Farmer's wife

I finally finished all my farmer's wife blocks!  I made 80 blocks, so it will finish out at a good capsize.  Looking back, I've been working on these blocks in March of 2015!  That means it's been nearly 4 years...that is blowing my mind.  Time just keeps marching on.

I've been working on sewing blocks together to make the top, hopefully I finish this up soon.  I can't wait to see it together.  Normally I don't gravitate to sampler quilts, but this one was really fun.  Almost makes me want to start another.  :). First I've got to finish all my current projects.

I'm still here...

It's been a while since I've been on this space, but I'm hoping to be back more regularly.  Summer always gets the best of me, my kids keep me busy (as they should) when they are home all day...

I live just outside Houston, and we were hit by Hurricane Harvey a month ago. I can hardly believe it has been that long.  Our home went under mandatory evacuation and we moved as much upstairs as we could, packed up our car with a few items and our family and left.  What a roller coaster of emotions the whole ordeal has been! We were lucky and spared damage to our home, but we have been busy helping those less fortunate. The picture above shows how close we were to flooding.  I live on upper side of this creek, and just over the bridge was flooded. :(

I have new respect for natural disasters, and especially flooding. It is devastating! It's one thing to see it on the TV, it's another to walk into and see it in person. Working side by side with homeowners as we cleaned out their flood damaged homes, tossing so much of their lives onto the curb, and then gutting the damaged floors, walls, cabinets is heartbreaking. These are real people, just like you and me... Flood water is no respecter of persons. It's been very humbling for us. 

I have learned that people are kind. They are good. They want to help their neighbors. People aren't selfish, they are generous. There isn't as much hate as Facebook wants us to think there is. For over a month I have seen it in my community and in person. It gives me hope that the world is a better place than I might have thought it was before Harvey. It makes me really hopeful for my kids. They are going to be okay. This world isn't as scary as I thought it was.

As clean up winds down for me (not so much because the work is done, but because the homes have become so moldy that it's not safe for most of us to go into), I'm hoping to get back to normal if possible.

My youngest started Kindergarten this fall, so all four of my kids are in school now (after being out for 2+ weeks). I'm finding pieces of time here and there to sew again. I started another half square triangle quilt, because it might be my favorite block. No rhyme or reason to this one, just random pairings of fabric...and I really like it.

New starts

I'm still working my way through my scraps...it's such a slow process!  I should be finishing some of these quilts up, but instead I start something new.  Ashley posted a tutorial on her blog for this first one... I love her solid version A LOT!

Inspiration for this quilt was found on Pinterest.  I cut my rectangles 2.5"x3.5", but as I'm looking at my inspiration, they look longer, 2.5"x4".  Either way, I really like this one.  

Spellbound Quilt along

Another new quilt pattern from Fat Quarter Shop.  This one is called Spellbound and uses 2 Jelly-Rolls (2.5 inch strips), plus yardage to make.  It also uses a specialty ruler from Creative Grids, the 90 degree Double Strip Ruler, I'm not one to buy all the quilting rulers, but this did make cutting triangles a breeze.  

 I used Carolyn Friedlander's new line called, Friedlander to make this, with some low volume prints mixed in for the background, but the low volume could easily be substituted for color and would give the quilt a totally different look.

 I'm still debating how to quilt this, it's a pretty big one, measuring 64.5x80.5"!

 The sun was really bright when I took the top pics, I felt like it really washed the quilt out, so here is a shot indoors.  I don't know if I will ever tire of Carolyn Friedlander fabrics.  They are so unique.

Additional Spellbound quilts can be found here.

Scrap busting and planning

I am on a scrap busting mission.  After this quilt and this quilt, I wanted to keep going through my scraps.

 This scrappy rail fence was totally inspired by this quilt by Amanda Jean, and it is a good one.  I can see my bucket of scraps shrinking.  Each square is 3.5 x 3.5, so it uses many of the smallest scraps I keep.  I've been sewing nine 3.5 inch square into one 12.5 inch block.  It keeps me going and keeps my sewing space a little more organized.  

The scrappy rails led to this scrappy log cabin.  Each log finishes at 1 inch in width, and the finished square is 5.5 inches.  I don't love this one as much as the first, but I'm sure as it grows i'll like it better.  

