All finished!

Yay, my Farmers Wife Sampler quilt is all finished. I sewed the last of the binding in place last night. This quilt is a big girl - I'll have to try and get a better picture, but given that I'm feeling lazy right now, this is the best I can do in my sewing room :-)

 Oops - the one above is quite blurry - that's what I get for using the iPhone in a hurry.  You can see the quilting in the centre quite well can't you? Lizzy did a wonderful job, I'm just thrilled - thank you Lizzy!

And in this one you can see a little teeny bit of the backing fabric. I chose a double wide by Judie Rothermel from the Mill Girls collection. It's really quite pretty. I was glad to have a little left over to put in my scrap boxes.

The only things that remain for this quilt are to place a label on the back and give it a hanging sleeve. Those are things I traditionally do at the Very Last Minute. It would be smart to do it now, but they're my least favourite things to do *lol*.

And in fun news, after I got home from work today, I did some more Mrs Billings piecing. I'm really inspired to work on her lately. I made all the 60 four patches for the next border. I wonder if I can get any more of that pieced tomorrow? I hope so! It's almost bed time, so I'll chatter soon :-) xox

FWS Quilted!

Last week on Wednesday I picked up my Farmers Wife quilt from Lizzy, she has done the most amazing job of quilting it. Shame my photography skills don't tally with her quilting skills. I've started working on the binding. You can just see it at the bottom of the next picture, and I've put a little piping in there too.

The border has feathers, and the little red inner border has a really sweet little design with leaves - I just love it!

 In the picture above you can see the clamshell design which is featured in the main body of the quilt.

I really would like to continue stitching the binding on the Farmers Wife quilt, but this morning I had my nails done and I don't want to mess them up with a thimble etc, so I busied myself with these blocks again. I had worked on them on Saturday - and prior to that, it had been more than a year since they'd seen the light of day. I've almost finished them now, so I could probably complete the top within the week if I put my mind to it :-) But of course there are always other projects to distract me ... so I won't make any promises!

Better run, I have dinner to prepare, so chatter soon! xox

Uber Productive :-)

I had a great morning today, I got some things out of the way I had been wanting to do for a while.

First up, I tidied up a couple of seams that had been bugging me on my Farmers Wife Sampler quilt, and then I gave it a REALLY good press. I even cracked out the best press. Love that stuff :-) Here's the view from my ironing board:

They never look as good from the reverse side do they? But the great thing is because I had gotten the backing fabric last week, I was able to take the quilt down to Lizzy, where she'll be able to work her magic on it. It's very exciting :-)

And the next very fabulous thing is that I was able to put one more side on my Mrs Billings project. This border has been very labour intensive and time consuming to piece, and it (almost) kills me that I'm only half way through. But it's on, and I'm really happy with how it's looking:

It's draped over my ironing board in this picture, so it looks kind of wonky, but you can see the border I'm talking about on the top and the left. I have a lot of the strips pieced for the subsequent borders, so hopefully they'll go together quickly.

Of course I'd probably be much further ahead had I not concentrated so hard on getting the FWS top finished, but the payoff is that I can pretty much work on whatever I like for a good long while now. Yay!

FWS - Border Print

I promised the other day that I'd share a closer picture of the border print I used in my Farmers Wife Sampler quilt. Finally, here it is!

Clearly I took the picture at night, it's pretty dark, but at least you can see the border print quite well. And you get a better view of the sashing fabric too - the sashing and the border fabrics are from the same range. The name escapes me right now, but it could be Chanteclaire? I do remember that it was a completely different designer to my other fabrics - three of which were by Judie Rothermel, and the tan print by Kaye England.

Update: I just did some research, and found that the stripes are Rosebud Faire by Renee Nanneman - such a beautiful collection!

I love to miter borders, and for this one, I attached the red inner border to the pink outer border first, then sewed the strip set to the body of the quilt, and that way I was able to miter the red and the pink borders both at the same time. Saves so much messing around I think.

And because quilts can evolve based on our fabric to hand, I just thought I'd share this with you: I had planned to make the border a little wider, but when I measured the fabric I had available, I only had enough of the border plus about 1/2" spare at each end to make the border 5" wide without joining the fabric. Trust me, I was holding my breath that I'd centered the fabric correctly when I was sewing it in place, and I pinned so carefully. It all worked out well in the end, and I'm really pleased with the result.

I have one more thing I'd like to share, but I haven't taken a picture yet, so I'll get back to you this afternoon! Chatter soon friends :-)

FWS Top Completely Finished!

