Sometimes plans definitely do not go according to plan! I had hoped to be waaaayyyy further down the track with my Farmers’ Wife 1930’s blocks by the time I posted this tutorial but I haven’t manage

Welcome to the first weekly post in the year long project of the Farmer's Wife 1930s Quilt Along. The very first block is 'Addie' (p.160, letter p.82). Wynn from Zakka Art is posting about this block. She's a hand piecing expert and is always drawn to the prettiest fabric combinations so I can't wait to see how she puts this block together. I found this quite a straightforward block to piece although I did resort to glue basting to get the seams points to meet up. Here's the second block, 'Aimee' p.161, letter p.20: I foundation pieced this block. This is how I set out my materials at the beginning of a block. I print out the foundation pattern and keep the schema section to write notes on. I crease all the seam lines with a hera marker (see this post for equipment ideas); this makes it easier to flip each part of the blocks section around as the fabric is added. Then, I cut out the sections, leaving seam allowances intact and not trimming the corners. You can download a free guide to foundation paper piecing here. I am quite precise when I foundation paper piece. I don't like adding huge chunks of fabric to each tiny section. Instead I pre-cut the fabric that I am adding. I allow around ⅜" to ½" around the seam lines for each piece so that the piece of fabric is always bigger than needed. If you want to use the same method, my cutting suggestions are below. You may want to cut bigger, it's personal preference and technique that is determining the size I choose. I have not specified which fabric you will be cutting from, it depends on how many colours you use, it may also help to add a little colour pencil so you know which colour each piece will be: Foundation Paper Piecing Fabric Cutting A1, B1, A3, B3: Cut (4) 2" x 3 ¼" A2, A4, B2, B4: Cut (4) 2 ½" 1/2" x 2 ¾" E1,E6, F1, F6: Cut (1) 3" square- cut along diagonals to make quarter-square triangles. C2, D2, E3, F3: Cut (4) 1 ½" x 4 ¼" C3, C4, D3, D4, E2, E5, F2, F5: Cut (4) 2 ½" squares and cut each in half diagonally C1, D1, E4, F4: Cut 2 (3 ½" squares and cut each in half diagonally E1, E6, F1, F6; Cut (2) 3" squares and cut each in half diagonally These shapes are all rectangles, squares or right angled triangles. To get the fabric into a shape with the correct angle to match the diagonal that it is being joined to, I either trace a quick freezer paper template ( see here for explanation of this method), or I lie the fabric under the paper pattern pieces, flip the paper back and use my Add-a-quarter ruler to cut one sides t, making the seam allowance a little bigger. This method works well with solids as there is no right side, you do need to take more care with prints. I've just repeated the same process here on the rectangle that will become B3. I am trimming it on the right side, the piece can then flip over and the trimmed side will be sewn on to piece B2. This method keeps the grain lines straight and if done carefully can allow you to play a little with directional print, as with this floral Penny's Doll'shouse print. Here's the same procedure for piece F3. I am trimming the diagonal on the right, then flipping the fabric over so the trimmed piece will fit the same angle that joins onto piece F2. The seam points are a little tricky on these blocks. I tear the paper off and mark the seam allowances at key meeting points so I know where to pin. Glue basting with Elmer's School glue is very helpful. The order of piecing on the paper patterns is not always what I would choose- in foundation piecing sometimes you need to piece in a particular order, other times it's down to personal preference but it all works. I add my first piece using a swipe of Sewline glue to hold it in place, trim the next edge with the add-a-quarter ruler and add the next piece. I hope those tips help. Any questions, please comment and I'll answer below. The letter for the Aimee block (p.20) is about books. Saving pennies to buy books and the pleasure of escaping to a make-believe world. I rarely read fiction, although my degree is in English Literanture and I used to love reading. These days I lean towards audio books and they tend to be either funny memoir- I love David Sedaris' writing, or factual, I'm currently starting Jon Ronson's So You've Been Publicly Shamed on audible. I have a Kate Atkinson's paperback, Life After Life sitting ready to read and inspired by Bookworm of Wisonsin, I think I'll get started on it this week. Feel free to share your current reading matter in the comments. Don't forget to use #fw1930sqal on Instagram and the Flickr group if you like to share there. You can also copy and paste links to any blog posts you do on these blocks in the comments and I'd love to visit and take a look. I'll be introducing this post on Periscope with a short broadcast around 2pm GMT today and it'll be available for 24 hours to replay before it disappears! Link will be in my twitter feed @verykb Don't forget to visit Wynn's post on block 1, Addie. Back next Monday with Charise and blocks 3 and 4.

