually finish mine this year!

 

 

This week's block, Birds in Air (or Flying T's as my grandson calls them!)

 

I haven't taken an updated picture of my blocks lately, I have about 25 done, but I'm not happy with all the colour combinations, so I have to edit them and re-kit the ones I want to remake.

 

 

I might tackle that later today, but now I'm off to fix the toilet (I am woman, hear me roar!) and fight with my nemesis,

 

 

I hate vacuuming!

 

 

Trying something new!

I'm adding one more thing to my 3-things list, I have to sew for 20 minutes a day on something fun.  So today, I made one more block for my Farmer's Wife quilt-not-so-a-long. I'm up to 9 now.

Bowtie

Pardon the not-so-true colour, but it was 11 pm, when I took the picture.  For the first time, I tried double-stitching the corners to create HST blocks, but these babies are only 1 1/4" unfinished.  By the time I sew all four together, I will only get a 1 1/2" finished block - it would take an awful lot of those to make something with!  I think I'll just throw the cut-off triangles out if the bonus blocks turn out so small.

I didn't get the Thangles quilt top finished yet, all the rows (6) are together, so I just have to piece them together and add the outer border.  I'm setting aside an hour first thing Saturday morning for that, then I'm getting ready to do some machine quilting!

Sunday Stash Report, Week 26

Not much progress in numbers this week, but lots of little bits done!  It feels good to get back to sewing again.

Used this Week:  .5 metres

Used year to Date: 46.5 metres

Added this Week: 0 metres

Added Year to Date: 45.9 metres
Net Used for 2012: 0.6 metres

My only finish wasn't even sewing, just pressing and cutting!  I loved paper dolls as a child, but they had fallen out of fashion by the time my kids were old enough in the 1980's and I couldn't find them anywhere.  Now that I have grandbabies, I was thrilled a couple of years ago when I found "Aunt Lyndi's Paper Dolls" fabric panels.  I finally got around to ironing them to fusible pellon, and cutting them out for Alex to play with.  They should last longer than paper, and Zoey won't be able to tear them up. As per usual, I'm linking up with Judy Laquidara's Patchwork Times for the weekly stash reporting!

I'm still plugging away on my Thangles quilt as leaders and enders.  As I'm assembling the blocks, I'm finishing the HSTs, only about 16 of 200+ left.  Then I have to start on the cornerstones and sashing.  I wish I had thought of this trick before I had them all cut Fast and Easy Sashing with Cornerstones. 

I couldn't find my Farmer's Wife book, so bad me, I started another project.  I've been collecting batiks for this Judy Niemeyer quilt pattern for a couple of years now, and the strips have been sorted into colour groups, so I finally started.  This is a long-term project so I don't have a deadline for it.  

I probably should have started my Christmas sewing list instead.  While I was cleaning up my sewing room looking for that darn book, I filled my Christmas basket - I'll post more about that later!

Finally, I found my book (under just 2 magazines), and I made the yellow and blue Wrench (Block #111).  Here's all my blocks so far.

I started thinking about sashing, so I could attach them as I go.  I'd love to do a black and white checkboard with bright cornerstones, but in order for the scale to look okay it would have to be 1/2" squares finished.  I made a sample and although I love the look, it would take forever.  

So now I'm on the hunt for a black and white checkerboard fabric with 1/2" squares  - any hints?

Sunday Stash Report, Week 11 - A very busy week! (my totals are at the bottom!)

I've been slacking on the blog front again, work has been busy and I've been exhausted when I get home.  I even went to the doctor's to make sure there's no underlying reason, but other than my iron levels being on the low side of normal (which is typical for me) everything is okay. I've even managed to lose 15 pounds over the last year, and bring my blood sugar levels down.  Diabetes is a concern, and there is a family history of both types, and Type II is very prevalent once we hit 50.  I walked away with the usual instructions:  exercise 30 minutes a day, 5 times a week, cut back on the carbs, get more protein (that's a struggle for me, because I'm not a big fan of meat).  I'm sure I'll start feeling better now that Spring and more daylight is on the way.