Not sure how long these will take, but I have visions of using up all my scraps...haha.  I know it's wishful thinking, but I'm starting to think I want to change the way I store scraps.  Currently I have one larger bin that I keep near my cutting table, as I cut I add the leftovers to it, and as I sew I always sift through it.  When it gets full I sort it into colors and transfer to separate color bins.  

I want to eliminate the color bins.  I rarely use them, because they are put away and they are starting to bother me.  Why keep stuff if I am not using it?  So...I will keep sewing scrappy quilts until my bins are empty (fingers crossed) and then just have one big bin.  When it gets full I'll either make a quilt, or give the scraps away.  That's the plan...we will see if I stick with it.

Farmer's Wife Blocks again

It seems I get excited about my Farmer's Wife Blocks about every 6 months.  I finished up another batch and am so happy with them and my progress.  I'm actually seeing the light at the end of the quilt block tunnel.

Here's all of them...I have 64 completed.  My goal is 80, layout will be 8x10.  I think that'll make a good throw size quilt.

I love seeing the evolution of my scraps...This last batch, especially, took a more muted turn.  Not as bright, and I really like it.

previous posts about my farmer's wife

A couple Quilt tops!

I finished up a couple quilt tops this weekend!  Yay!  I'm chipping away at my projects. 

First up, this flying geese quilt.  I was mostly inspired by this quilt, but there are several like this out in the blogosphere.  I used the bloc-loc ruler for this one, and it was better than I thought it would be! I highly recommend it.

 I also finished up this quilt top, a great scrap buster, too.  (And while we are here, the leaves on my maple tree are shrivelling up on the ends, you can kind of see it in the picture.  It happens every year and I haven't figured out what is wrong...any tree experts out there?)

Schools back

Well, summer got the better of me.  I didn't sew much at all, and what I did sew was very slow going.   We've been back in school now for a couple weeks and I have time again!  I'm having a hard time staying focused on one project...a little of this and a little of that.

First up, Shimmer.  (Pattern found here.)  I love picking fabrics to put together in these blocks, and they go together quickly.  

I couldn't resist April Rhodes new fabric line, Observer, and thought it worked really well with this HUGE block, it's 36 inches.  Pattern is from the Moda Building Blocks quilt booklet.  I don't want to make the entire quilt, but I need to figure out how to make it bigger.  I'm a little stumped on this one, so I put it away for a bit.  Maybe some inspiration will  strike.

And lastly I've been trying to use up scraps.  The never ending love/hate relationship I  have with scraps.  There are just so many of them, and they never run out.  I can't decide if I should arrange this pattern horizontally or vertically.

Actually, lastly, I'm wondering if anyone has a favorite charity they donate quilts to.  I would love to a place that takes quilt tops too.  Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

more farmer's wife blocks

I've been working on my Farmer's Wife blocks again.  I love making these blocks, they are small enough that most come from my scrap bin, some are really quick and others take more time.

I think I've settled on a size.  I'm going to make it throw size, so 8x10 (blocks)--maybe even 9x11.  So far I've made 48 blocks (see here), so I have 32 more to make.

more farmers wife blocks

I'm slowly plugging along, working on my farmers wife blocks.  I go through spurts.  Sometimes I love making them and sometimes I really want to work on something else...So far I haven't used templates (as the book recommends), I've just been using math to figure out pieces, but I'm running out of blocks that I can figure out.  I'm going to have to go to templates or foundation piecing.

All my blocks together.

I haven't decided how big I want it to be.  Probably lap size.

half square triangles (HST)

Tiger Lily, by Heather Ross, and half square triangles will always be a good combination (even on a wrinkled quilt top).  The half square triangle is one of the most basic blocks in quilting making it one of my very favorite blocks.  They are easy to make and versatile.  I appreciate intricate piecing, but I sure love simple.  (I use this method for making my half square triangles.)

I loved this quilt so much (and I need another baby quilt), that I decided to recreate it with prints.  I think I like it just as much, especially with these sweet Heather Ross fabrics.

scrappy strips

I finished another quilt top this week, I'm making up for lost time this summer.  It's amazing how much time I get back when my kids are in school.  

What I really need to do is baste some quilt tops, but since I do it in my garage, and it's still HOT, it's going to have to wait.

Tutorial found here.  (I used all scraps, no strips.)

Cheerio!

Pattern is Cheerio by Camille Roskelley.

I loved making this quilt top.  I used all scrap and stash fabrics.  Now to figure out a backing...