Square Within a Square is one of the units people who use our templates love to make because there is no waste. We actually cut the center square and 4 triangles instead of adding squares to every corner of a bigger square and creating so much scrap when cutting off the corners. Our template sets for rotary cutting feature special engineered corners that automatically reduce bulk. No going back after sewing to trim excess bulk ~ it's trimmed away at the same time the pieces are cut. But even better than no waste, when you cut the pieces with the templates with the engineered corners, the pieces fit together perfectly! For this 12-inch finished block, use Set A pieces 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6. If you are thinking that the template sizes are not even close to the piece sizes listed in the book you are correct. That is why we call it “No Waste.” My block shows a slight modification where I cut 4 rectangles that replace 4 Flying Geese units. If you are interested in some of my strategies for efficient cutting of scrap quilts, skip down and read "A Scrappy Cutting Strategy" before cutting. But first you need a list of the pieces required because our cut sizes are so much smaller than those in the book. The 9 Square Within a Square units will require: 5 dark A-3 squares with sides on straight grain 4 light A-3 squares with sides on straight grain 16 dark A-6 triangles 20 light A-6 triangles The outside rows (using my variation**see below) will require: 4 medium A-5 squares for the corners 8 light A-4 triangles 16 dark A-6 triangles 4 light rectangles 2 x 3-1/2 inches (If you prefer making the outer edges of the block as shown in Jen’s book, replace these 4 rectangles with 8 light A-6 triangles and 4 dark A-4 triangles) A Scrappy Cutting Strategy Using Jen’s fabric selection as a cue, I decided to select 5 dark and 4 light fabrics for the block plus a contrasting fabric for the four corner squares. To cut as efficiently as possible, I wanted to press and stack the dark fabrics and cut all the necessary dark pieces and then repeat with the light fabrics. Cutting the Dark Pieces Four of the 5 dark fabrics I picked happened to be fat quarters or half yards – too big to work with easily. The fifth was 9 x 18 inches, so I arbitrarily stacked all 5 fabrics matching the right edge and top of each and putting the smallest piece on top. Then I cut the stack down to 9 x 18 inches. I don’t know how much I actually need, but I know this size is both plenty of fabric and a convenient size. Your fabric sizes will be different…the point is try to work with easy to handle sizes and then cut multiple layers at the same time, in this case 5 layers. Mix the pieces as you sew to give a random scrappy look. If you try to select and cut one piece at a time, this quilt will have to be called “Long Time Never Done” instead of Long Time Gone! To determine how many pieces to cut from the stack of five fabrics, I divided the number of dark triangles and dark squares needed (see list above) by the number of dark fabrics and cut that number of pieces from each stack. From the dark fabrics we need 5 dark A-3 squares and have 5 fabrics, so we will cut 1 stack of A-3 squares. We need a total of 32 dark A-6 triangles. 32 divided by 5 fabrics is more than 6 so cut 7 stacks of A-6 triangles from a 2-inch wide strip stack. Cut extra strips for later -- After cutting the pieces I needed for this block, and while the fabrics were still neatly arranged, I cut several sets of strips 1, 1-1/2 and 2 inches wide by the length of the fabric and added another 20 strips to my stockpile of pre-cut strips. I will be able to sprinkle these 5 fabrics throughout the quilt without finding, pressing, layering and putting them away again! Cutting the Light Pieces As it happened, my light fabrics were all small enough that I just pressed and layered them right side up aligning the upper right corner of all four pieces. We need 4 A-3 squares and have 4 fabrics. Cut one A-3 square from the stack. All of the remaining pieces to be cut from light fabrics are easily cut from 2-inch strips that are cut on the lengthwise grain. Cut stacks of strips 2 inches wide until you have four fabrics approximately 20 inches long. Cut extra strips for later -- Because these were smaller pieces of fabric to begin with, I cut the entire remaining stack of fabrics into 1-, 1 1/2- and 2-inch wide strips on the lengthwise grain. We need 20 A-6 triangles and have 4 fabrics. Cut 5 A-6 triangles from the stacked strips. We need 8 A-4 triangles and have 4 fabrics. Cut 2 stacks of A-4 triangles. Align one edge of square A-1 on the edge of the strips and cut at both sides to cut a stack of four 2 x 3 1/2-inch rectangles. From a contrasting medium fabric cut 4 A-5 squares for corners. Making the Block Make 9 Square Within a Square units, 4 with light centers and 5 with dark centers. 1. Chain piece A-6 triangles to one side of the A-3 squares. Nip apart and press seams toward the triangles. Make 9: 2. Then chain piece triangles to the opposite side of the squares to complete the Square Within a Square units. They should be 3-1/2 inches square, including seam allowances. Isn’t it wonderful that there are no dog ears? Make 9. Make 8 Flying Geese Units with light A-4 triangles and dark A-6 triangles. 1. Place a small A-6 triangle and a large A-4 triangle right sides together and stitch. Chain piece additional pairs until all the large triangles are used. Press seam allowances toward small triangle; this makes it easier to stitch the other small triangle in place and reduces bulk at the point of the Flying Geese unit. Clip units apart. Make 8 (4 are illustrated). 2. Add the remaining A-6 triangles to the opposite side. You will now be sewing across the first seam allowance and it will be held in the position in which it is pressed. It is more likely to be smooth and flat if it is pointing in the same direction as the presser foot. The corners line up perfectly on every step. There are no dog ears, shadowing or extra bulk. Press toward small triangle and clip apart. Each Flying Geese unit should measure 2 by 3-1/2 inches, including seam allowances. Make 8. Complete the block. Arrange the units and join into rows, as shown. Then join rows to complete the block. We call this block arrangement Evening Stars and it is one of our favorite scrap patterns. It is simply made by alternating positive/negative Square Within a Square units. That is, squares with light centers and dark corners alternate with squares with dark centers and light corners. The stars occur when many rows of alternating light and dark centers are joined. Click here for a downloadable PDF of a larger Evening Star wallhanging or lap quilt made with Set B. You can see that we feel that replacing some of the Flying Geese units on the outside edges with rectangles accentuates the star points. Once you see the star points on the edge, your eyes see them more clearly in the quilt or block. Look Way Ahead in Long Time Gone! In fact, look at the 5-inch finished size Pineapple block paper-piecing diagram on page 40 in Jen's book. (We, of course, will not be paper-piecing.) Look at the pieces numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 in the center of the block. Sure enough, they make a Square Within a Square Unit. It is just smaller than the ones in this block. In the last week of blocks in the Sew Along, right before we start putting the blocks together, we are going to need 16 of those Pineapple blocks. If you do the math -- 16 blocks times 37 pieces -- you will understand my next question. Why not get a head start on the 16 blocks needed and make the center units now? Even if you don’t have your 1/2-inch Pineapple Ruler (#8262) yet, if you have Set N, you can use square N-79 and triangle N-81 to cut and make the center for the 16 five-inch Pineapple blocks needed later. In fact, in the Pineapple set, those shapes are part of a multi-sized template, so many people prefer the individual pieces in Set N. Instructions are given below. As soon as you have the 1/2-inch Pineapple Ruler Set you will be so happy that you actually have both light and dark 1-inch strips. You can cut the exact size pieces and add a few rounds. Making 16 Pineapple Center Units 1. Cut 16 N-79 squares. They should be either a medium or dark value. Nip off the corners. I made all 16 Square Within a Square centers from the same fabrics. I like to put a “drop” of consistency here and there in a scrap quilt, and it also makes it efficient to cut and chain piece. 2. Cut 64 N-81 corner triangles with legs on straight grain. Again, I chose to use one fabric for all of the triangles; it needs to be a light value. Cut 4 strips 1 1/4 inches wide by 18 inches long and stack them. Cut 16 sets of 4 triangles from the stacked strips. Nip off the corners. When the dog ears are gone, the triangle corners should line up perfectly with the corners on the square. 3. Join as in Making the Square Within a Square units, above. 4. True up and make sure you have a square. The finished size of the center unit should be just a sliver smaller than 2 inches square (1.914 inches exactly). It is worth it to make corrections, if necessary, as every strip is eventually added to this square. If it isn’t square, your finished block won’t be square. I remember spending hours one weekend to cut the strips I would need for the 9 blocks (1-inch finished strip width) in this quilt. Cut a few 1-inch strip sets every time you have fabric out and it will seem like you did it in minutes or spare time…You also need a lot of 1-1/2 and 2-inch strips in several blocks and when putting the quilt together. Part of the charm of a scrap quilt like this is that many of the same fabrics are sprinkled all over the quilt. Visit these other Long Time Gone Sew Along blogs, too, for tutorials, contests and other info: http://gnomeangel.com http://www.snipssnippets.ca Use the hash tag #LongTimeGoneSAL to share photos on Instagram. Long Time Gone by Jen Kingwell. Copyright 2016 by Jen Kingwell Designs. Available on the From Marti Michell website, www.frommarti.com Long Time Gone by Jen Kingwell. Copyright 2016 by Jen Kingwell Designs. Available on the From Marti Michell website, www.frommarti.com

The following is a list of all the block tutorials for Farmer’s Wife 1930’s Sampler Quilt Sew-along. Click a link to see the tutorial. Tutorials are listed in numerical and alphabetical order as per the book: Addie – Click here for tutorial Aimee – Click here for tutorial Alice – Click here for tutorial Ann...

Block 73 of the Farmer’s Wife 1930’s Sampler Quilt is Mrs Taft. I adore this block. After Charlotte this is probably my favourite block in the book. I foundation paper pieced this version and it went

A blog about using From Marti Michell templates and making Farmer's Wife 1930s Sew Along blocks

Block 18 of the Farmer’s Wife 1930’s Sampler Quilt is Carol. I really love this pattern – so much so that it’s the block we used for the sew-along’s logo. It’s another great block for showing off one

Learn to make the 99 Blocks in Farmer's Wife 1930's Sampler Quilt with Angie Wilson of GnomeAngel.com. Great project for learning new quilting skills.

Your Last 8-1/2 inch Block Sonnie is the 12th and last block we are converting to 8-1/2 inches. Substitute the Set B pieces listed below for the pieces in the 6-inch conversion chart included in this blog post. The strip width measurement for the strip piecing is a full 1-1/8 inches, almost 1-3/16 inches. If your ruler doesn’t have 16ths of an inch marks, go halfway between 1-1/8 and 1-1/4 inches wide. If you can cut in metric, the strip width is 30mm. The length is at least 10-1/2 to 11 inches long. True-up the strip piecing with B-12 squares. And Now, Revealing The 8-1/2 inch Mystery Quilt! The 12 sampler blocks were combined with a 16-inch center section cut with Set D pieces to make a 42- 46 inch square wall quilt sampler. The 16-inch center unit was made for the Marti Michell Mini Quilt Blog Hop. Complete instructions are posted on my November 4, 2016 blog. Click here to download the color diagram with color key you can customize. Click here to download a line drawing with a block key that lists the other 11 block names and their corresponding blog post numbers so you can find them easily in the blog archives. The Chart number is always given first. Example: Addie, FMM 11 means the 8-1/2 inch Addie block was discussed in Chart 11.) Here's a list of the blog posts that have the 8-1/2 inch block keys (click on the links): Addie, Jenny, Old Maid and Caroline; Sonnie is above on this page; Cat and Ava; Carrie; Tracy; Aunt Gladys; Nancy and Martha. You may want to click on the template key in each of those blog posts to isolate it in your browser and print those keys for reference. My Sonnie Block Click on the image for a larger view. Click the link below to download the Chart for cutting and making Sonnie: From Marti Michell Chart #92 Visit these other Farmer's Wife Sew Along blogs, too, for sewing tutorials and other info about the Sonnie block: http://gnomeangel.com http://thecraftymummy.com/ Are you ready for a new Sew Along? Gnome Angel invited us to participate in a three-month sew along to make Jen Kingwell's Long Time Gone quilt -- you can use the same templates you used for the Farmer's Wife blocks! Click here for more information.

Farmer's Wife 1930s block no. 14 - patched. You can find all my Farmer's Wife 1930s quilt blocks over at the Patchsmith's blog.

Block 59 of the Farmer’s Wife 1930’s Sampler Quilt is Mary. Welcome to 2017! We’re on the homeward stretch now with only 12 more blocks to make after this one. I really love this block. I love the big

Block 5 of the Farmer’s Wife 1930’s Sampler Quilt is Anne. I have loved this block from afar since we started...

