blocks
Showing posts with label blocks. Show all posts
I'm working
The other day I hit a creative wall. What I was doing wasn't really working, I felt like I had no vision left and it was really frustrating. One of my biggest dislikes is feeling uninspired. It's so meh.
Then I taught a class at Patchfinders, making embroidered needle cases, and I enjoyed it so much. I had a lovely group and it felt nice to focus on the stitches. My demonstrative piece came home and I worked on it more, not worrying about perfection, just enjoying making a naive watermelon.
The bright pink of the Story by Carrie Bloomston print brought me cheer and made me start thinking about fabric.
So I pulled out the stash for my green tea and sweet beans quilt and picked out fabric for my remaining four larger blocks. I'm trying to include prints I really love because the end is in sight. I have other projects to do before I get time to make them all so I had to write a post-it to myself to remind me what I decided on! I do this A LOT and only once have I switched things around. It's kind of nice to follow my own instructions.
This is the current block I'm working on (hand pieced), there are three of these Double Drunkard's Path blocks in the quilt:
Of course this is all procraftination to avoid working on projects that need to get done but at least my creativity has had a boost and the slow stitches give me a breather.
as she wanted ~ Cat, Joy and Grandmother
Who would have thought a quilt block would give me the confidence to blog about my anxiety?! It did, here's the spark and a couple of other blocks for the Farmer's Wife 1930's Sew-along...
#22 Cat It's just what the future holds for me. I know I will be Glad-after-all but it was heart wrenching working on this block. I used pink for my littlest girl, the Ruffled print reminds me of eyelashes (and wiping away tears!) and the tape measures are for the sewing I hope to do once she's at school. This block was English Paper Pieced.
#47 Joy I went back to hand piecing for this one. I had no fabric with plums on so I used blueberries. I picked the small pink dots because they are joyous to me so symbolises the way seeing a friend "revives my spirit" and the brown is for the coffee drinking!
I'm really doing these out of order now, just picking the ones I want to do and not stressing about getting them all done. I am loving the process and hope you are enjoying seeing the blocks, I will try to take a picture of them all so far when I get a chance. It's half term here this week so the kids are all at home (causing chaos). Today is our 9th wedding anniversary so my husband and I are off out to the cinema tonight. Deadpool and popcorn sounds perfect to me!
#22 Cat It's just what the future holds for me. I know I will be Glad-after-all but it was heart wrenching working on this block. I used pink for my littlest girl, the Ruffled print reminds me of eyelashes (and wiping away tears!) and the tape measures are for the sewing I hope to do once she's at school. This block was English Paper Pieced.
#47 Joy I went back to hand piecing for this one. I had no fabric with plums on so I used blueberries. I picked the small pink dots because they are joyous to me so symbolises the way seeing a friend "revives my spirit" and the brown is for the coffee drinking!
#40 Grandmother This one is also hand pieced. I like this really modern looking basket! I used the houses to represent the building done by the "sons and sons-in-law" and the fussy cut Zephyr prints are for the Grandmother's pastimes, "she can sleep late; knit or read as she likes; cook some of the old-fashioned dishes".
I'm really doing these out of order now, just picking the ones I want to do and not stressing about getting them all done. I am loving the process and hope you are enjoying seeing the blocks, I will try to take a picture of them all so far when I get a chance. It's half term here this week so the kids are all at home (causing chaos). Today is our 9th wedding anniversary so my husband and I are off out to the cinema tonight. Deadpool and popcorn sounds perfect to me!
a group of ladies ~ Aimee, Nancy, Jewel, Patience, Patricia and Grandma
It seems I'm far better at making these blocks than blogging about them! I'm currently about 10 blocks behind the Farmer's Wife 1930's Sew-along and fear that gap will probably increase. I'm plodding along and hand sewing the blocks, enjoying every slow minute! Most of these were hand pieced and a couple were English Paper Pieced.
