Farmin' Along

Happy Resurrection Day! I love celebrating how Christ conquered the grave-what an awesome event!

About this time last year I started the infamous Farmer's Wife sampler quilt. Have you heard of it? The book includes letters from 1920s farm wives who responded to a question posed by The Farmer's Wife magazine-If you had a daughter of marriageable age, would you, in light of your own experience, want her to marry a farmer? The letters are pretty fascinating, but then I've always had a flair for history and trying to imagine another place and time. Anyway, along with the letters are instructions and templates for 111 different blocks (eee-gads!) from that time period. Quite a challenge. Most definitely a long-term project. As in, hopefully done before my hair is grey. I first saw an online FWQA here, and was inspired by all the beautiful blocks people were making, pairing traditional block designs with contemporary fabrics and colors.

So one year later and I've got 25 blocks done. Not quite a quarter of the way there-ha! But it's all about the enjoying the process, right? And I LOVE these blocks. Even though they're time consuming, they're still so fun to make. I like choosing the fabrics and seeing each block take shape.

Here are a few close-ups of my favorites so far. This first one is cut glass dish. I love that Nicey Jane fabric in squares.

Second is country farm. The deep navy blue really makes this star pop.

Finally-country path. When I first saw this block in the book I wasn't sold. But after seeing translating it to fabric form-lovely.

This weekend I've been working on these next two blocks. Lots of little pieces to cut! Which, by the way, Camille has some nice time-saving tips for cutting and assembling these blocks which I've found really helpful.

More FW blocks to come!

 

Weekend Breakfast

Most weekends I look forward to making something special for breakfast. A change from the usual work morning rush, where I would typically grab a bowl of cold cereal or take something like yogurt to eat a work. This weekend I've been sick with a pretty nasty cold. So my sweet husband got up extra early Saturday morning to put dough in our bread machine to make this:

This cinnamon swirl bread is even yummier than it looks, especially still warm from the oven. Just one little thing that makes being sick a little better :).

Granny's Galoshes

Remember this quilt top? I used leftover 2 1/2" squares from another quilt to make it. Well, those vibrant little squares came from my Granny Squares quilt, which I started spring of 2012 and just finished a few days ago!

I can honestly say I enjoyed every step of making this quilt. I started by pulling out old scraps of fabric, looking for bright, bold colors in yellow, blue, red, pink, purple, green, and aqua. I wanted saturated color. Unbridled. Brassy. And totally me.

Last year the Granny Squares pattern spread across the web like wildfire, and I couldn't wait to make one of my own. Most were using some kind of white/off white background to make their little squares pop, but I wanted something different. I think this pale grey (Silver Lining from Connecting Threads) off sets my little squares nicely, contrasting the cheerful colors with a more somber yet soothing tone. Much like a pair of bright galoshes on a rainy day. I love the sound of gentle, falling rain, and being a kid again-stomping in all of the puddles.

I hand quilted this one. I knew it would take time and I wasn't in a hurry. I enjoyed the process, and I'm already thinking about the next large project I'll quilt by hand. Hand quilting is peaceful, and I love the homey, imperfect look and texture it gives. Some things are just worth taking your time for.

This quilt has become my favorite, I could just stare and stare at all those sweet little squares. It's very fitting for spring actually-and finished just in time!

Style

When I first started quilting, I was all about warm fall colors, 1930s and Civil War repros, and calicoes when choosing fabric. Wow, how my taste has changed! Those fabrics still have a place for me, but in general I've moved into the contemporary realm. Big, graphical design. Bright colors. Geometric. There's a steady stream of awesome fabric coming out.

I never really considered my taste to be 'feminine' or that I'd be into florals. But I guess I am-evidence below. Ever since I used Nicey Jane in a baby quilt for a friend a few years ago I've been totally taken with it. I don't remember what the pink and purple fabrics are, but they fit right in with that pretty, feminine vibe.

This bundle comes from the Children at Play line, and has been really popular for some time. I like its whimsy. The designs are soft and fun.

Another collection I've been drooling over for some months is Madrona Road. I wasn't sure about this one at first, but after seeing a few others make quilts with it-I was totally hooked. This one in particular. The text print-sigh! And I think those haystack prints (here in pink and grey) would be great in just about anything.

So I know that I love COLOR in my quilt-making. In fact, I tend to feel 'blah' about a quilt until I get just the right fix of color. But I'm not entirely clear on what patterns I'm drawn to...I have trouble summing it up...but I know it when I see it.

Going to see Project 86 this weekend. I'M SO EXCITED!