Making My Quilt Map

I can't wait to start quilting this quilt! As you can see, I had a helper when I pin basted it last week! The problem with this quilt is that there are so many ways to quilt it. I've been searching Pinterest, quilt sites and all my books. I do believe deciding the actual quilting patterns is the hardest step.

I made a copy of a generic block from the quilt. This is the version I think I'm going to end up quilting. I probably won't finalize it until I actually sit down and quilt it. I may change a few things once I begin the quilting.

Not sure you can see this too well. I made a mock up of a block in the quilt by just sewing the seam lines. I actually quilted the made up block. It's pretty true to the drawing above it. The only thing I added was a feather where the next block begins. 

I'm hoping to start soon and will post pictures!!

Farmer's Wife 1930's Update

 

Here are the blocks we have made so far in the Farmer's Wife 1930's Sew Along. I love working with this fabric. It's so pretty and cheerful. However, the blocks always take a little longer than you think! They're 6 1/2 inches square. The pieces are rather small. And it's very easy to sew something backwards or sideways! However, I feel my piecing is really getting better.

Here's a little recap of the blocks we've made so far.

These were the first 2 blocks we made. These blocks were not difficult. Becky is on the left and Bonnie is on the right. Each block is accompanied by a letter written by an actual farmer's wife of that time. They are so sad and yet uplifting at the same time. The Depression was such a difficult time to live through. These women talk about their hardships but try to accentuate the positives in their lives as well.

Aunt, left, wasn't too difficult to piece. However, Caroline, right, started to get a little harder. Lots of pieces in this block!

I enjoyed making Betty, on the left.  However, Belle was a different story. Belle had Y seams which I haven't done in years. Glad to say, it worked out fine!

Coral, left, looks like a star with a peep hole!  Old Maid, right, looks pretty new to me!

I just finished these last 2 blocks. Katherine, left, and Susannah went together quickly. I had to take my time making them. So easy to mix up pieces!!

That's it, so far! There are a total of 99 blocks in the book. I don't plan on making a quilt large enough to use up all the blocks. The lap size only uses 32 blocks. I'm still deciding what size to make!

Silver Threads

This past weekend, the Tewksbury Piecemakers held their annual quilt show. The show was titled "Silver Threads" to commemorate their 25 year anniversary. I'm thrilled to say that Ladies of Downton Abbey won Best of Show!

A member of the guild made the ribbons which incorporate the guild's logo.  It's absolutely beautiful. I will always treasure it. 

There were some gorgeous quilts at the show. I thought I'd give you a little peek into the rest of the show.

This is Gypsy Rose by Louise Lussier. Quilted by Norma Biggs. I love these colors!

This is Fall Flowers by Sue Pederson. Quilted by Laurena McDermott. Beautiful harvest colors!

This is Bali Wedding Star Quilt by Pam Marlow. Quilted by Norma Biggs. Love the batiks!

This is Hexi Garden by Debbie Grund. Quilted by Kathy Starling. I love the movement of this quilt!

The guild made a calendar for next year. These are the entries.

I particularly loved this July entry by Marlene Levesque. The piecing is very precise and the fabric is perfect for July!

Here's my mystery quilt which you have all seen before. However, the next pictures are all the same blocks from the mystery quilt pattern. The colors and setting are different. Have a look! It's amazing how different they all are!

You would never know these are all the same blocks. I love seeing them all together!

Here's the last picture. (Finally!) These are the baskets the guild raffles off. There were a total of 12 baskets. I'm sure the lucky winners just love them! They look gorgeous all together. 

We had a wonderful show. Can't wait for next year!

Farm Girl Vintage Top

Here's my Farm Girl Vintage quilt top, so far! It measures 43 1/2" by 57 1/2". It needs a good pressing as well as a few more borders! The sashing measures 6 1/2" by 1 1/2" and the squares are
1 1/2" square. I did not repeat any fabrics when cutting out the squares for the sashing. (Too much stash but it came in handy!)

The next border is made up of the background fabric. However, the border after that is made up of flying geese. 130 flying geese, to be exact! That border might take a while. I have the fabric all washed and ready. The border after the flying geese is just the background again. The very last border is quite wide and a beautiful yellow in the book. We shall see what I come up with!

I'm happy to have all my cute little blocks all sewn together. For some reason, I hated seeing them in a pile. They look like they belong all pieced together!

Basket Night at the Guild

The Tewksbury Piecemakers quilt guild will hold their annual quilt show this weekend. We've been preparing by getting our quilts ready. However, last night, we finished up getting our raffle baskets ready. Before summer, we were all assigned a basket and theme. This gave us some time to buy items that we could fill our basket with. These raffle baskets are a fun part of the quilt show. They're also a great fundraiser for the guild.

 Our theme was Tea Time. There has to be a hand made item in the basket. Someone made a beautiful table runner. There were also embroidered linen napkins. We also brought in candles, tea cups, tea pots, tea (!), potpourri and cookies among other items. This basket was hard to fill since it was close to overflowing!

Linda, one of the members, seemed to know exactly what to do to fill the basket and make it look professional. We wrapped it up in cellophane and tied a nice bow onto the top of it.

 It looked really nice as we finished it up.

The basket was put with all the other baskets just waiting for the show this weekend! I'll have more pictures then!

Knit Weekend Jacket

I bought a kit from Craftsy at the end of the summer. I don't usually buy knit kits but this was such a great deal! I couldn't resist! I like big sweaters that don't need much fitting. This pattern looked like something I would enjoy to knit as well as wear. The picture uses yarn with purple and aqua in it.
I chose a variegated blue denim. It's knit using James Brett Marble Chunky yarn and uses size 9 needles.

Here's the back of my jacket. I'm making a medium size. It seems to fall about mid thigh. The neat thing about this pattern is that it's knit sideways. I thought I was making it incorrectly when the back piece started with the same amount of stitches as the sides. After remembering it's knit sideways, it made more sense and I wasn't afraid to continue!

Here's the left side.

 And the right!

This is the first sleeve. It's a fun project that knits up quickly due to that chunky yarn. I hope I have it finished soon so I can use it in this chilly weather.

Two Sew Alongs

I usually don't take part in 2 sew alongs at the same time. However, I'm nearing the end of the Farm Girl Vintage Sew Along. I've finished the 48 blocks. As you can see, I've put together 2 rows. This process is taking quite a bit of time. I've been taking my time deciding what color fabric squares to use between the blocks. Even once the rows are sewn together, I'll have to piece a border made of flying geese. I just bought the fabric needed for that. Anyways, I'm nearing the end but it will still take some time!

The Farmer's Wife 1930's Sew Along just started this week. We've made 3 blocks. So far, they've been easy and rather quick. The third block on the right is block #8, Aunt. I'm really loving this fabric. From now on, we'll only be making 2 blocks per week.

I have fabric and pattern all ready to start a new project but I'd like to finish Farm Girl Vintage first. I'll also need to prepare another quilt top to be machine quilted. I just need to find the time! Too bad I have to work, cook, clean, etc.! Too much quilting to do!!