#2 Aimee The letter by Bookworm refers to "a round blue jar" on the bookcase, which she collected money in to save up and buy books. The blue and navy fabric is for the jar, the brown for the pennies and the Playing Pop print is going to pass for books on a shelf! I have always been a bookworm - as a child I read late into the night under the duvet with a torch and I recently joined my first book club. I agree there is nothing quite like bring able to "escape for a few minutes into a make-believe world where [my] spirit may be eased".
#76 Nancy (English Paper Pieced) Another bookish letter, this time I used a sweet print with capital letters on it and the pink/gold print reminds me that books can be "a treasured possession".
#46 Jewel (English Paper Pieced) I loved this letter! I chose the Liberty flower print and the soft polka dots to represent the humbleness the farmer's wife feels and her realisation that she needs to listen more.
(skipping #90 Sara for now - I might go back and do it if I decide I have to do them all!)
#79 Patience This was a "down" letter. I went with the muddy colour for the work and the (lack of) money, and the blue for the hauling of water. There is also hope in the block though, the strong blue running across the middle, standing strong. "I am down, and down bad. But I'm not out even yet".
#80 Patricia Hilarious! I think all mothers know how important it is that we get rest, especially when you have babies and very little children. I could never nap when mine were small but eventually I realised that just sitting and doing nothing was as good as and helped keep me "fresh and strong"! I chose the starry print for sleep and the low volume print to symbolise the peace that results. "There could not be not'ing happen dose children worse dan I not get my von little naps".
#39 Grandma It feels like there is lots of movement in this block, spinning and jagged. The "ups and downs" of family life, the children "fly[ing] away" and the need for "bravery and brightness". Gingham always feels homely to me and I mixed it with a dark, busy print and a swirling print to capture the reflections of the letter.
Have a happy weekend everyone!
Linking up to finish it up friday at crazy mom quilts
playing catch up ~ Granny, Jenny, Addie & Margaret
It's been a while since I blogged about my Farmer's Wife 1930's blocks. I have been making them, just at a slow pace and to be honest I'm very behind but hoping to catch up over Christmas.
Here are four more finished blocks:
#41 Granny
The fabric choices were easy for this one because I chose prints that remind me of my late Granny. Elegant yet still familiar, pretty and busy!
#45 Jenny
This letter is so true of my kids, they love being with me and doing jobs around the house. They often get involved in whatever I'm doing and I tell them we can get those things done faster if we do them together (most of the time, occasionally I need them to get out of my way!). A nice reminder to enjoy the kids and make time to play. I picked the viewfinders and pandas as a result.
#1 Addie
This one was sort of a random pick of fabrics... the dots look like rows in a field, the Liberty print is for the "worlds of wildflowers" and the deep blue Carkai fabric for the "beautiful Columbia River". The letter wasn't as poignant for me as others have been but the block does make me happy!
#57 Margaret
My mum's name is Margaret and the letter really made me smile! I had the perfect Liberty print (thank you Molli!) to create a "whole menagerie", Liberty Tana Lawn, Theo in B. Another ideal print is Fragile, Zephyr by Rashida Coleman-Hale for the family sitting down for dinner. I only had a square of that fabric from a charm pack so couldn't fussy cut as much as I wanted - I might get more because the bowls and spoons are so cute! The other colours used and the placement of the fabrics were to suggest "Outside there was rain, wind, darkness, but indoors there was warmth, light, food, shelter, Home and Love".
All of these blocks were hand pieced (I intend to post a tutorial on that - we've all had winter lurgy recently but I will get to it soon!) and I do find it easier than English Paper Piecing when it comes to the smaller shapes. I will just use both techniques as and when, depending on the block and my mood!
I've been thinking about my blog a lot recently and would like to get back to writing more and chatting to everyone or no one at all. Life is always busy but I love this community and the friendships and it feels important, not just to show what I've done but to share the journey and document all that goes along with it.
Have a happy weekend!
Linking up with crazy mom quilts for finish it up Friday
three ladies and a thank you ~ Old Maid, Susannah and Katherine
More work on my Farmer's Wife 1930's sew along blocks. These three blocks were all hand pieced. I decided to rotary cut the pieces and used Marti Michell's templates for the triangles, which made it so easy! As the pieces get smaller it really helps to not have dog ears and I found the points came together as well as when I was English Paper Piecing. I will be doing a tutorial for hand piecing soon.