If you really only want to make the block in the book, we recommend using the paper-piecing technique for Posy; it's on the CD that comes with the book. However, we are substituting a template-cut block with a similar profile. It is cut with Template Set S and sometimes called Rhodey’s Square. I’m calling this block Ruth. Just like my other substitute blocks, Ruth was an Iowa Farmer’s wife in the 1930s, and also a friend of my mother's. Mom was the leader of my 4-H Club and Ruth agreed to be the assistant leader. Looking back now, I can see what a positive influence my 4-H experience was on my life and it couldn’t have happened without the adult leaders. That's me at the right end of the first row: Our block Ruth is ideal for efficient piecing because you need 4 or 8 of nearly every unit. However, to take full advantage of that, think twice about using fabric with strong directional design. For example, the corner units are identical until they are rotated to complete the design. Then they become mirror image units. If any of the pieces in the corner units are cut from directional fabric, the result could surprise you. For efficient piecing, we'd make 4 corner units just alike: Then we'd rotate them to create the block -- what happened? If all the triangles had been cut from fabric printed with trees, some of the trees would be rooted in the ground and some would be growing sideways! My Ruth Block Click on the image for a larger view. Click the link below to download the Chart for cutting and making Ruth: From Marti Michell Chart #82 Visit these other Farmer's Wife Sew Along blogs, too, for sewing tutorials and other info about the Posy block: http://gnomeangel.com http://catandvee.blogspot.com/ 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.

Hello and Happy Monday. Welcome to my stop on the Farmer's Wife 1930s Quilt Along hosted by Kerry at Verykerryberry. Today I am sharing the block "Ann". I picked this block to share because my mom's name is Ann and she was a farm girl. She spent summers on her grandparent's farm when she was a girl in the late 40's/early 50's. She often talks about how idyllic those summers were. Her grandfather was a baker and her grandmother was a homemaker. My mother fondly remembers spending time with them tending the animals and the garden. I joined the First Farmer's Wife quilt along a few years back, and used templates for my blocks. It was honestly difficult to get accurate blocks - the pieces are small and so are the blocks - just 6". In the new book, the author, Laurie Aaron Hird has included paper piecing patterns! I'm thrilled and will be paper piecing all of my blocks. I find this the easiest method to get sharp and accurate seams. My favorite supplies for paper piecing are: *Translucent Vellum from Office Depot. It is slight see through so you can see the fabric through the paper which makes it perfect for fussy cutting. It is also OK to use with a dry iron and doesn't shrink or curl. *Add a Quarter Ruler - the ruler has a 1/4" lip which makes adding a 1/4" seam allowance around your sections very easy. *Fabric Glue Stick - I use it to attach the paper pattern to small pieces of fabric. It comes off easily and is water soluble. It is also helpful to position the pattern on fabric for perfect fussy cut motifs. *Fine Pins - I like Clover Brand Flower Head Pins Fine - .45 mm * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * If you are new to paper piecing, I have a tutorial and free pattern [HERE] I also have lots of tips for paper piecing [HERE] * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * HERE ARE A FEW TIPS FOR PUTTING THE BLOCK TOGETHER: ***I prefer to cut the seam allowances off the pattern sections. I find it is easier to sew the sections together without the added bulk of the pattern seam allowance. ***Be sure to change your stitch length to 16 - 18 stitches per inch when stitching the sections together. 1] I wanted all my points to be centered on the plaid, so I started by using a bit of fabric glue to position the D1 portion on the fabric. The wrong side of the pattern will be facing the wrong side of the fabric. 2] Fold back on the stitching line between D1 and D2. Use your ruler and rotary cutter to add a 1/4" seam allowance. 3] Cut Section D2 at least 1/2" larger that the section. Place section D1 to D2 the right sides together. Stitch on the line between D1 and D2. Start stitching on the inside of the pattern, Back tack, and continue stitching to the end of the stitching line continuing beyond the pattern. Fold the fabric back and press with a dry iron. Add section D3 as #3 above. 4] When adding section D4 I wanted to fussy cut the motifs. I turned the pattern over so the right side of the fabric is facing me. I then positioned the pattern where I wanted the motifs to be. Trace around the pattern piece with a 1/4" seam allowance to get a perfectly planned piece of fabric for D4. Add D4 and D5. 5] When stitching sections L and E to D, I first pinned the corners using fine Clover pins. Change you stitch length to 10 - 12 stitches per inch and stitch the seam back tacking at the ends. Follow step #1 - 5 for the remaining three sections. 6] Putting the sections together - My method to match seams ***easy, peasy**** When I first started paper piecing, I swear I spent more time ripping out seams than I did sewing! Here are my tips for getting your seams to match perfectly. I find this works best if you cut off the seam allowances from your pattern. Pin the seams that you want to match. Baste stitch just where the seams meet, not the entire length of the seam. Flip over, open the seam and double check that the seams match. If they don't - no biggie! Just remove the basting stitches and re-sew! Once you are happy with the seam matching, stitch the seam with a 10 - 12 stitch length making sure to back tack at each end. Press the seam open. I hope these tips are helpful! Please don't forget the use the has tag #fw1930sqal is you are sharing your blocks on Instagram and/or Twitter. Happy Stitching!!! xo Charise

A little heads-up to those of you who have already started the Farmer's Wife 1930s quilt along. The official start if next Wednesday and we will be working our way through the blocks in alphabetical/numerical order. Block 3,Alice, has a few errata and I wanted to flag this up now. The main problem is with the templates. Some of the templates do not have true right angles where they should e.g. 3A, 3C, 3G, 3H and as they are, they will not fit together. Jo Avery who is a guest blogger for this quilt along is English Paper Piecing the blocks using the templates noticed this when her sections would not jigsaw together. There is also an error on the cutting instructions, on piece #3E you need to cut 2 not 4. The foundation paper piecing instructions are correct- I've already made this block. Do remember if you are foundation piecing, that the order of how a section is sewn can be open to interpretation, there were sections that I would've sewn in a different order but that is a personal preference, it varies for each sewer and they all work in the order that is written on the pattern pieces. The author, Laurie Aaron Hird, is sorting out corrections with the publishers. She is hugely apologetic and is currently checking all the templates and working out a permanent method of making any corrections available, meanwhile, she has sent me her personal correct copy of the templates and as a temporary solution you can print a copy of this: Here as a Jpeg Here as a PDF I've just added these to my Google Drive so if there are any problems my email link is in the right sidebar. It needs to be printed at 100%, not scaled down and as a point of reference the 3D triangle shorter sides measure ½" and the long sides of the rectangle 3A measures 2 ⅛" (seam lines, not including seam allowances). So far, Laurie has not come across any other problems with the templates. There is an errata page here, do check it before you start any blocks!

Block 89 of the Farmer’s Wife 1930’s Sampler Quilt is Ruby. Finally a block that is intentionally mismatched, just wish I’d realised that before I unpicked… twice! I foundation paper pieced this versi

“Gypsy Wife” by Jen Kingwell is one of my all-time favourite quilt patterns. I had so much fun making this quilt and it’s reflected in my fussy cutting and colours. Raylee Bielenberg, of Sunflower Quilting, has custom quilted my quilt top and it’s stunning. MY VERSION OF “GYPSY WIFE” BLOCK TUTORIALS Click an image below...

Sometimes plans definitely do not go according to plan! I had hoped to be waaaayyyy further down the track with my Farmers’ Wife 1930’s blocks by the time I posted this tutorial but I haven’t manage

The following is a list of all the block tutorials for Farmer’s Wife 1930’s Sampler Quilt Sew-along. Click a link to see the tutorial. Tutorials are listed in numerical and alphabetical order as per the book: Addie – Click here for tutorial Aimee – Click here for tutorial Alice – Click here for tutorial Ann...

