Simplify

The makings of a Farmer's Wife

If you've been following along on Instagram, you know I recently pulled all my Farmer's Wife blocks out again.  I have 29 left to go to make the twin size version.  Yay!  (In case you aren't familiar with Farmer's Wife, it is a sampler quilt of 6" blocks made from templates. Read more about it here.)

When I got back to work, I had to stop and think about my process.  Then I remembered I had taken some photos way back in December (!) to show you how I put them together.  Oops.  So today I'm going to post them and maybe they will be helpful to us both.  Better late them never right?

*disclaimer:  This is only MY way of doing things.  It is not THE ONLY way of doing things.  It is one of many, many ways of piecing FW blocks.  

With that said, here are my steps to making a Farmer's Wife block:

1.  Put the kids to bed.  Get a Dr Pepper.  Turn on Downton Abbey.

2.  Pick 6 blocks from the Farmer's Wife book.  Mark them with paper clips, then find all the templates that go with each block and tuck them under the paper clip.  

3.  Dig through my scrap bucket and decide on the fabric for each block.  This is my favorite part.  It is also the messiest part.  I'm not sure what that says about me.  I tuck the little stack fabrics I want for each block between the pages or under the paper clip if they are small scraps. (Look extra close at the book in the picture above and you can see what I'm talking about)

4.  At this point I rough cut (with scissors) the pieces of fabric I need, leaving about 1/4" extra fabric all the way around.  You can see the extra fabric in this photo around the template.

5. In this block, there were 4 white squares.  I stacked 4 rough cut white pieces of fabric and put the template on top.  Using my teeny tiny rotary cutter, ruler and mat, I put the ruler on top of the template and line up the 1/4" line with the solid line on the template.  That way if I've shaved off bits of the template the pieces will always be the correct size.  Also, make sure the template stays put and doesn't slide around.

6.   I cut each side the same way, rotating my tiny mat instead of the fabric.  There are lots of cute slivers of fabric leftover, but very little waste.

7.  I'm sure it goes without saying, but keep your fingers away from the edge of the ruler, be super careful and never, ever, EVER cut off one of your fingers.  Just be extra careful, but really that is applicable anytime you use a razor blade that spins.

8.  Same with the template pieces that aren't square.  Simple.

9.  Lay all the pieces for the block.

Note:  In general, when you are handling the pieces, handle them very carefully and as little as possible so they don't stretch or distort.

10. Repeat until you have the pieces set out for all 6 blocks.

11.  CHAIN PIECE.  I can't say this enough. Chain piece, chain piece, chain piece.  With a perfect 1/4" seam.  Test it on scrap fabric and make sure it is accurate.  While your mat is sitting there with all the pieces on it, pick up and sew everything you can in one long chain.  Clip them apart, press well, lay them out and do it again.  Chain piecing 6 blocks at a time is the fastest, most effiecient way I've found. Unfortunately I don't have any photos of the part because my photographer was home on his lunch break and had to go back to work.  Darn work.  (Hi Jen ;-)

Note:  I rarely, if ever say to skip pinning.  But I do with these blocks.  The pieces are so tiny, I rarely pin, I just keep a close eye on things as I feed them through.  If it is off, I unpick (carefully!) and do it again.  It's like 10 stitches, people.  Easiest unpicking ever.

12.  Once the blocks are all pieced and pressed, make 105 more. :-)

I have loved every step of my Farmer's wife blocks.  I love piecing them, I love taking the time to try to get every point to line up.  I love looking through my blocks and all the fabrics used.  I cannot wait to get it all pieced and quilted and snuggle up with my family under it.  As long as they are freshly bathed and not covered in jam.  (You'd be surprised.)

And there you have it.  Did I miss anything?  Hope this helps!

Other Farmer's Wife posts here, here, here, and here.

Summersville

My cutting corner without any tidying.  That cord in the photo is killing me.

First of all, thank you so much for your sweet comments on the last post.  I appreciated each one of them.  They really make me want to try harder, without even making me feel guilty for being a slacker on here.  I have the best readers!  Thanks :-)

Maybe it's because it's called Summersville, but I've been dying to cut up this fabric since summer started.  And even before that.

Summersville by Lu Summers for Moda

It's dreary here today, which is absolultey lovely since almost every day is bright and sunny here.  Normally I would wait until tomorrow to take pictues, but not anymore.  Here ya go.  :-)

I wanted to do something really simple because the prints are quite busy.  I debated sewing the blocks together and making one big 2-1/2" squares quilt, but in the end, the white sashing won out.  I think I'm going to do little strips of squares around the border just like this.

