Farming Friday

Its Farming Friday, and I am still on track making my blocks for my Farmers Wife Sampler Quilt.
Having decided to blog every Friday  about my FWSQ and the blocks I have made is  certainly motivating me to make sure I have something to show of my FWSQ blocks, so I have a really good feeling I will get this quilt made sooner rather than later!

Gentleman's Fancy

This block was made using a paper pieced pattern from the FWSQ Yahoo Group.

TIP: If your have never done any paper piecing  before then I would recommend choosing an easy block to start with.  This block is a easy block to paper piece.

Streak of Lightning

A very easy block – I had no problems figuring out the quilt maths for this one!

Postage Stamp

Another very easy block, no problems sewing this one together!

Bowtie

Another quick and easy block, I see a pattern forming this week!

Weathervane

This block was not quite so easy as all the rest,with all those half square triangles, it makes it a little difficult to press.

TIP: With this block make sure you press your seams open.

If your making FWSQ Blocks let me know so I can see what you have been up to.  And if your not then why not join in.  A new group has just started on Flickr for the Farmers Wife Sampler Quilt 2014. It’s a lot of fun joining in sewing with other people making the same blocks, and its interesting to see how the same block can look made with different fabric.

Have a Great Weekend and Thanks for Stopping by.

Farmers Wife Quilt Sampler Friday

One of my goals this year is to make a Farmers Wife Quilt Sampler.  I am hoping I have not bitten off more than I can chew!  I plan on making this a King sized quilt. 

So here are the first 5 blocks that I have made.

Block # 2 Autumn Tints

There are 111 blocks in this sampler so I will either repeat or add some other blocks.

Block #20  Churn Dash

Each block measures 6 inches finished. As you probably guessed I will be using Bonnie and Camille fabrics for my Farmers Wife Quilt.

Block # 80 Single Wedding Star

also known as Rolling Stone

So far I have really been enjoying making these blocks.  I made all these blocks by figuring out the math's and rotary cutting them.  The book does provide a CD with templates, but that then requires you to print off all the templates for each block, which is something I am avoiding at the moment.

Block # 111 Wrench

Block #31 Evening Star

also known as Sawtooth Star

This is one of my most favourite blocks, and I have made this block a number of times in the past for Bee Blocks.

So now the weekend is here! What plans do you have for sewing tonight? 

I came across a free pattern for a  mini Single Wedding Star block over at Hopes blog When Inspiration Strikes.  Its tiny! so I have plans to have a go at making one tonight. Hope also has some quilt patterns on Craftsy which is where you will also find her free pattern for the Single Wedding Star/Rolling Stone block.

Hopefully I will get to share my mini block with you sometime over the weekend.

Happy Sewing!!!!

Bloggers Quilt Festival–Bed Quilt for a Teenager - Crossroads

 

Hi there ! If you are visiting my blog for the first time while touring the

Blogger's Quilt Festival,

welcome!

 

 

This is my second entry for the Quilt Festival.  I am entering my sons Crossroads quilt into the Bed Sized Quilt Category. The pattern for this quilt is called Power of 4 designed by Tony Jacobson for Fons and Porter for the Love of Quilting Magazine, May/June 2013 issue.

 

 

I changed the pattern slightly by adding extra rows and 2 borders, the  inner border is Kona snow and the outer is Parson Gray., the original quilt size is 64 x 76 and I needed it to be big enough to fit a Queen Bed.

The month before our dog was sick and the month before our lives got a little crazy house hunting and moving etc., I started a quilt, and I did get it finished just before we moved.  So I can now say that while we lived there I made a quilt for every member of our household!

I made this quilt for my youngest son,

Every time I have asked him if he wants a quilt he has always said he didn’t want one, he has his favorite worn out thread bear quilt!  But like I said I wanted to have made a quilt for each of us in our little family while living in that particular home.  So he didn’t have a choice, he was getting one!  Teenagers can be difficult at the best of times! but he absolutely loves this quilt,

As he was not interested in the planning stage of it , I just went ahead and made decisions on colour and pattern without his input! I think it can be difficult making a quilt for teenagers, especially boys, there does not seem to be too many fabrics geared to young men that are modern and the right colours.  But this line seemed to be perfect.

 

 

I named this quilt Crossroads, I think it’s the perfect name for it!

