Farmers Wife 1930s Quilt - Susannah

Hello again, I'm back with another Farmer's Wife block. This time it's Block number 94 Susannah. This is a lovely simple block to make and as usual I've English paper pieced it. I've stuck to the colour palette from the book but played with the scale of the prints that I used and I chose a nice strawberry solid to add in. I'm really pleased with how it turned out :)

I've not managed to make as many blocks as I'd hoped during this quilt along. Life has been pretty busy for a while now and I'm struggling to find time to sew. But these little blocks have been the perfect hand stitching project to pick up when I have a few spare minutes. I've found that making just one little block soothes away my stress and is a good way to unwind. Also they're really portable. I'll be keeping on stitching them long after the quilt along is finished.

Above is my little stack of blocks so far. I think I've made 29, but I've not counted in a while so it might be more. I'm keeping the papers in for now because I haven't decided how I'm going to put them all together yet.

Here are another few blocks that I've made in the last few weeks. I've sometimes been trying to stick to the colours used in the book, especially if it's a colour combination I would never usually choose. The green and yellow Geneva block 36 is a perfect example of colours I wouldnt usually put together but I really like it.

I was really looking forward to making block 46 Jewel and it's one of my favourites so far.

And I was extremely stressed out when I made block 79 Patience. I search through the book to find the quickest, simplest block I could for some instant sewing therapy. It worked a treat and now when I look at it I think I chose the most soothing coloured fabrics I could get my hands on!

I've loved doing the quilt along and I'm really glad I decided to hand sew all the blocks. I think I would have managed to make even less blocks if I'd been machine piecing them all.

One bonus of being a good few steps behind most other people is that you can go and see what everyone else's blocks look like. There have been a few times where my fabric choices have been based on a block I've seen by looking at the hashtags on instagram.

So that's how my Farmer's Wife is getting along: slowly but surely, and it's been a fantastic stress-reliever when I've needed it.

You can see Kerry's beautiful version of Susannah on her blog, as well as Starlight, which is the next block on my to-do list :)

Thanks so much Kerry for hosting such a great quilt along and having me as a guest poster!

Fiona xxx

Farmers Wife 1930s Quilt - May

Hello! It's my turn again in Kerry's 1930s Farmer's Wife Quilt Along and this week I've made number 61 the May block.

I really like this block. The larger pieces are great for fussy cutting, and I think it's looks like quite a complex block but there are relatively few pieces. I think it's a block with a lot of impact depending on what fabrics you choose.

I decided to stick to the colours that Laurie Aaron Hird used because I think they're really pretty and I couldn't resist fussy cutting those sweet bunnies and kittens from Elea Lutz's Milk Flower Sugar line.

I'm English paper piecing my blocks so sometimes I'm able to reduce the number of seams in a block and this was one of those happy blocks! I used just one piece for each of the yellow diamonds which makes just 16 pieces in this block.

I also love the letter behind this block. My Mum's name is May and I think the letter tells us something very important about being a Mum and what can be very important to children.

All in all this is one of my favourite blocks that I've made so far and now it gets added to my slowly growing pile of blocks :)

You can see Kerry's gorgeous version of this block as well as her Milly block on her blog.

Thanks for visiting! 

Fiona x

Farmers Wife 1930s Quilt - Magnolia

It's my turn again in Kerry's 1930s Farmer's Wife Quilt Along and this week I've made number 53 the Magnolia block

I think Magnolia might be my favourite block in the Farmer's Wife 1930s book. To me it's a beautifully simple, elegant block and I think it's a lovely way to show off a favourite scrap of fabric. 

Kerry has has made a stunning Magnolia block and you can see it and her Lucy block over on her blog.

I made two versions of the block and I plan to make a few more. I made the first using a scrappy dark background and some scraps I had lying around. I made this version to go in another quilt and I machine pieced it using the templates. Whilst I like it, I couldn't get it as accurate as I would have liked. I think my precise 1/4" seam might need a bit of work!

My second version will be going in my Farmer's wife quilt. I used a pale pink solid for my background and some of my favourite 1930s repro scraps. I EPP'd this one and I'm much happier with the finish.

I've started to write the colours I'll be using on the block diagram before I cut it up because I get easily confused with which fabric goes with which shape. It's working out well for me so far.

 

Here's a quick snap I took of all the blocks I've made so far. I'm starting to think about the balance of colour now when I'm choosing fabric for each new block. I think I need some more little pops of black and more dark blue.

I can't wait to make more of these blocks. I'm really loving this QAL!

Fiona x

Farmers Wife 1930s Quillt - Flora

Hello again! I'm back with another block in the lovely Kerry's Farmer's Wife 1930s Quilt Along.

This time I've made block 35 Flora. As soon as I first flicked through the book this block jumped out at me and I haven't quite figured out why, but I really really like it.

I tried to keep to the original colours because I think part of what appeals to me is the original fabrics in the book, but I also love how the shapes seem to almost dance round the block. The blue and white fabrics I used are Pretty Posies by Darlene Zimmerman and the purple is a shot cotton by Kaffe Fasset that isn't quite so dark as it looks in the photos.

I'm English paper piecing all my blocks and so far that's working out really well for me. My sewing time is really limited these days but I can usually find a little bit of time here and there for some relaxing hand sewing. I've made about 20 of the blocks so far, and although I'm not keeping up with everyone I'm pretty chuffed with the amount I've managed to make. And I've really enjoyed stitching each one!

I print out the block diagrams from the book on standard printer paper and write on each piece which colour it is. This helps my poor brain not get too mixed up! Then I glue baste, and sew the block together in sections.

You can see the gorgeous blocks that the others are making for the quilt along on Instagram by using the hashtag #fw1930sqal and #florablock you can also use Fat Quarter Shop's hastags #fw35flora. I'm @FionaPoppyMakes on instagram. Check out Kerry's beautiful Geneva block and her version of Flora on her blog.