Block 82 of the Farmer’s Wife 1930’s Sampler Quilt is Pharlemia. Well this block put an end to our easy block run. This week I used the Marti Michell conversion chart to make this block and you can ge

Block 60 of the Farmer’s Wife 1930’s Sampler Quilt is Mary Gray. I love how striking this block is, it kind of reminds me of a road map. I think it would be interesting to see a quilt made up of these

It’s been a while since I’ve done a tutorial for The Farmer’s Wife 1930s Sew Along Angie from Gnome Angel is hosting so hi, and welcome, to everyone who has joined in since my last post. Truth be

Block 50 of the Farmer’s Wife 1930’s Sampler Quilt is Lady. This is a great block for showing off a bit of your favourite fabric. The other great thing about this block is that it’s super quick. I fou

Block 5 of the Farmer’s Wife 1930’s Sampler Quilt is Anne. I have loved this block from afar since we started this crazy adventure and so I’m really thrilled to finally be able to make it. I love a go

Happy New Year to you!Today it is my stop on the Farmer's Wife 1930s Quilt Along hosted by Kerry at VeryKerryBerry. I have fallen a bit behind in making blocks due to the Holidays and time spent with

Sometimes plans definitely do not go according to plan! I had hoped to be waaaayyyy further down the track with my Farmers' Wife 1930's blocks by the time I posted this tutorial but I haven't managed it. Still, at least this is one more block done and, for everyone sewing along with the Farmers'

I know I say this often, but the blocks released this week are just so sweet! I am in love with them both, and each week I am getting more excited about how the finished quilt will look. Fir…

Use Template B-13 from Set B Take advantage of this quick and easy block to both look ahead and catch up. In the catch-up department, for some reason I still need to cut and make 2 Churn Dash blocks! Looking Ahead and Making the Block Simultaneously 1. It looks like Jen used 35 different fabrics for her triangles and I want to do the same. When using templates, we always cut strips one dimension of the template first and then use the template for the final cut. (Yes, cut a strip even if you only want two triangles.) So, I needed 2-1/2 inch strips of both light neutrals and contrasting prints. I don’t need a lot of variety in the light neutrals so I cut strips from 7 or 8 different fabrics 2-1/2 inches wide and 10 – 12 inches long. 2. Now, what about the 35 contrasting fabrics? For efficiency, look ahead. Is there another place where we need 2-1/2 inch strips? Yes, next week in Half Square Triangles block 2, and again in the “60 degree” triangles. What about the borders? You may remember that I’ve mentioned that I want varying widths on my three borders and 2-1/2 inches is the width for my middle border. On Jen’s borders, there are 10 or 11 strips on each 70 inch side. If I cut 35 2-1/2 inch wide strips between 10 and 18 inches long, I could accomplish four things! a. I could pair them with neutral strips and cut 2 B-13 Half Square Triangle sets. One set would be for this block and … b. I would have all the triangles I need cut for next week’s block, too. c. I would be close to having a full border cut. d. I can use at least some of the strips for the “60 degree” triangles. If you are planning on making a 2-1/2 inch pieced binding like Jen did, you’ll probably want to cut a second strip while you have the fabric out. 3. I paired light and contrasting strips and stacked them 3 pairs high. Then I cut 2 pairs of B-13 triangles from each stack one for this week, one for nest week. Don’t skip cutting off the corners. Even with my nipped off corners, the bulk is noticeable. 4. Next, I separated the strips and put the assorted colors aside. Since I don’t plan to put light fabrics in the border, I paired them again with new contrasting fabrics and repeated this process until I had 35 pairs of triangles. 5. Chain-piece the triangle pairs and press seams toward the darker triangle. Arrange in 5 rows of 7 as shown and join. Alternate from row to row the direction that you press the seams that join the squares to create perfect opposing seams for joining the rows. I pressed the seams that joined the rows up. Some may choose to press that open, but I anticipate quilting in the ditch and do not want the open seam. More Looking Ahead If you have been following, you know I’ve already layered and quilted Section 4. I had finished piecing another set of 4 Pineapple blocks sometime ago and now with the HST Block 1 done, I’m only missing a row of 6 Peaky and Spike triangles to complete Section 1. I can’t stand not to finish! The instructions are on page 23 in the Long Time Gone book, called 60-degree triangles. They are really 53-1/2 degree triangles, but who's counting? Using the Multiple Size Peaky and Spike – Product #8289 The 6 contrasting Spike triangles can be cut from the same 2-1/2 inch strips you just used for the HSTs. Don't forget to reposition the multi-size tool and trim off the corners for easy piecing. Instead of cutting 6 pairs of Peaky triangles, I chose to cut 7 neutral Spike triangles to alternate. It saves a lot of seams and I like the clean look better next to the HST block. Trim the neutral triangles to size on each end of the row. On page 11 of the Peaky and Spike instruction booklet, we tell you how to join two Peaky triangles to make a rectangle, but until now we didn’t share joining 2 Spike triangles. We are sharing our future page 11 with you right now! Excerpt, page 11: The corners are engineered to fit perfectly when Peaky and Spike are sewn in the most common arrangement, as on page 2. The pieces fit together in other positions, shown below. but the corners do not align ideally. It just takes a little practice to create these units. For example, to make a rectangle out of two #97 triangles, cut both triangles in the same orientation and pay careful attention to matchpoints when sewing. You can also sew Spike triangles together to make a wonderful Sawtooth border. End each strip with a Peaky triangle and use kite units for corner blocks. Check Your Finished Block Sizes Jen has included finished sizes for all of the units. They really aren’t suggested sizes! This jigsaw puzzle doesn’t fit together without accurate finished block sizes. If you choose to machine quilt in sections, this is a Cardinal Rule! Measure the edges that will be joined eventually. If they match before quilting and you quilt with the same density on both pieces, they will match when they are joined. Just like section 4 shown in Week 5, I'm adding 8 inches in length and width to the batting and backing. I will position the pieced unit in the lower right corner so that all of the extra batting and backing extends at the top and left side of the quilt, as it is pictured on the inside cover of the Longtime Gone book. Here is my Section 1 layered and ready to quilt. Just like Section 4, it has the extra batting and backing allowed for the borders to be added “Stitch and Flip.” And here it is with the extra batting and backing rolled and pinned to be more convenient to handle when quilting. For more information about machine quilting in sections, see my book Machine Quilting in Sections and my newest Craftsy Class by the same name. More About Half Square Triangles Block 1 Visit these other Long Time Gone Sew Along blogs, too, for tutorials, contests and other info: http://www.snipssnippets.ca http://gnomeangel.com Use the hash tag #LongTimeGoneSAL to share photos on Instagram. Long Time Gone by Jen Kingwell. Copyright 2016 by Jen Kingwell Designs. Available on From Marti Michell website, www.frommarti.com

It's been a while since I've done a tutorial for The Farmer's Wife 1930s Sew Along Angie from Gnome Angel is hosting so hi, and welcome, to everyone who has joined in since my last post. Truth be told it's been a little while since I've sewn any Farmers Wife blocks. I I am absolutely

Farmer's Wife 1930s block no. 29 - Doris It has been pretty relaxed over the Christmas period as far as the Farmer’s Wife blocks are concerned. There was a gap in both sew-alongs so people could catch up (not to mention share a cup-of-cheer ..... or two ..... or three!). The last four blocks in the Very Kerry Berry farmer's wife 1930s sew-along were two lots-of-little-bits blocks: Block 27 – Dinah. I made this block in Christmassy fabrics - bright and cheery. It was quiet easy paper-piecing. Farmer's Wife 1930s block no. 27 - Dinah Block 28 – Dolly. I had two orange patterned charm squares that I wasn't particularly keen on but I couldn't waste them so I used them in this block and look how pretty it turned out. I only just had enough though which is surprising as the orange pattern doesn't look like it is two charm squares worth. Farmer's Wife Block no. 28 - Dolly Block 29 – Doris. This is one of the blocks that I had been looking forward to making. But when I first made it I put it together in the wrong order with the central points facing out instead of in. So I remade it – I wanted this block to be just right. And so it turned out. Notes in book read “lovely fabrics, pretty block” – and so it is. Farmer's Wife 1930s block no. 29 - Doris Block 30 – Em. My notes say it all “Oh my goodness – what a lot of work – 84 pieces!!”. I cut my squares to 1¼” and patched this block. I made my half-square triangles bigger (2”) and trimmed them to size as it was easier this way. It turned out lovely and went together really well. Farmer's Wife 1930s block no. 30 - Em The Gnome Angel sew-along finished with two blocks – one of which (block no. 9 ‘Autumn) I had already made. So yet again – a nice easy week: Block 86 – Priscilla. I paper-pieced the majority of this block but the long seams are slightly inset so I hand-stitched them at the intersections (where they met the center square). This enabled me to get the insets just right and machine stitch the rest of the long seams. It wasn’t hard or fiddly but notes in book read “not keen on look of this block but pretty fabrics help it.” Farmer's Wife 1930s block no. 86 - Priscilla That brings us all up-to-date for the start of 2016 and both sew-alongs resume tomorrow (4th January 2016). Are you up-to-date and ready? You can see all the blocks I have made so far over on my Farmer’s Wife PinterestBoard or on my Farmer’s Wife blog page. I will be back next Wednesday when I will share with you how I intend to join in the upcoming Riley Blake Calico Days 'Bloom' sew-along without making another full-size quilt. (You can download the details and free pattern for the 'Bloom' sew along here (in PDF format). Sew until then .......