 

The quilt top all pieced at our home before we moved

 

 

(oh no look at the deck! in need of some TLC it has now been power washed and stained since this photo was taken, only 3 weeks after moving in!)

 

 

 

 

To see more beautiful quilts visit  Amy's Creative Side to enjoy the festival. Pictures of the quilts will be posted between now and October 31, its certainly worth a visit to look at all the beautiful quilts.

 

Quilt Details

I gave my LAQ free reign when it came to quilting this quilt, and I love the pattern she chose, it really does give it a modern look and some movement to the quilt. Thank you Sue! If you need a quilt quilting then I recommend Sue, she does a fantastic job and I do know that she received quilt by mail all the time to be quilted.
This magazine classed this quilt as being intermediate, but I found it extremely quick and easy to make, the most difficult part was making sure all the rows lined up, but that just required some patience on my part.

• Fabrics used – Parson Gray for FreeSpirit by David Butler, Dear Stella, (will add more details when I find the selvedge edges!)
• Border –  Robert Kaufmann Kona Snow (inner) Parson Gray (outer)
• Binding – Kona Delph Blue
• Backing – Gasp! A sheet from Target!
• Quilting – by Sue Tuma 
• Pantograph – Modern Curves by Anita Shackelford
• Thread -  Signature Cotton in Oyster Shell

• Batting – Legacy 80/20

 

English Country Garden - My Union Jack Quilt and a Giveaway

Where did the week go, is it really Thursday, I lost a day somewhere!
I have not blogged for some time! House hunting and  moving and a sick dog! .
So apologies up front this is going to be a long post.
Here is a sneak peak of what I am about to share!
 
Where did the week go, is it really Thursday, I lost a day somewhere!
I have not blogged for some time! House hunting and  moving and a sick dog! .
So apologies up front this is going to be a long post.
When I started my first quilt what I really wanted to make at the time instead of a 9 patch block was a union jack quilt.  But being new to quilting I could not find a pattern for one, I came across the Victory garden quilt pattern online and absolutely loved that version but inexperience put me off making it. 

Then I played around having a go at paper piecing a few months later and managed to make a Union Jack Cushion.

I absolutely hated the paper piecing aspect of it and it took me absolutely hours to make with an awful amount of mistakes and wasted fabric, so I gave up. But not before trying one more time using traditional colours.  I never did do anything with this block!


BUT that Union Jack quilt would not get out of my head and so when it was my month  for the Stars in their Eyes Bee I decided to have another look online to see if I could find a pattern.
I also played around with Union Jack Pincushions, more photos in the link.


BUT that Union Jack quilt would not get out of my head and so when it was my month  for the Stars in their Eyes Bee I decided to have another look online to see if I could find a pattern.
I found one on an online store Whims and Fancies  but it was not the right dimensions so asked  Soma the designer of the pattern if she could make me a pattern with the true proportions - 1:2 of the flag.  She designed a flag for me that has a finished block of 8x16 inches.
Unfortunately I ended up needing it slightly bigger and didn’t have time to get in touch with Soma to redraft it again for me,  so instead I ended up using this pattern designed by  Traceyjay Quilts.  It is not the true 1:2 proportions that I originally wanted but pretty close. The block measures 12x18   So if that doesn’t bother you then I recommend using that pattern as its also free. 
But if you want to make your flags authentic then I would use the Flying Union Jack Pattern by Soma of Whims and Fancies, the proportions are true to the Union Jack Flag, having 1:2 proportions and it is only $2.50 and I am sure if you want a different sized Union Jack then Soma would be happy to oblige. Its also an easy pattern to follow.

And be sure to also check out her gallery Whims and Fancies on Flickr . If you’re a Doctor Who fan (which I am) Soma and a friend did a  Doctor who along (sew along ) for a Doctor Who quilt.  Here are a couple of blocks included in the quilt along.

I really wanted to take part in this but at the time I had a sick dog and was moving house, but you can still take part and find more details here.

GIVEAWAY

Soma has kindly sponsored a giveaway of  one of her paper piecing patterns. 

Geese around the Sun

Geese Around The Sun is a star and flying geese quilt pattern to make an 18" x 18" wall hanging. So if you would like to win this pattern: Here's How to enter

• Leave a comment telling me about your experience of paper piecing and what if any projects you have completed using this method.
• Follow me on Facebook, there is a button at the top to do this.
• I will randomly choose one winner from all of the entries below.
• This giveaway is open to everyone, all over the world.
• I will randomly choose a winner by 10pm CST on 10th October.