Want to make one?  Here's the super quick jist of it:

Cut 10" Layer Cake squares into 10" x 2.5" strips.  Sew 5 strips together to make one 10.5 x 10" square.  Cut the opposite direction so you have four 2-1/2 strips of 5 squares.

Sew 5 rows together to make one block.  Sash if you want.  Quilt.  Bind.  I don't know how many blocks it is going to make yet, or how big it is going to be, because part of sewing just for fun is not doing math until it is absolutely necessary.  Pretty much, I'm just going to sew until I run out of fabric.  I love doing that... :-)

Anyway, that's my progress on this for now.  I am hoping to get the quilt top finished up tonight.  

At least that's the plan.  I'm hoping it works, because turns out I match my quilt today.

It was meant to be.

A plan

Farmers wife- I got out my templates and book the other night and got distracted by an "urget" email.  Never made it back to the farm...

A few days ago I was reading a blog I've read for a long time.  This blog used to have amazing content, and was one of my favorites to look at.  Over the past several years it has lost what made it so interesting, as life has taken over, and the person who writes it is obviously very busy with other commitments.  There are still new posts being written occasionally, but it just isn't there anymore. I miss it!  Have you noticed this happening too?

It got me thinking.  

I don't want this to happen here, but it is so hard to fight it.  When I am designing fabric that won't come out for a year and a half, I'm not supposed to show it now.  The past few weeks I've been working on a scrappy quilt that I am writing a pattern for, but it wouldn't be released until the fall so I can't show that yet.  When I am sewing like a mad woman, (In January I made 14 quilts.  Yes, 14.) but I'm not allowed to show them until the book is close to being released, there isn't anything I can do about that.

That is pretty much how it goes these days.  So much to do, and so little I can share.  To sum up:

TOO MANY SECRET THINGS.

And too little time to just think up fun projects, sew 'em, and get out my real camera and post pictures.

I just want to make things I love because I want to, dang it.

I keep thinking (and telling my friends and family, they can attest to this) that as soon as I finish up THIS project (book, market, photogaphy, new patterns, next fabric line etc...) I'll have my normal life back.  I'll have more time for just hanging out, sewing for fun, or actually cooking. So far it hasn't happened.  But today I am going to change that.  I'm changing one thing (and not the cooking one).  I'm taking back my sewing time.  Even if it is in the middle of the night while everyone else is sleeping.

I'm going to sew something fun and post about it at least once each week.  The posts may be super short, but there will be more of them.  With camera photos instead of instagrams.  Hopefully.  (I miss my camera!) And being accountable to all of you is going to help me out.  Kinda like those people who exercise and post their miles.  At least I think that's what they are doing.  (Someday I'm going to do that...) 

So, at least once a week.  Every week.  Even it if is just one little Farmer's wife block. I'm going to do my best.  You are so welcome to join me, if you'd like. 

I'm starting with this tonight:

I'll let you know how it goes.  

Really, I will.  

 

Sewing along

There are lots of fun things going on out in the sewing/blogging world this summer, and I thought I'd tell you about a few of them in case you want to play along.  

*Fat Quarter Shops Vintage Modern Block of the Month.  I know I'm mentioned this a BOM a few times, but I finished Block 1 a while back and cannot wait to make Block 2.  Sounds like a lot of you feel the same way!

*Technically this isn't a BOM or sew along, but have you been over to Film in the Fridge to see Ashley's Ruby strings quilt?  I've been following along with her progress, and darn it, I want to make one.

*Spools quilt along with Nicole, Thelma and Lisa.  I haven't heard what Thelma and Lisa are sewing out of, but it looks like Nicole is sewing out of Marmalade and Vintage Modern.  Yay!  I can't wait to see what they come up with.

*Vintage Holiday Quilt Along with Heidi. They will be sewing two Vintage Holiday blocks each week, and it sounds like she has some pretty great stuff planned, and some amazing prizes, so head on over and join her.  

If you want to sew along, (or even if you want to just sew) use promo code QUILTALONGPDF (Code has expired) to get Spools and Vintage Holiday PDF patterns for $5 for the next week.   But only if you promise you'll show me a picture of your quilt when you are done.  Deal?

Today I'm staying in and sewing something scrappy.  Mixing together Bliss, Ruby, Vintage Modern and Marmalade for something I've been dying to make for months.  C'mon naptime!