FW1930'sQAL - Block 91 Sarah

After a few hitches on the technical front this morning I am at last posting my final guest post on the #fw1930sqal.

This week sees everyone sewing Block 91 which is Sarah #sarahblock #fw91sarah

There are no tips to share as this is such a simple block and after a years worth of farming these cute 6" paper pieced blocks, I'm quite sure you all found this a breeze to sew just as I did! I paper pieced it and followed the instructions as set.

It's been a great year working on this project and I've seen some awesome blocks over on Instagram, next time you have a cuppa why not look through the hashtag..... #fw1930sqal. You'll be bowled over by the amazing fabric choices people have made, trust me!

I've still got a long way to go to complete my blocks so I'll continue blogging my progress, probably over another 12 months! The 2 blocks per week was just not viable for me but I'm aiming for a block per week here on in. 

I do hope you've all enjoyed sewing along.

Why not pop over to Kerry's blog to see her amazing blocks this week

 

Farmer's Wife Quilt-Along | Block 78 Old Maid

I've been really slacking on my Farmer's Wife blocks I've got to admit... but knowing I was guest posting today means I've pulled my finger out and started farming again!

Block 78 Old Maid is one of my favourite quilt blocks, I love how simple it is to piece and yet how striking it looks. I love that you can really let your colour play go wild and create blocks that have totally different feels just by changing up your colour choices!

There are a few tips I can offer, first is be organised! Once my pattern and fabrics are cut {I'm paper piecing most of my blocks} I use a wonder clip to hold the relevant sections together.

As you'll notice from the photo's above I also colour in my block diagram and mark my pattern so I know which colours go where when I'm sewing the pieces together.

My next tip is to use a Sewline glue pen to glue your first piece of fabric down. I also don't always follow the numbers on the pattern with regard the order of piecing. As you can see in the photo below I'm starting from the centre and working outwards as it will eliminate any difficult angles to piece.

I piece all my sections first before giving them a good press, I find that this helps your accuracy when piecing the block together.

At this stage it is important to make sure all your fabric is placed correctly and that their are no errors.

Piecing the block together should be a doddle now! Make sure you pin the intersections so you don't lose any points and so everything is straight.

As you can see I went for the classic red and aqua combination which will sit well with my other bright and modern blocks.

Please tag your blocks on Instagram so we can all have a look! Use #fw1930sqal #farmerswifeblock #fw78farmerswife

You can find out all about the Farmer's Wife Quilt Along on Kerry's blog.

Farmer's Wife QAL - Block 41 Granny

I can't believe we're into week 21 of the Farmer's Wife 1930's Quilt Along, can you?

This week it's my turn to guest post again and I'm here with block 41, Granny.

This block was a breeze in comparison to some of the recent blocks we've done, just two fabrics and not many seams! 

You may notice that I have changed the colour scheme for my blocks, in fact I've completely started again using a rainbow palette, the 1930's repro palette was just not me and I'm much happier with my brighter blocks! The fabric I chose for this block is Kona Cotton Orange and Carkai Stitches in Petunia

As the weeks have progresed on the QAL I have gotten into a good rhythm prepping and making my blocks. I always colour code my block diagrams and paper pieces so that I don't make any errors in my fabric placement!

I also use an add a quarter ruler to trim all my seams. In the photo below you can see I have used a dab of glue to hold my first fabric in place, I then flip everything over, fold back the template on the sewing line and then butt up the ruler and trim. 

The other thing I do religiously is pin my blocks. Here you can see how I've used a pin to secure the seams where they need to match when the seam is opened. This stops your block moving and helps keep your points and seams perfect!

Here you can see how I've used pins to pin the key points on the final seam in the block.

 

So all in all a nice simple block! You will get lots of bulk at the centre of the block as you sew it together, as this is where there are the most seams, I just removed some of the paper before I sewed the final seam. Giving the block a really good press also helps the centre to sit nice and flat when the papers are removed too. 

I hope you all have fun making your Granny blocks!

If you head on over to Kerry's blog you'll get to see her tips and tricks for block 42 as well as get a full run down of all the blocks made in the QAL so far!