Very Kerry Berry has covered six Farmer’s Wife 1930s blocks since we last met – three of which I have blogged about previously but three of which are new. Let’s take it in numerical order: Block 47 – Joy. This is a lovely block and one which I covered in January. Notes in my book read ‘okay to paper-piece – pretty block’. Farmer's Wife 1930s Block 47 - Joy Block 48 – Judy. This is one of the new blocks which I have only just made. It is the same as block 29 Doris but with a different center. I patched the center and corner squares but paper-pieced the sharp triangle patches. She reminds me of Judy Garland - it is the orange polka dot. Farmer's Wife 1930s Block 48 - Judy Block 49 – Katherine. I patched this block way back in October 2015. It is not one of my favourites – I guess I prefer a symmetrical approach. Farmer's Wife 1930s Block 49 - Katherine Block 50 - Lady. This is another ‘new’ block to the blog but one which I made back in November last year. Notes read “a simple paper-pieced block with endless possibilities depending on fabric. You could even patch the centre.” Farmer's Wife 1930s Block 50 - Lady Block 51 – Lily. This is a block that I blogged about in January. Notes in my book read ‘nothing with this block went together easily. It is a very pretty block but not one I want to make again!”. Farmer's Wife 1930s Block 51 - Lily and finally ..... Block 52 – Lola. I patched this block using the paper templates. “Pretty in Gooseberry fabrics”. Farmer's Wife 1930s Block 52 - Lola The Gnome Angel sew-along has reduced to one block a week and this week’s block is one which was a lot of work back in October 2015 - block no. 6 April. Farmer's Wife 1930s Block 6- April I'll be back shortly with an update on The Splendid Sampler blocks - they are coming along very nicely but if you can't wait you can find them all on my Splendid Sampler Pinterest board here ........

Lily Farmer's Wife 1930s Sew Along

I have to admit this is turning out to be even more awesome than I thought it would be! The Farmer's Wife 1930's Quilt-along started on the last day of September and we're now two weeks and 5 blocks in. Its been so much fun! Week One had the sweetest little blocks. All three were

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t spend an embarrassingly crazy amount of time thinking about Angelina Jolie and...

Today there’s a couple of blocks that I forgot to share! With all my organising and packing and destashing, a couple of blocks got lost in the mix. Not literally lost, nothing that dramatic! Just that my usual workflow from making the blocks to blogging them got interrupted and Cat and Mrs Morgan almost never […]

Charm About You by Lucy Brennan is all about patchwork and quilting, sewing, embroidery and fabric. Featuring projects, patterns and free tutorials.

Most of you know that Jen Kingwell is from Australia, one of the commonwealth nations. How neat for her to design and include this block. The From Marti Michell tool we'll be using to make these blocks is the 6-1/2 inch Squaring Up Ruler. Fabric Selection Remember the pile of fabrics I pulled before we started? Think of making a scrappy quilt like this as producing and directing a movie. Selecting your pile of fabric was the open call for casting. Even though you have picked a theme, it isn’t until you start cutting and sewing that certain fabrics begin to excel. Some become stars, others get small speaking parts, a few are extras and others get put away to wait their turn in another quilt. As the director, you have the opportunity to audition the same fabric as a lead in one design and only a speaking part in the next. And it is practically a rule to introduce new cast members in each scene. Because I had cut extra 1- and 1-1/2 inch strips from all of the fabrics I’ve already used, I was able to select fabrics for the Crosses of the UK strips from my strip stockpile and just needed to cut them to length. I did that and cut the 2-1/4 inch squares I needed with the 6-1/2 inch Squaring Up Ruler. Later, when it was time to trim the pieced squares to 2 inches square, it was so easy to center the diagonal line of the ruler on the diagonal strip. Making the Blocks Just follow the instructions in Jen Kingwell's pattern. Don’t let the illustration of the block on page 7 confuse you, just cut pieces the sizes given. The measurements and instructions result in finished blocks that look like the picture of the quilt blocks. In real life and in the quilt, the vertical and horizontal strips are much chunkier than the illustration in the book. I love the idea of teaming a few fabrics I have used in the first two blocks with new fabrics being cut for the first time. For this this block I chose to cut and chain piece 3 blocks at a time. Here is one group of squares being trimmed to size. Sets of three blocks are used in two different places in the quilt so while I expect them to look good together, I have not sewn them together yet. More Strategy for Cutting Extra Strips I’ve made a little chart that lists what size strips are needed for each block and in the finishing. (Click here to download the PDF.) Because they are all scrappy, it will be much easier to get variety if you cut extra strips every time you have fabric on your cutting table. Most blocks need approximately the same amount of both light and dark fabrics. However in the checkerboards used in the final assembly, Jen used the solid gray for all of the light fabric squares. This chart is intended as a helpful guide for more efficient cutting. Actual directions are with each tutorial as they are posted here on the blog. Now Let's Do a Bit on the Pineapple Blocks You should be able to start adding a round or two to your 16 Pineapple blocks. To get the same look as Jen’s, make sure that the first round of trapezoids (numbers 6, 7, 8 & 9 in the diagram on page 40) are dark fabrics. (See page 5 in the 1/2-inch Pineapple Templates instruction book for diagrams that show how different the blocks look when the first round starts out light.) Naturally, the engineered corners on the Pineapple strips are the “magic” that makes this so easy to piece with no scraps and no trimming. But please don’t miss the tip mentioned first on page 14 and illustrated on page 18 of the template booklet, where we like to use the standard double-blunt cut on the first two trapezoid pieces being added to the Square Within a Square center. I’m working on my Pineapple blocks in sets of four, a round or two at a time. That way there will always be new fabrics in the strip stockpile and I can maximize the variety of fabrics in the Pineapple Blocks. You can see they are at different stages of completion, but looking so cute! More About the Crosses of the UK Section Visit these other Long Time Gone Sew Along blogs, too, for tutorials, contests and other info: http://gnomeangel.com http://www.snipssnippets.ca Use the hash tag #LongTimeGoneSAL to share photos on Instagram. Long Time Gone by Jen Kingwell. Copyright 2016 by Jen Kingwell Designs. Available on From Marti Michell website, www.frommarti.com

Block 18 of the Farmer’s Wife 1930’s Sampler Quilt is Carol. I really love this pattern – so much so that...

Farmer's Wife 1930s Block no. 43 - Hope VeryKerry Berry is chasing through the Farmer’s Wife 1930s sampler quilt with another four blocks: Block 41 – Granny. I cheated with this block and paper-pieced it in such a way that I eradicated those silly half-triangle squares. Find out more HERE. Farmer's Wife 1930s Block no. 41 - Granny Block 42 – Heather. Another block that I’ve covered already HERE. I loved this block – so much that I made two. . Farmer's Wife 1930s Block no. 42 - Heather Then we came to a block I was looking forward to and which I like the look of.... Block 43 – Hope. This block has a partial seam and my notes read “not sure I got the partial seam perfect but it is pretty and to size”. It is also sashed and joined to another already! Farmer's Wife 1930s Block no. 43 - Hope Block 44 – Iris. I struggled with this block. Notes tell all ..... “Seams didn’t match up when joining two halves. I don’t quite know why because the middle and ends match and it is to size. Unpicked and restitched. Better match but still unsure. Maybe I am being too fussy.” Farmer's Wife 1930s Block no. 44 - Iris GnomeAngel managed another two blocks before scheduling a break until 1st March. Both blocks are covered briefly here as they have been blogged about before: Block 11 – Bea. This has been blogged about HERE. I like how the handle looks like ribbon – it isn’t, it is the small stripe on the fabric that makes it appear so. Farmer's Wife 1930s Block no. 11 - Bea Block 23 – Charlotte. This was an easy block to paper-piece and I made it in two halves. Nothing challenging – quite straightforward. Farmer's Wife 1930s Block no. 23 - Charlotte I actually only have another 7 or 8 blocks to make and you can see all the blocks I've made so far over on my Farmer’s Wife PinterestBoard or on my Farmer’s Wife tab above. Sew until tomorrow when I shall be sharing my Splendid Sampler blocks .......