And if you want to start following me that’s OK too
Somas other patterns are also available at  Whims and Fancies on Etsy  and Whims and Fancies on Craftsy
So now the big reveal of my Union Jack Quilt
If you follow me on instagram or flickr then you may have already had a sneaky peak of this quilt.  I managed to do a photo shoot the other day,
This quilt would not have been possible without all the fantastic friends in the Stars In Their Eyes Bee.  The blocks these ladies put together are absolutely gorgeous and I love each and every one of them.
Thank you so much. I love my quilt!

Crossroads Quilt

The month before our pup was sick and the month before our lives got a little crazy house hunting and moving etc., I did start a quilt, and I did get it finished just before we moved.  So I can now say that while we lived there I made a quilt for every member of our household!
However, in all the craziness, I did not get a chance to take any photos of the completely finished quilt.
I made this quilt for my youngest son, another teenager! every time I have asked him if he wants a quilt he has always said he didn’t want one, he has his favorite worn out thread bear quilt!  But like I said I wanted to have made a quilt for each of us in our little family while living in that particular home.  So he didn’t have a choice, he was getting one!  As he was not interested in it, I just went ahead and made decisions on colour and pattern without his input! (even if teenagers can be difficult to please)
I named this quilt Crossroads, I think it’s the perfect name for it!
So without teasing you too much here are some photos.

The quilt top all pieced at our home before we moved

And here it is all finished!

 

(I now have a perfect place to photograph my quilts! I am loving that white fence!)

(oh no look at the deck! in need of some TLC it has now been power washed and stained since this photo was taken, only 3 weeks after moving in!)

 

Quilting Detail

Quilt Details

Pattern  Power of 4 designed by Tony Jacobson for Fons and Porter’s Love of Quilting Magazine May/June 2013 issue.
I changed the pattern slightly by adding extra rows and 2 borders, the  inner border is Kona snow and the outer is Parson Gray., the original quilt size is 64 x 76 and I needed it to be big enough to fit a Queen Bed.
I gave my LAQ free reign when it came to quilting this quilt, and I love the pattern she chose, it really does give it a modern look and some movement to the quilt. Thank you Sue! If you need a quilt quilting then I recommend Sue, she does a fantastic job and I do know that she received quilt by mail all the time to be quilted.
This quilt was classed as being intermediate, but I found it extremely quick and easy to make, the most difficult part was making sure all the rows lined up, but that just required some patience on my part.

• Fabrics used – Parson Gray for FreeSpirit by David Butler, Dear Stella, (will add more details when I find the selvedge edges!)
• Border –  Robert Kaufmann Kona Snow (inner) Parson Gray (outer)
• Binding – Kona Delph Blue
• Backing – Gasp! A sheet from Target!
• Quilting – by Sue Tuma 
• Pantograph – Modern Curves by Anita Shackelford
• Thread -  Signature Cotton in Oyster Shell
• Batting – Legacy 80/20

Anna Maria Horner’s Feather Block

June, my favourite month of the year, and it just so happens to be my birthday this month!
It is also my month in the Stars in their Eyes Bee, so I will no doubt be stalking the postie (Mail person) for Bee Blocks. 
So while I am waiting to receive some gorgeous Union Jack Blocks from my hive friends, I thought I would have a go at next months block (July) which is Linda's month.  She requested the gorgeous AMH Feather Blocks (now why didn’t I think of that).  When I first saw that she had chosen them as her block for the month, I was a little nervous about making them.  I have long admired all the blocks I have seen in blog land, but did not think I would ever make them.  But I can now say I am so glad Linda chose this as her block.  It meant I had to attempt to do them.  They are much easier to make than I thought they would be.

These blocks are great for using up your scraps of fabric and I had a lot of fun deciding what to use.
You can find a link to a PDF Pattern that is free here

Linda chose Fall colors, including bits of turquoise, plum, chartreuse and magenta along with the usual orange, brown, gold, and red. Background: gray in medium to dark values, or black.

As you can see I went with a grey background, which I think is perfect for this block. It really makes the colours stand out.
I think I got a little carried away doing a photo shoot!