Scrap Busting

I have a serious love-hate relationship with scraps.  I really love scrappy quilts, but the actual scraps kinda stress me out.  I think because they never go away.  As hard as I try, I never feel like I have them under control.  I know I should just get rid of them--give them away, sell them, but then I really don't want to part with them.  When I sew with scraps, I would rather be cutting into stash.  When I sew with stash, I feel that guilt of adding to my scraps pile.  It's really kind of ridiculous and almost embarrassing.  I have started buying smaller cuts of fabric, fat quarters or quarter yards.  That seems to help my guilt.  

Inspiration for these blocks was found here.  Modified a little.  

around the world again

I have a good friend who casually asked me if I would be willing to make her a quilt.  She'd pay me and everything, but she just wanted a quilt that she could use as a picnic blanket, or around the house.  

This friend happened to have a birthday coming up (and is also a great gift giver, the kind that you never know what to get them), so I convinced myself that I could make her a quilt in 2 weeks.   It happened to be right in the middle of a busy two weeks, and I managed to get the quilt top done (another scrappy trip around the world), and then my energy petered out and I didn't finish it.  I ended up getting her something else, and decided I'd save this for a Christmas gift or something. 

It's still sitting in my sewing room, it's May and I just haven't had time to baste it.  Now it's HOT and HUMID, and I have even less motivation to work on it.  Maybe once the kids are out of school (2 more weeks), we will be bored enough.  

I do love this pattern, and I am planning to use those horseshoes on the back, I think it'll be a good one.

Reel Time

I've been playing with new fabric this week, Reel Time by Zen Chic for Moda.  This is a fun line, and  compliments her earlier, wildly-popular fabric line, Comma, perfectly.

The line is inspired by elements and colors from the film industry.  I received a layer cake, and didn't even get a picture of all the prints before I started cutting into it.  (You can see them all here).  The blacks and whites (and greys) really stood out to me, so I sewed up flying geese and half square triangles.  

I haven't settled on a layout yet, I feel like it needs more, perhaps some color?  Somewhere to rest the eyes?  I'm not sure...

But I'm loving it so far.  These prints might add just the right amount of color.  

 Other colors from the line (I LOVE those circle x's).

follow along the blog tour this week: 
April 13:  www.kitchentablequilting.com
April 14:  www.freshlypieced.com
April 15:  www.diaryofaquilter.com
April 16:  www.modernhandcraft.com
April 17:  www.luckylucille.com
April 18:  www.craftytwinmommy.blogspot.com
April 19:  www.aspoonfulofsugardesigns.com

fancy foxes

My neighbor and I are putting together a quilt for our soon-to-be-high-school-graduate neighbor.  We decided to make a fox quilt, and and I get why this quilt is so popular, these little foxes are FUN to make.  We let our kids help pick out fabrics, and we might label them, you can see elsie on the nose up there.  

embroidery

A friend of mine embroidered the squares in this quilt for her grand daughter and then asked if I would be willing to finish the quilt.  So I got it put together, and now I am completely unsure of how to quilt it.  I know I can't go over the embroidery, so I'm going to stitch in the ditch around each block, but after that I'm not sure.  I've considered in the ditch on the whole thing, which might be best, but I'm not the best in the ditch quilter.  I'd love to hear your suggestions.

farmer's wife

I've had the Farmer's Wife book for a couple years, and have finally started making the blocks.  All the blocks are 6.5 inches, and they have been so fun to make.  Each block is different, so it doesn't get old.  I usually make four at a time.  I don't plan to make every block, I think I'll make mine lap size.

I messed up the bottom right two blocks.  I don't know how I put them together wrong, but once they are together, I just don't want to take them apart.  I think they look fine too.  The navy blue/mint green one kinda looks like a bird.  Can you see it?

(the book has templates for each of the blocks, but I really don't like templates, so I have been modifying each block (somewhat) using my rotary cutter and ruler.  The blocks I can't figure out, I will either use the templates, or foundation piece.)

Merry December

Can you believe that we are already in the middle of the holiday season???  I can't.  I've been sewing up a few things for Christmas, and started this cute Christmas sampler quilt along that was going on over on instagram.  Hosted by Lori Holt.  Many of the patterns are free, and some are from her book, Quilty Fun. 

I don't often sew such cute blocks, and I am enjoying them so much.  This is a pretty small quilt, so I am working on some extra blocks to make it bigger.  I want a quilt we can sit under.  So, the fun continues.