The block we call Emma looks just like Em, except we have eliminated a dozen unnecessary seams by making 8 Flying Geese units and 4 rectangles to replace 16 half-square triangles and 8 squares. Plus we used strip techniques to make the checkerboard units instead of cutting tiny individual squares. You may have forgotten, I wrote in a previous post that my Mom was an Iowa farm wife in the 1930s. So, when I decided that I would substitute a very template-friendly block for Aimee that was only barely template-friendly, I named the new block Alta, after my Mom. I also decided that whenever I offered an optional template-friendly block, it would be named in memory of a 1930s Iowa farm wife who was either my mother’s friend or one of my friends' mothers. Emma was both. Emma’s son Clarence was a classmate of mine for 12 years. Even though our small graduating class of 26 has spread from coast-to-coast, we have kept in touch. It was fun to find out at a class reunion about 10 years ago that Emma’s granddaughters and Clarence’s daughters, Susan and Julie, are two of the partners who own Ladybug’s Quilts in Manteca, CA, about 60 miles south of Sacramento. Don’t miss it if you are in the area and make sure you tell them “Marti sent you!” Photos courtesy of Ladybug's Quilts Emma’s Signature Quilt It was especially fun that, just as we were starting the Farmer’s Wife quilt-along, Emma’s family members discovered a signature quilt from the 1930s which included Emma’s embroidered name. They shared a snapshot of the quilt and her name block. This quilt has the earmarks of a good fundraising signature quilt. It was common for people to contribute money to have their signature included in the quilt. Usually that also gave those people an opportunity to win the quilt when it was completed, and it looks like Emma won. You can make your own 6-inch signature block or blocks. If you and several friends are cheering each other on as you make the Farmer’s Wife quilt -- it might be fun to put their signature blocks on the back of the quilt. Use triangle template A-2 for the triangle corners. Cut 3 strips a scant 2 inches wide by 4-3/4 inches long for the signature area. True up the signature square with template C-15 (a 4-3/4 inch square) if you own Set C or use My Favorite 6-1/2 inch Squaring Up Ruler. Don’t forget to press freezer paper to the back of the signature area to stabilize it for signing. Join triangles to opposite sides of the 3-strip square, press toward the center and then add the remaining triangles to the remaining opposite sides. My Emma Block Click on the image for a larger view. Click the link below to download the Chart for cutting and making Emma: From Marti Michell Chart #43 In addition to our template conversion PDF download, you will want to read Gnome Angel's tutorials for these blocks. Thanks for reading this to the end! Leave a comment below to enter our giveaway and you could be one of 3 random commenters to win a set of our new multi-size Starry Path Templates for 6-, 9-, and 12-inch blocks. The 6-inch size would be perfect as an extra block in your Farmer's Wife quilt. We'll do a random pick on March 28, 2016. P.S. Jinny Beyer's Quilters Album of Patchwork Patterns credits the Starry Path block design to Alice Brooks Design, Chicago Tribune, 1936. 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.

On this page you will find every block I have made from Laurie Hird’s Farmer’s Wife 1930s Sampler Quilt book. If you click on a photo it will take you through to the blog post for that block where you will find my journal notes and any tips for making the block. Block 1 - Addie Block 2 - Aimee Block 3 - Alice Block 4 - Ann Block 5 - Anne Block 6 - April Block 7 - Augusta Block 8 - Aunt Block 9 - Autumn Block 10 - Ava Block 11 - Bea Block 12 - Becky Block 13 - Belle Block 14 - Betty Block 15 - Blossom Block 16 - Bonnie Block 17 - Bride Block 18 - Carol Block 19 - Carolina Block 20 - Caroline Block 21 - Carrie Block 22 - Cat Block 23 - Charlotte Block 24 - Coral Block 25 - Crystal Block 26 - Daffodil Block 27 - Dinah Block 28 - Dolly Block 29 - Doris Block 30 - Em Block 31 - Eva Block 32 - Fanny Block 33 - Farmer's Wife Block 34 - Fern Block 35 - Flora Block 36 - Geneva Block 37 - Georgia Block 38 - Golda Block 39 - Grandma Block 40 - Grandmother Block 41 - Granny Block 42 - Heather Block 43 - Hope Block 44 - Iris Block 45 - Jenny Block 46 - Jewel Block 47 - Joy Block 48 - Judy Block 49 - Katherine Block 50 - Lady Block 51 - Lily Block 52 - Lola Block 53 - Lucy Block 54 - Magnolia Block 55 - Malvina Block 56 - Marcella Block 57 - Margaret Block 58 - Martha Block 59 - Mary Block 60 - Mary Gray Block 61 - May Block 62 - Milly Block 63 - Mollie Block 64 - Monette Block 65 - Mother Block 66 - Mrs. Anderson Block 67 - Mrs. Brown Block 68 - Mrs. Fay Block 69 - Mrs. Keller 70 - Mrs Lloyd. Block 71 - Mrs. Morgan Block 72 - Mrs. Smith Block 73 - Mrs. Taft Block 74 - Mrs. Thomas Block 75 - Nan Block 76 - Nancy Block 77 - Nellie Block 78 - Old Maid Block 79 - Patience Block 80 - Patricia Block 81 - Peony Block 82 - Pharlemia Block 83 - Poppy Block 84 - Posy Block 85 - Primrose Block 86 - Priscilla Block 87 - Prudence Block 88 - Rosemary Block 89 - Ruby Block 90 - Sara Block 91 - Sarah Block 92 - Sonnie Block 93 - Starlight Block 94 - Susannah Block 95 - Sylvia Block 96 - Tirzah Block 97 - Tracy Block 98 - Viola Block 99 - Widow

Learn to make the 99 Blocks in Farmer's Wife 1930's Sampler Quilt with Angie Wilson of GnomeAngel.com. Great project for learning new quilting skills.