#78 Old Maid
I love this block! It looks so fabulous on point. The letter from Miss Homemaker was a nice testament to the satisfaction of keeping house for your family (provided they are grateful!). I chose homely feeling fabrics for this block, gingham is perfect for a Farmer's Wife homemaker!
#94 Susannah
A great lesson in saving and business! Wouldn't it be great if you could buy a Ford for $15?! I decided to use colours to represent elements of the letter - the green for money, the brown for wood and the pink for the children's pigs! I hope my children will be as resourceful.
#49 Katherine
One of my middle names. The letter was a tale of hard work, struggle and also contentment. I tried to reflect this in my fabric picks; the black and white for the toils, the brown for the fields of the farm and the flowers for the "well earned" rest as her children grow and leave home.
Now for the thank you! I received a package the other day from the lovely Amy, I had put my name down to get a gift from her and then I would pay it forward. You have probably seen this idea around blog land and social media. The first three people that comment to say they would like a handmade gift from me will receive a package within the next few months BUT only if you agree to pay it forward in the same way.
**EDIT - Thank you! I now have three people but stay tuned because I will have more giveaways coming soon!
One of my middle names. The letter was a tale of hard work, struggle and also contentment. I tried to reflect this in my fabric picks; the black and white for the toils, the brown for the fields of the farm and the flowers for the "well earned" rest as her children grow and leave home.
Now for the thank you! I received a package the other day from the lovely Amy, I had put my name down to get a gift from her and then I would pay it forward. You have probably seen this idea around blog land and social media. The first three people that comment to say they would like a handmade gift from me will receive a package within the next few months BUT only if you agree to pay it forward in the same way.
**EDIT - Thank you! I now have three people but stay tuned because I will have more giveaways coming soon!
quilt for the soul ~ Farmer’s Wife 1930’s Sampler Quilt Sew-Along
Today is my first post as a guest blogger for the Farmer’s Wife 1930’s Sampler Quilt Sew-Along with Fat Quarter Shop and Gnome Angel. It is such a thrill to be part of such a dynamic and assorted Sew-Along!
The Farmer’s Wife 1930s Sampler Quilt: Inspiring Letters from Farm Women of the Great Depression and 99 Quilt Blocks That Honor Them by Laurie Aaron Hird for Fons & Porter/F+W; RRP $28.99 – Click here to purchase.
I will be showing how I constructed #12 Becky and #16 Bonnie using English Paper Piecing, as well as sharing general tips that apply no matter what piecing method you use.
Please note this is not a tutorial on how to English Paper Piece (epp), if you would like to learn I recommend this tutorial by Clare at Selfsewn - I had never done it before I came across her blog and she taught me well! There is also a great tutorial by Angie at Gnome Angel, which includes how to glue baste. If you would prefer to watch a video I suggest this one by Jen Kingwell and Fat Quarter Shop.
To get the papers for the block I simply printed the diagram (from the CD that comes with the book) and cut it up. Make sure your printer is set to 100% or not scaled, to check measure the whole block. The benefits of using the diagram rather than the templates are that you only need to print one sheet of paper, it's much easier to cut with fewer lines and you know it will still perfectly fit together!
There was no grand plan when it came to fabric selection, I chose a limited palette of navy, coral and mustard brown (is that even a colour?!) but knew I would add to it with whatever else I felt like. It wasn't until I actually got the book that I decided what I wanted to do. The letters really spoke to me. I'm sure that sounds very hippy but that's all right! I felt so moved and it is already my favourite part of sewing a block, it is enjoyable to meditate on the words while I sew.
I am choosing to read the letter and pick fabrics based on: the overall theme / a word or phrase that stood out or inspired me / the feeling provoked by the letter.
#12 Becky
Treat yo self! I included strawberries and a tape measure as a reminder to spend time on things I enjoy and to have little "goodies".