Despite not reporting in last week, I did good not adding too much to the stash this last two weeks, even after a visit to Jo-Ann fabrics in Bellingham, WA, just across the border and about 45 minutes from my home (not including the wait at the border - which was almost an hour this time).  I had remarkable restraint and I only bought 1 yard of a beautiful teal batik, and 1/2 yard of PUL for a special project.  On the way home, I stopped by my LSS, Hamels and picked up a Charm Pack of Little Apples by Aneela Hooley.  I also got this when I was at Jo-Ann's!

I've been coveting this book and any of Bonnie Hunter's, so when I saw this on sale for just $12, I had to pick it up. I have another special project planned that involves Christmas fabric and an old T-shirt. Total fabric added this two-week period, once it was converted, was only 2 metres. 

Fabric used this two-week period was mostly in the last couple of days.  I finally finished quilting a flimsy that has been sitting around for about five years (well, only as a flimsy since July, but a UFO before that). 

My incentive was this cute little girl who came to spend the night, along with her cousin.  She's not quite crawling and the wood floors make it a challenge.

My girls and their husbands were getting together to celebrate my youngset daughter's 27th birthday, so I got the kidlets overnight - such a hardship ;o).  I can't believe my baby is getting close to 30, after all I'm only 39 - right?

I needed something to put in the bottom of the playpen for Zoey, so I managed to get this quilted and trimmed up just in time.  It was made with a panel called Wash Tub Club and features little overall-ed SunBonnet Sue's doing her weekly chores (like Monday is for washing, etc...)

I took this picture while I still had some daylight and before I was finished quilting it. I'm starting to get more comfortable with machine quilting, and moved out of my in-the-ditch comfort zone, and tried circles!  They were so easy and I love the effect on the back.

I don't want this quilt to be densely quilted, and I forgot to keep the wrapper for the batting, so I hope it will stand up.  The largest unquilted section is the four-inch square where each of the blocks are. I wish I knew what the batting was because it gives a really nice quilted effect, nicer than Warm and Natural.

Since I never counted that fabric out before, both the top and the muslin backing amounted to 5.5 metres. 

Since I made something for Zoey, I had to make something for Alex. My daughter brought back a cloth-book panel back from New Zealand when they went there for Christmas, and although he's past the cloth-book stage, it was a very cute book about animals in NZ.  I made it up last night and surprised him with it this morning. Another 0.6 metres out the door!

But that isn't all I got done this week! 

I pulled out my Farmer's Wife blocks again, and redid Block 6.  I didn't like the contrast of my first one (the blue one), and I'm much happier with the second.  The only thing is I seem to have forgotten how to foundation-piece and it's a little shy on some of the seams, but I'm not redoing it again!

I didn't stop there - I found this cute pattern by Monica Solorio-Snow - The Happy Zombie.

I pulled out that Charm Pack of Little Apples I just bought, and some Bella Solid Gray and put together these cute blocks.

I'm not sure where I'm going with this.  4 charm blocks make 2 - 6" blocks, so I'll get 20 blocks out of one charm pack, assuming I use the ones with a white background (not sure if I'll do that).  This one may become a table topper, a doll quilt or maybe I'll just have to pick up another charm pack or two!

And last but not least, the special project I bought the PUL for (this might be TMI for some people).  One of daughter's is allergic to every sanitary product she has tried.  Only recently, I became aware that some people have been making their own (why didn't I think of that!) so thanks to the internet and google, I found lots of patterns and instructions, but ended up making my own design.  The only holdup I have now is finding the right snaps to use.  A friend gave me some plastic ones usually used for cloth diapering, but I don't have the right snap pliers, so I'm not sure if my usual technique of hammering the crap out of it will work.  I've made two sizes for her to try, and then we'll try some more and see if they work better for her than the store-bought type.

Need to work on my topstitching skills!  But overall, they turned out good.  I'll put the snaps on the wings and she can snap them around her panties.  She loves the bright coloured one (sized bigger for night), I lean to the more discreet, but since she'll be the one wearing them, I'm going through my stash for fun, funky flannels.  The night one has 9 layers of flannel, the day one has five, but neither of them seem too bulky.  So, probably 1/2 metre of fabric, mostly scraps used!