Making Right Triangles and Fabric Grainlines Play Well Together With just a little practice, you can train yourself to use fabric grainline advantageously and improve your patchwork blocks amazingly! It is especially important to learn and practice cutting right triangles appropriately, as they are the pieces most likely to sabotage your blocks! With careful cutting and awareness of grainline, you can eliminate rippled or stretched edges and sew flat, square, blocks that will make straight rows at quilt assembly time. Anatomy of a Right Angle Triangle A right angle triangle is a three-sided figure having one 90-degree or square corner. The most common right angle triangle used in patchwork has two equal length legs and is called a "half-square triangle" by quilters and an acute isosceles triangle by mathematicians. x = Vertical leg y = Horizontal leg z = Hypotenuse (longest side of a triangle) In quilting, right triangles are often made by cutting a square in half diagonally to make 2 right triangles, resulting in having the straight grain on the legs (indicated by arrows). When squares are cut diagonally twice, you still get right triangles, but the straight grain is on the hypotenuse. There will be appropriate times for both cuts; it depends on the position of the triangle in the patchwork design. The sooner you learn which grainline is the appropriate grainline for the design you are making, the happier you will be with your finished blocks. Also, we don't recommend cutting squares in halves or into quarters to make triangles, because we have a more grainline friendly way to do it (described in later paragraphs). Definitions of Grainline Lengthwise grain of fabric identifies the threads that run parallel to the selvage. They are very firm with virtually no stretch or give. Crosswise grain identifies the threads that go from one selvage to the other. They are quite stretchy and tend to create a small ripple when seamed. Bias runs diagonally across perpendicular threads and is very stretchy. True bias runs at a perfect 45-degree angle across perpendicular crosswise and lengthwise threads and is verrry stretchy. Whenever possible, you want straight grain (either lengthwise or crosswise, but when there is a choice, lengthwise grain) of the fabric on the outside edges of a piece, on the outside edges of a sub-unit, on the outside edges of a block, and if there is a border, on the outside edges of the border. Having said all of that, design overrides grainline. Showcasing stripes or fussy cutting directional prints overrides grainline preferences. In those cases, cut the pieces as needed and press carefully so the edge won't grow bigger. Cutting Pieces Squares are fairly easy -- as long as you cut strips on either the crosswise or lengthwise grain, a square cut from that strip will have 2 opposite sides on crosswise grain and the other 2 opposite sides on lengthwise grain. Rectangles add another dimension. Whenever possible, you want the lengthwise grain of the fabric to be the longest vertical or horizontal dimension of a piece. Cut strips the narrow dimension of the rectangle on the lengthwise grain and then cut pieces as long as the long dimension of the rectangle. But when you see right triangles, turn on your thought processor! They are frequently the shapes that are cut wrong and will create major problems in the block. Look at the From Marti Michell templates and you will see that they include grainline arrows. Typically, when that arrow is placed on lengthwise grain of the fabric, it is the ideal cutting position. (This is not true on squares A-3 or B-10, but that is too long a story for right now!) At the top of every Farmer's Wife conversion chart, we identify any piece where the appropriate grainline for the block overrides the silk screened arrow on the template. Playing Well With Nancy Nancy is a perfect block for analyzing triangles, because for best results some of the A-6 triangles in this block should be cut with the legs on straight grain and some with the hypotenuse on straight grain. (NOTE: Specific cutting instructions for this block are on the PDF Template Conversion Chart, and the block also includes rectangles and a square.) To follow the guideline that you want straight grain on the outside edges of the block, the triangles for the corners of the block should be cut with legs on straight grain from strips cut on the lengthwise grain. Yet in the Flying Geese sub-unit, to follow the guideline that you want straight grain on the outside of the sub-unit, the small triangles should be cut with the legs on straight grain (as shown above), and the large triangle should be cut with the hypotenuse on straight grain. If you cut a square into quarters to yield 4 triangles with straight grain on the hypotenuse, 2 of the triangles will have the hypotenuse on the taut lengthwise straight grain and the other 2 will have the hypotenuse on the stretchier crosswise grain. Your blocks will be more accurate and square when all 4 triangles are cut so the hypotenuse is on the lengthwise grain. (Cutting template 6 with the hypotenuse on the straight grain is an example of a grainline override.) To follow the guideline that the outside edges of the block should be on the straight grain, the largest triangles in the Nancy block should also be cut with the straight grain on the hypotenuse. (NOTE: Only one section of Nancy is shown below.) Carefully follow the PDF instructions for cutting the pieces from strips and, like the Rambler block diagram shown earlier, Nancy will have straight grain on all edges -- lengthwise grain on 8 of the 12 edges and crosswise grain on the other 4. My Nancy Block Click on the photo to see a larger image. Click the link to download the Template Conversion Chart for this block: From Marti Michell Template Conversion Chart #14 for Block #76 Nancy In addition to our template conversion PDF download, you will want to read Gnome Angel's tutorials for these blocks. 8-1/2 inch Nancy for the Mystery Sampler This is going to be an absolutely wonderful block for the 8-1/2 inch Blocks Mystery Sampler. I haven't decided on the fabrics for my 8-1/2 inch blocks, so while I ponder my fabric choice, I am trying to provide a little research on the blocks we will be using in the mystery sampler. Block #2900 in Barbara Brackman's Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilts, credited to "Hearth and Home", is called Aunt Nancy's Favorite. It is the same as Nancy in the Farmer's Wife 1930s Sampler Quilt, Nancy. Observe grainline overrides with both A-2 on the main fabric and A-4 on the accent fabric. Nancy is also the same as a design called Centennial, pattern #158, from Ladies Art Circle. Both companies operated from around 1890-95 to the late 1930s. I say many thanks to the researchers who have done the hard work so we can provide this information! To benefit future historians, we try to identify public domain blocks by known names when we use them in our books and patterns, but when we modify a traditional block and give it a new name, which we have done with some blocks in our Encyclopedia of Patchwork Blocks Volumes 1-4, we put the new name in italics to identify that this is our name and, in fact, we think it to be a unique block pattern. Cutting the 8-1/2 inch Nancy Block Main Fabric 1. From strips as wide as A-5 (2 inches cut) and approximately 13 inches long, cut 8 A-6 triangles for small triangles in Flying Geese units. 2. Cut 2 strips as wide as A-3 and approximately 13" long, and cut 4 each A-4 and A-2, as shown: 3.Cut one A-1 square. Accent Fabric 1. Cut 2 strips as wide as A-5 (2 inches) and approximately 14 inches long. 2. Stack and cut 4 modified #1 rectangles and 4 #4 triangles. Assemble the block as shown in the Farmer's Wife 1930s Sampler book.

I really love this block. I love all those little triangles and the fact that it’s a tree. Plus every...

Welcome to my stop on the blog hop! Angie Wilson, the Gnome Angel blogger, organized a terrific blog hop so you could use your From Marti Michell templates to make some great new little quilts designed by a dozen of the bloggers who have been posting block tutorials for the Farmer's Wife 1930s Sampler Quilt Sew Along. The quilts are all so cute and colorful! There's a contest, too, with a great From Marti Michell prize pack! On Friday, November 18, the other bloggers (listed below) and I will post a link on our blogs. To enter the contest, make a quilt using one of our patterns and submit a photo of your quilt via this linky. Alternatively you can submit your photo to the specific album in the Farmer’s Wife 1930’s Sampler Quilt Facebook Group or you can post it on Instagram with the hashtag #MartiMichellMiniQuiltmania and tag Angie (@gnomeangel) and me (@MartiMichell) in the photo. A secret panel of judges will chose their favorite entries, which will go in the running to win the prize pack. Entries can be submitted from Friday, November 18, 2016, to Friday, November 25, at 6:30 am EST (6:30 EST, 7:30 am AEST) and winners will be announced on Wednesday, November 30, at 6:30 am EST (7:30 am AEST). The judges' decision will be final. My Design is Called Bear's Paw in a Beehive Challenged with making a mini quilt using From Marti Michell Perfect Patchwork Templates Sets A, B, D, N or S, I decided I wanted to use some of the pieces from Set D that were not used very often or at all in the Farmer’s Wife 1930s Sampler Sew Along. For inspiration, I went to Volume 2 of the Encyclopedia of Patchwork Blocks (Product #8343). It has a collection of dozens of blocks that incorporate the shapes in Sets A and C or B and D. In no time, I had selected “Spy Glass” on page 31 as a starting point. It is a variation of a block called “North Dakota.” In its standard coloration, North Dakota appears as four stars. Color it differently and we got “Spy Glass.” (Click on the image for a larger view.) I asked Patti, who does all of our terrific graphics, to pull out a block with the light circle... make four #22 triangles in the center and then divide them horizontally... add a narrow border and then “Bear’s Paw” corners. It looked like this: After some fabric trials, I zeroed in on the fabric group I wanted to use: Bee Creative by Deb Strain for Moda Fabrics. Then laying out fabric samples made it easy to make some changes. I wanted: • All of the #23 background triangles to be the same color, • To eliminate the small B13 triangles on the light colored #24 kite shapes • To follow our own tip and substitute #22 for two #23 small triangles in several places. Because the Bee Creative fabrics shared the gray, black and white colors, it was easy to substitute the gold accent for purple and create a new visual: And Bear's Paw in a Beehive was born! The quilt is 22 inches (55.9 cm) square. The instructions are in PDF form, just like our Farmer's Wife 1930s Sewing Along PDFs. Keep reading for some great tips and then download the instructions, along with a photo of my quilt, using the link at the end of this article. Tips for Easy Sewing, Efficient and Accuracy 1. When sewing the corner units (steps 1 and 2 in the downloadable instructions), pay attention to the orientation of the long skinny template D-23 triangles to be sure you are sewing the correct edges together. Press toward the triangle each time. (Click on the image for a larger view.) 2. For the side sections (steps 3 and 4 in the instructions), the templates' engineered corners help make matching pieces for stitching easy peasy. The corners for the two most common arrangements fit perfectly: This less common arrangement of two #23 triangles aligns partially: For Bear's Paw in a Beehive, I used a brand new cutting trick to make the side sections (step 4). After all these years of using these templates, they still surprise me! After joining the first gray #23 triangles to a #24 kite, I pressed toward #23. Then I placed the D-23 template on the sewn unit as shown below and nipped the corner. This quick little trick allows for perfect alignment in the next step! I then aligned the edges of the kite with the appropriate side of the black D-22 triangle as shown here, with the black triangle on the bottom. Chain piece 4 units, press toward #23 and then add the gray and white mirror-image units to the opposite sides of the black triangles. Download Instructions for Bear's Paw in a Beehive Use this link to download a 2-page PDF to make this wallhanging. You may want to refer back to this blog post when you begin sewing. Thanks for hopping by! Come back again on November 25 for news about the contest winner! And be sure to visit all the blogs to collect all the free patterns for fun quilts to make using your From Marti Michell templates! August 12, 2016 Angie Wilson http://www.gnomeangel.com August 19, 2016 Tonya Grant http://thecraftymummy.com August 26, 2016 Lucy Brennan http://www.charmaboutyou.com September 2, 2016 Kirsty http://www.bonjourquilts.com September 9, 2016 Catherine Demack http://catandvee.blogspot.com September 16, 2016 Nathalie http://ouvragesdenat.com September 23, 2016 Alyce Blyth http://www.blossomheartquilts.com September 30, 2016 Peta Peace http://shequiltsalot.com October 7, 2016 Lisa http://www.sweetlittlepretties.com October 14, 2016 Rachel M http://woodenspoonquilts.blogspot.com.au October 21, 2016 Raylee Bielenberg http://www.sunflowerquilting.com.au/sunflower-quilting-blog/ October 28, 2016 Lisa Johnson http://intheboondocks.blogspot.com.au You are here: http://frommartimichell.blogspot.com/

Block 69, Mrs Keller, from the Farmer’s Wife 1930’s Sampler Quilt reminds me of one of Anita (of Daydreams of...