Hooray, I'm just thrilled, I've completely finished my Farmers Wife Sampler Top. I attached three of the borders last night, and then the last one today. The last miter was done just minutes ago. As you can see from the picture below, I need to give the top a good press, but once that's done, this baby is moving on to the next stage of it's journey.

It's not easy to see the border fabric in the picture, but it's a pretty border stripe from the same range as the fabric in the sashing strips. If I remember, I'll share a closer picture soon.

I'm just so thrilled to be able to work on something different for a change, I've really focused on this project lately. In my mind I've started working on a Christmas block exchange to put in the mail - a 1600 quilt from my 2.5" scrap bin, and I can get busy on Mrs Billings again. Happy days! :-)

Finally!

I have been notably absent, and my sweet friends have been checking on me, thank you!

Things have been busy busy here, and I've been working hard to get the FWS top together. All the blocks are done now, I just have to attach the borders, and I'm just thrilled!

Rows & Rows

Posting: Not so much. Sewing: As much as I can. Holidays: Very enjoyable. Emails: Way behind.

Chatter soon :-)

Hooray!!

As of four o'clock this afternoon, I have finished all the Farmers Wife Sampler blocks. All 111 of them! How very exciting!

As is my habit, I left the hardest one, 110 - Wood Lily, until last. Here are the final two blocks:

 Block 100 - Weathervane

Block 110 - Wood Lily

Block Total: 111

Because I've decided to make the quilt the twin size length, but with extra width so it's square, I will need to make up two extra blocks at some stage. I'll choose them when I'm assembling the top and see what fits colour and design wise.

I do kind of hope to get the top assembled before the end of the school holidays, but more importantly, I really do need to get up to date with my chores, and spend some q-time with Camo. I promised him I'd have a Lego building day with him this week :-) and they're lots of fun! So, if the top isn't complete, I won't beat myself up over it, I'm thrilled to have the blocks finished, and well ahead of when I thought I'd get them done! Chatter soon friends xox

And Another 2 FWS Blocks

This evening I put together yet another two FWS blocks - when you're on a roll, you have to go with it right? Won't be long now and I'll be able to share something entirely different with you - are you looking forward to it? *lol*

But without further ado, here they are:

 Block 101 - Wedding Ring

Block 87 - Star Gardener

Block Total: 109

Block 87 is a little crookedy at the top there, and I'm completely disinterested in fixing it. Let's pretend it's perfect :-) Can you believe I only have two blocks left to make, it's so exciting! Squeeeee!!

This afternoon I had a lovely afternoon catching up with Claire and Shay. We always chatter and snack too much and get little done, but it's so nice to do. Looking forward to our next visit. Chatter soon peeps! xox

Next 2 FWS Blocks

Here are my next two FWS blocks. I feel like I'm coasting toward the finish line now. I'm watching the first men's semi final at Wimbledon while I'm stitching. It's Federer versus Djokovic, and it feels like it's going to be a long match. I'm hoping to have the stamina to see them play to the end, and maybe that'll mean I can get another block made? Here's hoping :-)

Block 57 - Morning 

Block 79 - Silver Lane

Block Total: 106

I have a busy weekend ahead of me, so let's hope I can keep up my momentum with these last few blocks. Chatter soon :-)

Update:

I did manage to get that next block made while I was watching the tennis, and here it is:

Block 86 - Squash Blossom

This means I have only got four blocks left to make - Oh My Goodness, I'm just thrilled!

Block Total: 107

2 More FWS Blocks

I made up two more FWS blocks today - both of them quite simple ones. The basket is one of the blocks that spooked me a little - a five grid block that finishes at six inches always needs to be cut at wierd sizes, so to make life easier, I foundation pieced it. No accuracy in cutting required at all!

Block 45 - Grape Basket 

Block 59 - Night & Day

Block Total: 104

I'd love to get some more blocks put together tomorrow - I'm watching the tennis now, so I'll see what blocks I have left to make and get some ready. Chatter soon! xox

2 FWS Blocks

Just a quick update before I head to bed. As much as I'd like to stay up watching Roger Federer play at Wimbledon, sometimes a body is weary and just says NO!

Block 83 - Spider Web 

Block 95 - Temperance Tree

Block Total: 102

I'm not sure why I avoided Spider Web for such a long time - it was actually really easy - and given how many Spider Web placemats I've made, you'd think I could do it in my sleep. Temperance Tree has a wonky section in the bottom left corner, and if I feel inclined I may fix it tomorrow - it's just a seam that got a bit narrow at one point and made the square a little crookedy.

