Farmer's Wife Block #1

The quilt-a-long starts tomorrow, but I wanted to see how my other colorway was going to look like. Me thinks I am going to like!

Valentine's Day Runner

Since Valentine's day is approaching, I thought I would share a table runner I made last year, as I was getting it out for this year. I found the pattern on someone's blog (I am sorry I don't have the blog information). I did get mine made with six fat quarters prints and another fat quarter solid white. The six fat quarters also did the backing and a scrappy binding.

Yikes, i just realized I need to iron this before I put it out on the table.

More Farmer's Wife

I don't have much to blog about today, as I slept until noon, yes noon, as I deal with being sick by sleeping -- a lot. I can sleep for 12 to 14 hours at a time, its just my way of dealing with a sick body.

I spent what time I was up sewing the rest of the civil war colorway blocks that I had cut out for my Farmers's Wife quilt. Then I spent some time cutting out 10 blocks from the other colorway, Breath of Avignon for the quilt-a-long that I posted on a few days ago. It begins February 1st and I wanted to get a head start.

My picture today is a BOM I did about two years ago. It is one of my triumphs of the many BOM's I participate in every year. This one was done through one of my local quilt shops, done in a civil war repro colorway, and 16 grid block patterns. I did the quilting, mostly shadowing the patterns in each block.

I have not yet sent any of my quilts out to a long arm quilter....I am selfish in wanting to say the quilt is all my work. Maybe someday???

Civil War Repro - Farmer's Wife

I said earlier that I planned to do two colorways for the Farmer's Wife. I have tons of scraps of Civil War reproducction, so I wanted to try out a couple of blocks with the scraps before I started using my Moda Breath of Avignon line next week. This block is #7 in the book, called Birds in the Air. Remember, these blocks are only 6" square, and this block has 40 pieces! I suprised even myself on how well it turned out! I think i am going to like this template way of doing piecework. I will say this was time consuming, as it took me about 2 hours to cut the block (one piece at a time) and to get it accuratly sewn up.

Another nifty tool I used for the first time in making this block is a different kind of 1/4" pressure foot. It has a metal guide attached to the right side of the foot to help keep the fabric guided as you sew. I feel this foot made this block go together like a fitted glove. It is a fantistic added tool for this project, and I probably be using it for all my future quilting projects, too. I found this foot on eBay for less than $5 (including postage).

Fat Quarter 2012 Designer Mystery BOM

I'm sucker for BOM's. I've been participating in one or more a year, since 1998. This, does not mean I get them all done each year, as life has a tendency to throw me a few curves, but I make every attempt at completing them, and I have had some triumphs!

I will be participating in this BOM this year (starts in June 2012). It is out of my comfort zone of color and print likes, but seeing it out in blogland, its grown on me. So we will see????

This year's quilt features the fabric Vintage Modern by Bonnie & Camille for Moda. If you want to join in you can go to the Fat Quarter Shop at http://fatquartershop.com/.

Herb garden

I have gotten one of those nasty colds that are going around this time of year and along with the dreary weather, I am looking forward to Spring.

I've gotten garden fever and I'm getting excited about my several gardens around our place. I have started getting seed catalogs, and can spend endless hours pouring over them, planning my several gardens. I admit, though, we travel about three hours south to Territorial Seed Company to get seeds, live plants, and bulbs. This company is located here in Oregon, but sell nationwide. What I like best about them, is they have both genetic and organic products and the seeds and live plants are indigenous ot the Pacific Northwest.

The year before last, I started this herb bed. Most of what I put in here are perennials, and all have thrived. I only have to replant basil each year. I use both fresh and dried herbs in my cooking and canning.

More about my garedning in weeks to come......

Farmer's Wife "Breath of Avignon"

This grouping is for a new quilt-a-long that I am participating in, beginning February 2012. There are lots of Farmer's Wife quilt-a-longs all accross blogland. Some have been going on for some time, but I came accross this one that I joined through http://brynwoodneedleworks.blogspot.com/. (Forgive me, I am still learning how to do a link, until then, just copy the url and paste it in your browser).

I will be doing a complete set of blocks in a older line from Moda, called Breath of Avignon. I picked this up a couple of years ago in an effort to step out of my comfort zone in color, but never had a quilt pattern I wanted to use it in, until I signed up for this QAL. I will post pics as I complete the blocks.

Back into my comfort zone, I will also be making a complete set of blocks in scrappy civil war reproduction fabrics. I have bags full of these type scraps, and the 6" blocks will use them up perfectly.