Some of the blocks in Gnome Angel's Farmer's Wife 1930s Sew Along will not be "template friendly" -- that means we don't have exact-size templates for the pieces needed. Aimee is one of those blocks. The foundation paper piecing pattern in the book is nicely divided, so Aimee is a great candidate for that technique. (We will have an alternate block for other blocks that are not template-friendly, too. Aimee's alternate block, Alta, is Chart #13.) One Good Aimee Deserves Another Over in the Sew Along's Facebook group, Richy Lainson, Jr. posted his beautiful Aimee block, which he'd made with templates. Richy's blocks are always beautiful! He makes everything with templates if it's possible to do so. I thought it was cool that several people in the Sew Along asked Richy how he cut Aimee with templates and, since he is so nice, he offered to make a tutorial soon. Well, we chatted on Facebook and I thought we should let Richy keep making beautiful blocks and I would do an Aimee template tutorial, which follows Richy's block shown below. :) Richy's Aimee Block Richy shoots his blocks on point on a background of Zen Chic Modern Backgrounds Inks by Moda. His Farmer's Wife 1930s blocks also feature Zen Chic For You (colors) and Modern Backgrounds Paper (whites), with a little Tula Pink Eden and some BasicGrey Grunge thrown in. My Aimee Block If you love templates, too, and you want to use them to make your Aimee block, you can cut the pieces with Sets C or D and the New Set Q #8089. (Note the differences between my block and Richy's, like contrast, value, focal points, on point compared to straight set.) Making the Pieced Center Unit For the pieced center square (which should finish at a perfect 3-7/8 inches square, including seam allowances), use either C-16 and C-18 or D-22 and D-24. Cut 2-1/4 inch strips or cut a 2-1/4 inch square as shown. You must be dead on with the engineered corner on C-18 or D-24 being on a perfect square corner, and the blunt top of C-16 or D-22 at the top of the strip. Join the pieces to make 4 pairs… Join the pairs to make 2 block halves… Join the halves to make the center square. Press seams in one direction and swirl press the center where all the pieces come together. Cutting the Other Pieces Use template Q-b for trapezoid 2C. It is actually about 1/16-inch too big. "Double-cut" Q-d for piece 2B. I took a photo of the page in my book More Bang for the Buck! so you can see exactly how it's done. Click the image for a larger view. Likewise, Q-94 its a scant 1/8" too big for piece 2A. But fudge a little, trim a little, hold your tongue just right! Your block will end up a little big -- trim it down to 6-1/2 inches square. Since I prefer to do conversions for blocks where you don't have to fudge, I substituted Alta, named for my mother, who was an Iowa Farmer's wife. I hope you see what I mean about Aimee -- she's a looker but she's not very [template] friendly.

Block 21 of the Farmer’s Wife 1930’s Sampler Quilt is Carrie. This block reminds me of the window on Play School....

Welcome to the 11th block in the Farmer's Wife 1930s Sew-along, Addie. Introducing the Patchwork Trio Patchwork blocks that can be drawn on an even grid, such as graph paper, are generally very From Marti Michell template-friendly. The most common shapes drawn on a grid are a square, half-square triangle and quarter square triangle. In our book, More Bang for the Buck!, we call these three shapes “the Patchwork Trio” because they are also the only shapes used in many blocks -- so many blocks! Even though Set A has only seven acrylic pieces, it actually includes three sizes of the Patchwork Trio. Square A-1 plus triangles A-2 and A-3 make up the “big Trio” pieces commonly used in 12 inch blocks. Square A-5 plus triangles 6 and 7 make up the "littlest Trio" commonly used in 6 inch blocks. What about square A-3? This size square is part of the set because it is the size square needed to make 3-inch finished size Square Within a Square blocks -- but when you combine square A-3 with triangles A-4 and A-6, you have the third combination of the Patchwork Trio. So far in our sew-along, all of the blocks except Becky and Granny were designed on a 4 x 4 grid, and the smallest Patchwork Trio in Set A includes the pieces most frequently used in those blocks. My Addie Block Front and back. Click on the photo to see a larger image. Click the link to download the Template Conversion Chart for this block: From Marti Michell Template Conversion Chart #11 for Block #1, Addie In addition to our template conversion PDF download, you will want to read Gnome Angel's tutorials for these blocks. A Little Quilt History Many traditional blocks are known by several names. I was curious to see if Addie had an "alias" so I spent a few minutes looking through a few of my favorite books that help identify quilt designs, like "the Brackman book." In 1973, quilt historian Barbara Brackman began indexing quilt patterns. She self-published a set of paperbacks that soon became the go-to identification books for a generation of quilters, and in 1993 these catalogs of over 4,000 designs were reprinted in one hefty volume by the American Quilters Society. You might enjoy learning that, according to Brackman, Aunt Addie's Album was published in the periodical "Hearth & Home" published from 1885 into the 1930s by Vickery & Hill Co. in Augusta, Maine. Addie could be over 100 years old -- and she's still looking good! We Heard You Want More Blocks! Some of the quilters in the Facebook group for the Farmer's Wife 1930s Sew-along have mentioned that they want more than two blocks a week, so we are going to offer a Mystery Sampler Quilt with 8-1/2 inch square blocks just for quilters who are using our conversion charts. I picked 8-1/2 inch blocks because we can make many 8-1/2 inch blocks with Set A, as well as other template sets that you'll be using to make the Farmer's Wife blocks. Here are the first four template keys for 8-1/2 inch blocks. (Click on the diagram to see a larger version.) All of the pieces for Addie, except the center square, can be cut for both an 8-1/2 inch and a 12-inch block using Template Set A. As time goes on we will add a few more 8-1/2 inch block conversions, but we encourage you to also do them on your own. Pick a different fabric style for an entirely different look, or use the same fabric selection for another quilt for the same room. We will give you both a wall hanging layout and a bed size as we get to the end of the sew-along. A Little More Quilt History While I was looking at the Brackman [book], I learned that Old Maid is also known by six other names in publications dating from the late 1800s through the 1930s, including the name I've always known it as, Double Z. Jenny is similar to Spinning Jenny, a block designed by Jeffrey Gutcheon for the book he co-wrote with Beth Gutcheon in 1973, Patchwork Design Workbook (Alchemy Press, 1976). It was a follow-up to their 1973 book The Perfect Patchwork Primer). The design and the shapes are the same as Jenny's; the proportions are different. Beth and Jeff Gutcheon were trailblazers for "the current quilting revival" that began in the early '70s. There were very few books about quilting in the early '70s and most of them were old! Another of my "go to" block identification books is Jinny Beyer's Quilter's Album of Patchwork Patterns (Breckling Press, 2009). In that book, I could see that Jenny has roots in Nancy Cabot's Spinning Jenny of the 1930s. There was no Caroline in the Brackman -- but since I'd found 3 of the 4 blocks I picked for our Mystery Sampler Quilt, I was determined to try and find her! Back to Jinny Beyer's Quilter's Album of Patchwork Patterns (Breckling Press, 2009) where she shows a block called Caroline's Choice. It has 2 Pinwheel units like Caroline, but large squares replace the Hourglass units. Caroline's Choice is also credited with 6 different names and publication dates, including a 1901 "Progressive Farmer" periodical and Nancy Cabot's regular Chicago Tribune column in 1936. If you're intrigued by this little trip down quilt history lane, you might enjoy searching for the books I mentioned -- we get lost in them whenever we open them! They are so fun to explore. 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.