I have a little ouch on my finger at the moment - while I was pressing the Spider Web block, my brain had a fade and I pressed my middle left finger a little. It's not terrible, just a hint of pink and smarts a bit. This quilting is a dangerous sport don't you think? :-)

FWS Century

Here is my 100th Farmers Wife Sampler block. It feels like I've taken forever to get here, but really it's not that long at all. My picture of this block is a little crookedy, I think it's square in real life :-) All those seams, who can tell *lol*

Block 38 - Four Winds

Block Total: 100

I didn't quite make my quota of five blocks for last week - I only made four, but now that I'm on holidays I should have plenty of time to catch up. In fact, I'd like to have all my blocks made (and in a perfect world the top put together) by the end of my time off. No pressure *lol*

Chatter soon :-) xox

FWS - Block 50

It's 1am, and I've just finished my third FWS block for the week. Two more to make on the weekend, and I'll have reached my quota again :-)

Block 50 - Honey's Choice

Block Total: 99

It's a cute block isn't it? I could see an entire quilt made up using this pattern. Perhaps I'll add it to my VERY long list of quilts I'd like to make.

Better get to bed - today will be a big day - it's Amy's formal (prom for my US friends). There is a tight schedule of hair and makeup followed by photos and then the big event. Wish us luck! Chatter soon xox

FWS Block 37

Here is this evening's handy work. I pieced this block using freezer paper - the funny little shapes make me nervous - so freezer paper is the nicest way to tame those bias edges :-)

Block 37 - Flower Pot

Block Total: 98

Won't be long now and I'll be into triple digits, then I'll really know I'm on the home stretch. I truly wish I hadn't left so many of the trickier blocks to last - some of them will be tough going.

Tomorrow I'll share where I'm at with my hexagon piecing - I'm finding them completely addictive - super fun! Chatter soon :-)

FWS Block 78

As I hoped, I did manage to get the FWS block made this evening. Three words: Bulky Seam Intersections! In two areas, there are nine fabrics intersecting - just about need a hammer to flatten them out :-)

Block 78 - Shooting Star

Block Total: 97

Time for me to make lunches and head to bed. Though I may be tempted to stay up late and watch Wimbledon. Must resist ... if I watch too long I'll be kicking myself in the morning ...

Another goal reached :-)

I'm so pleased I got all five FWS blocks made this week, I wasn't sure I'd get them done. It really feels like I'm drawing close to the finish line now. I'd love it if I can have the whole top done before the end of the school holidays, Wonder if I can do it?

Block 107 - Windblown Square 

Block 93 - Swallow 

Block 94 - Tall Pine Tree 

Block 96 - Tulip

Block Total: 96

This afternoon I'll be taking care of chores again - it's amazing how fast the housework piles up. Then this evening I'll have a little time to myself, and I might work on some hexagons again. I'll share pictures of progress soon - they're kinda slow going :-)

Big Week!

This has been such a busy week - the most important aspect being Camo's birthday yesterday. Can you believe my little man is 10 already? Where did that time go?!? We're having a birthday celebration on Saturday for his little friends, and then a family gathering on Sunday. Sewing time will be precious indeed!

In Farmers Wife news, I've made another block, a fun one to put together.

 

Block 74 - Ribbons

Block Total: 92 

And for a fun diversion, I made some more of the rail fence blocks. To see how it looks, I arranged a few on the floor just now. It's really funny, I have a hard time telling which ones I made and which ones Linda made. We have very similar taste in fabric.

I have a few chores to do this evening, and then I think I might put a few hexagons together - I can't believe how addictive those little things are!

Chatter soon! xox

Whew, made my quota!

And I made it two days early. I made up the three blocks from the recent weeks shortfall, and I made the five blocks for this week. Whew! I can do whatever I want this weekend :-)

Here are the two blocks I made this evening:

 Block 49 - Honeycomb

Block 65 - Peaceful Hours

Block Total: 91

Block 65 was really fun to put together, and isn't it pretty? I could easily see a whole quilt made from it - no curved seams, but the overall impression would be like circles of flowers.

Only 20 blocks left to assemble now. However, I do need to draw up a diagram of my layout and determine if I need any extra blocks - I am going to make my quilt the length of the twin size, but square. I may need two extra blocks - we'll see.

Alrighty, I'm going to get ready for night-nights, and who knows what I'll be sharing on the weekend. xox

The next three ...

Oh my goodness, are you bored yet with these blocks? I know it can't be that interesting seeing them over and over, but I promise it won't be long and I'll be done with them :-)

But here are my next three anyway:

 Block 46 - Hill & Valley

 Block 52 - Hovering Hawks

Block 53 - Jackknife

Block Total: 89

I'll complete two more on the weekend, and then there will only be 20 left to make. Some of the remaining blocks are tricky ... why do I always do this? *lol*