To make the most of these fabrics I did some fussy cutting (to select the part of the fabric I wanted for a specific part of the block). I did this the old school way by holding the fabric up to the light and pinning the paper on the back.
The beauty of sewing by hand and doing English Paper Piecing is that the blocks go together just as pictured. I like to think of it as a puzzle, you separate the components and then build the block back together.
For those final longer seams, or where you have points meeting, I like to use clover wonder clips to hold the pieces as I sew them. It really helps stops my hands from cramping.
#16 Bonnie
"The strong winds of trials and tribulations" was the perfect opportunity to use the Zephyr Gale print and the dandelions are to me a symbol to "look for the good side". Nature is out of our control but our own nature and how we handle life is within our control.
Again I built the block up step by step:
It is very easy to make a neat block when you English Paper Piece and everything lines up nicely.
Notes:
- I think it is worth deciding whether you want to have your blocks on point (as I am and as the author Laurie Aaron Hird did) or whether you will have them be square (as you see them in the block assembly part of the book). It makes a big difference if you are fussy cutting fabrics! Having said that, quilts that are used get seen from all angles so don't worry too much about it ;)
- While I was putting the blocks together I literally turned the book so it would be on point, this just made more sense to me and meant I was sure I was sewing the pieces correctly.
- I will be probably not English Paper Piece all the blocks, I would like to do some hand piecing as well and think that will be easier for the blocks that have more smaller pieces.
- Don't worry about mixing methods for the sew-along! If you would like to try and English Paper Piece one or more blocks you can easily gain back the seam allowance around the edge of the block when you remove the papers. Just be sure you add 1/4" around the paper when you baste your shapes. When you pull the threads out or unpeel the fabric the block will measure the same size as ones that are paper pieced on machine or hand pieced.
- I recommend thread basting if you know you want to English Paper Piece the whole quilt because it will last and you need the papers to stay in to sew them together.
- Glue basting is quicker. Since I am going to hand piece some and English Paper Piece the rest of my blocks (therefore don't need the papers to stay in) I will glue baste from now on.
- Hand sewing is always going to be slower than machine though. I'm happy with that, I enjoy the pace and find it relaxing. The sew-along is going to take a year and I don't need to rush it.
- Check out the English Paper Piecing tutorials back up there at the top of this post! If you have any other questions about epp or my blocks just leave them in a comment and I will answer you :)
I hope you find some of that useful and that you might be encouraged to try English Paper Piecing.
Head over to Oh How Sweet to see fellow guest blogger Melissa's blocks and tutorial!
Are you joining in the Farmer's Wife 1930’s Sampler Quilt Sew-Along? How are you piecing your blocks and are you trying anything new?
- I think it is worth deciding whether you want to have your blocks on point (as I am and as the author Laurie Aaron Hird did) or whether you will have them be square (as you see them in the block assembly part of the book). It makes a big difference if you are fussy cutting fabrics! Having said that, quilts that are used get seen from all angles so don't worry too much about it ;)
- While I was putting the blocks together I literally turned the book so it would be on point, this just made more sense to me and meant I was sure I was sewing the pieces correctly.
- I will be probably not English Paper Piece all the blocks, I would like to do some hand piecing as well and think that will be easier for the blocks that have more smaller pieces.
- Don't worry about mixing methods for the sew-along! If you would like to try and English Paper Piece one or more blocks you can easily gain back the seam allowance around the edge of the block when you remove the papers. Just be sure you add 1/4" around the paper when you baste your shapes. When you pull the threads out or unpeel the fabric the block will measure the same size as ones that are paper pieced on machine or hand pieced.
- I recommend thread basting if you know you want to English Paper Piece the whole quilt because it will last and you need the papers to stay in to sew them together.
- Glue basting is quicker. Since I am going to hand piece some and English Paper Piece the rest of my blocks (therefore don't need the papers to stay in) I will glue baste from now on.
- Hand sewing is always going to be slower than machine though. I'm happy with that, I enjoy the pace and find it relaxing. The sew-along is going to take a year and I don't need to rush it.