A couple of finishes at last....

I'm jumping up and down at a couple of little finishes this week - wahoo!

First up is Rosette 1 of my 'The New Hexagon Millefiore Quilt'. This is all hand pieced and is a whopping 36" in diameter. I've had great fun with this over the last few months, the whole of my quilt will be in Cotton + Steel fabrics and I'm already well on my way with Rosette 2.

My next finish is this gorgeous Economy Block Quilt, I really love it! It's finally bound and has been laundered and labelled this weekend ready for posting to it's new owner tomorrow.

This one was made entirely from my stash, the blocks are 12" finished and it's quilted in organic lines with a variegated Aurifil thread. It's been a long time in the finishing, I hope my friend loves it still!

I've also managed to sneak some time on my Farmer's Wife Quilt too, I've prepped a couple of blocks that I'm going to sew this evening.

I've found that prepping a couple of blocks ready for sewing in one session, then sewing them in the next session, is the most productive way for me to work on this sampler.

Finally I just wondered whether you'd heard that the sewing retreat I host through my shop Simply Solids is down to the last space??

Click the image to go find out more!

 

Ever feel like giving up?

Let me tell you I've felt a lot like that lately!

My sewing just isn't happening, I barely have time to keep on top of my day job at the shop and the usual boring housekeeping stuff, exercise has completely disappeared from my life and my eating habits are not good!

I've been really stretched by recent sewing projects for reasons I cannot even explain! Is it just me that makes the same mistake over  and over until the penny drops? My first few Farmers Wife 1930's blocks all too often looked like this:

I'm also finding that as the blocks are sooo time consuming I've already fallen behind schedule! Grrr!

My poor My Small World QAL is still at Stage One (oh it's just laughable isn't it?!!)

On the plus though I've finished quilting a long overdue quilt for a friend and started piecing another quilt!!!

Does anyone else struggle with this? Any tips to get me through? I feel like everyone gets lots of sewing in and I'm just a disaster!!!

Answers on a postcard please.......

Farmer's Wife 1930's Quilt-Along: Block 8 Aunt

When Kerry first announced she was going to be organising the Quilt-Along for this gorgeous book, I jumped at the chance to be a guest blogger.

I've had the original Farmer's Wife book on my shelf for what seems like forever but I've never dared jump in, the blocks just seemed too small and fiddly to me! This time around and with a couple more years sewing experience under my belt, I felt a real urge to make a commitment to this Quilt-Along!

Block number 8 is Aunt and it's a real easy block! This was a huge relief to me as I've found the last couple of blocks really hard. (I'll be blogging about that later in the week if you're interested!)

For my block I decided to go for a deep purple from Tula Pink's True Color's collection paired with a gorgeous peachy pink solid that I got in a bundle from Westwood Acres. 

 

I love the colours in this bundle and am using it as a starting point for the fabrics in my quilt, which will be mainly from my stash but sticking closely to this pretty colour scheme!

  

For the Quilt-Along I've decided to paper piece all the blocks. I'm no paper-piecing expert but I figured I will be by the end of the year! For this block the only key point to remember is the orientation of your chosen fabrics, especially if you are using any that are directional like I did. 

To secure my first fabric I always use a little glue from my Sewline Glue Pen and I've also started to pin on the sewing line between fabrics, just so that I can check my fabric covers the required area when I flip it right side over. I made some repetitive mistakes on the earlier blocks and this trick seems to have stopped that!

I also make full use of my add a quarter ruler when I'm paper piecing. This ruler has a quarter inch lip down one side that can butt up to your pattern, allowing you to trim all your over-hangs and seam allowance to a quarter inch! It's so quick and easy!

So there you have it, I'll post my other blocks as they're completed over the next few days and weeks and I'll be guest posting again in a few weeks time!

Why not head over to Kerry's blog and catch up on all the weekly Farmer's Wife 1930's Quilt-Along posts and see the gorgeous blocks everyone is making? You can also check out the #fw1930sqal on Instagram to be really inspired by all the gorgeous blocks!