Huge numbers this week - if only they could all be like this!

Used this Week: 6.6 metres

Used year to Date: 40.1 metres

Added this Week: 2 metres

Added Year to Date: 16.65 metres
Net Used for 2012: 23.45 metres

Which comes first - sewing or blogging?

It's been two months since I posted anything, and in that time I haven't sewn anything either.  I also didn't do a lot of blog-surfing until last week, which seems to have inspired me to do two things - sew a little and blog a little.  I'm still not sure if I sewed so I could have something to blog, or if I'm blogging because I sewed something!

I've jumped (crawled) onto the Farmer's Wife Quilt-A-Long (FWQAL) started by Amanda and Angela back in June.  I didn't really want to start another project and resisted most of the summer, but all those cute blocks out there had me digging through my stash. The only requirement was to purchase the book by Laurie Hird, so when I saw it at my local LQS Hamels, and I had a $25 gift card, it was meant to be. The original quilt is kind of dull and old-fashioned looking IMO, but when I saw what people have been posting, I wanted to try. Hamels, my local quilt shop, also sells great sample packages of new fabric lines which I have been collecting, so with some modern bright colours, I have become a "Farmer's Wife". 

Here they are in the order I've done them:

Block #1 - Attic Window

This one took me the longest.  It's been about 4 years since I learned how to foundation-piece and about 2 years since I've done it, so I had to relearn some of the essentials - like getting the fabric positioned correctly.  My seam ripper became my new best friend. I got the foundation pieces from a wonderful group online http://groups.yahoo.com/group/farmerswifesampler/.  I like foundation piecing for accuracy.

I must have ripped out the lime green about six times, then when I had it right I trimmed one edge 1/4" too small, so I had to redo both the orange and lime on one side.

Deets:  Fabric used:  Dilly Dally by Me & My Sister Designs for Moda (orange); Green & Blue - unknown coordinating line

Time: About 2 hours due to my ineptness

Block #2 Autumn Tints

I am using the book as a bit of a guide for colour choices.  The colours in the book used Fall-type colours, so that's what I went looking for!  Not even close to the book's choice.

This is the block I remembered that the numbers don't refer to the colour choice, but to the sewing order.  Took a little bit to figure that one out, but still not as long as the first one.

Deets:  Fabric used is from an unknown coordinating line from a sample pack. Took me about 1 hour.





Block #4 Basket Weave

I jumped forward to Basket Weave because #3 involved some applique, which I wasn't in the mood for yet.  I didn't bother foundation-piecing this one.  I sewed three 1 1/2" strips from a Honey Bun of Oh, Cherry, Oh I've been saving (hoarding) for a couple of years, waiting for the right project.  I then cut the strip set into 3 1/2" blocks, twisted and sewed and voila, my basket weave appeared. The bright colours and white background are perfect for the this project.  I've decided that white is going to be my background colour, so I eliminated anything that has a creamy or natural background (good-bye, Central Park and Fandango).

Deets:  Fabric used: Oh, Cherry, Oh by Me and My Sister Designs for Moda

Time: about 20 minutes

Block #3 Joanne's Basket

The last block of the evening was the basket with the applique handle.  I struggled with the book's colour placement, as the centre squares were the same fabric as the background, which to me made the basket look like it had a hole in it. Once I replaced them with the darker green print, it looked finished to me.  I forgot that the handle should have been appliqued on the top triangle before sewing it together, so I fiddled with it for a bit to finish the ends of the handle.  I'm still not happy with it, but I'm movin' on!

Deets:  Fabric:  Me and My Sister Designs - Green Dot from Happy, Pink Flower from Birdie (?), Darker Green print from same unknown sampler pack as Block #2

I have several scrappy projects on the go.  I've tried to get organized by putting my smaller scraps in colour-coded bins:

But that didn't last long, once Alex discovered them!



BUSTED!

Now he is helping me (very slowly) putting them back into the right bins - he's pretty good at knowing his colours, but a 3-year-old's attention span is short so it will be a long process!