- Check out the English Paper Piecing tutorials back up there at the top of this post! If you have any other questions about epp or my blocks just leave them in a comment and I will answer you :)
I hope you find some of that useful and that you might be encouraged to try English Paper Piecing.
Head over to Oh How Sweet to see fellow guest blogger Melissa's blocks and tutorial!
Are you joining in the Farmer's Wife 1930’s Sampler Quilt Sew-Along? How are you piecing your blocks and are you trying anything new?
blooming
It's been a productive week and I'm happy I managed to sew anything with the crazy kids around!
I finished this Bee A Brit Stingy row for Nicky. The blocks are Castle Walls by John Q. Adams from the book Fat Quarterly Shape Workshop for Quilters
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I switched out the arrangement of grey / white squares so the row would have more movement, which Nicky requested.
Also managed to finish two more hand pieced flower blocks for my green tea and sweet beans quilt:
I adore that little Cocoland cat!
The next block is clamshells, which I have never done before. I'm going to do needle turn appliqué because I'm feeling brave. Here's my fabric pull for the clamshells:
Wish me luck!
currently... {& discount code!}
I am finishing my le challenge project, sneak peek only!
Working on my green tea and sweet beans - excuse all the creases it gets taken around with me and chucked about!
I'm working on making a row for Catherine for Bee A Brit Stingy, I've done three blocks so far:
All the blocks are from Fat Quarterly Shape Workshop for Quilters. The last one worked out a little small so I will need to add borders of some kind, I'm thinking about a strip at the bottom and to one side but will see how it works with the other blocks before I do anything. One more block to make to complete the row.
In case you haven't seen Pink Castle Fabrics currently have 20% off all in stock bundles with the code BUNDLE20! They have heaps of gorgeous bundles, I'm particularly loving the Heavy Metal, the limited edition Retro Calico and the Scrappy Sorbet 16th Bundle - which contains so many of my favourite prints! Take advantage of that code today!
stitching and saving
If you didn't know already I am totally addicted to hand sewing and have made more progress on my green tea and sweet beans quilt. These blocks have all been hand pieced (no paper), apart from the odd bit of English Paper Piecing where I chose to change up the design.
My second tulip block:
Rather than use the appliqué shapes in the original pattern (they just look too egg like for me!?!) I decided to do English Paper Pieced shapes for the flowers in the appliqué blocks. So here's my first finished block:
I am working on the orange peel appliqué blocks now, I have been using trusty Aurifil 50wt #2600 to piece all the blocks and it works beautifully for the appliqué too:
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Fancy seeing my progress so far? Obviously this isn't how they'll look together in the end and you can really tell that I've just been picking fabric and working on one block at a time. I might need to work more dark fabrics into it to balance it more:
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It doesn't help that the light comes through the window at the top of this picture! I'm exciting to make more blocks and see how it progresses. I would like to think I could envision it as a whole but I really am just choosing fabrics that I love for each block. In the end I know I will adore it because of that, regardless of whether it 'works' in terms of value, colours etc. in the accepted theory sense.
I've joined the drop for 100 Wonder Clips at Massdrop, I use Wonder Clips so much and love a great saving:
If you use Wonder Clips you know how fabulous they are and if you haven't this is such a great way to get them at a brilliant price! I use them when I'm hand sewing binding, they really help stop my hands from aching and keep everything in place. They are super handy just to use like paper clips too, I keep my sewing organised by clipping my cut pieces together. I realise you could use bulldog clips or pegs or whatever but honestly Wonder Clips are one of those products that just work better. They are strong, don't damage your fabric and are perfect to hold things in place when you sew. Head over to Massdrop to get yours :)
While you are there also check out the quilting voting page, where we can all vote on what products we would like to see at Massdrop and even make suggestions!
While you are there also check out the quilting voting page, where we can all vote on what products we would like to see at Massdrop and even make suggestions!
Also I've been browsing Amazon a bit recently and there's so many fabulous quilt books out and coming soon, check my sidebar over on the right to see what I'm loving!
Oh and I noticed this the other day...
which I think calls for a giveaway! Thank you to everyone that's following my blog, stay tuned :)
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