This weekend it's the Blogger's Quilt Festival over at Amy's Creative Side
Since the last festival I have finished loads of quilts which I could enter, but I'm sure anyone who follows my blog will have guessed which quilt I'm entering.....and will probably be fed up of seeing it by now :)
The Farmer's Wife Quilt - here's the story and lots of photos!
In June 2011 some of my favourite bloggers joined the Farmer's Wife QAL on Flickr and I got sucked in! I had just learnt how to foundation piece, so I also joined the Yahoo group and "borrowed" my parents printer to print off all of the foundation patterns. I hate templates, and there were some blocks that would have been impossible to rotary cut - including some of my favourites!
I had been looking for an excuse tobuy use batik fabrics. I just had to decide on black. Or white. I change my mind about 7 times before settling on black. (Maybe I'll do it again, but with white).
In January I also joined the Swoon QAL (I finished this in July and this was another candidate to enter). Although I liked the 24" block size, I prefer small and fiddly. I was planning to ask someone in the QAL who had already shrunk the block how they had done it, when it dawned on me! It suddenly clicked, along with the maths for cutting and sewing HST. The Farmer moved quicker after I learnt this skill, as anything I could rotary cut, I did. I think overall maybe two-thirds of the blocks are foundation pieced and the rest rotary cut.
I don't like basket blocks. So I swapped out about 11 blocks and replaced them with others that I had come across, including a 6" version of Swoon.
I finished piecing the last block in May and then started the sashing. I nearly gave up. I drove me mad. I did a small version of 36 blocks as a baby quilt for some good friends. It re-inspired me - and made me feel a little guilty because I was ignoring the full size one.
I picked up a gorgeous extra wide batik at a quilt show - perfect for the backing, bought some black wadding and my mum was volunteered to help me baste it on her living room floor.
I got an early Christmas present - a walking foot and spent a week quilting it. I finished it just two weeks ago.
Wednesday night I washed it. I hadn't pre-washed any of the fabric, so it could have gone really, really badly wrong. Eight colour catchers in the machine with it. It came out fine! *relief*
And the final step: it's now on the bed in the spare room waiting for my mum to arrive tomorrow to spend the week! I can't wait for her to see it.
I learnt so much with this quilt: to not be influenced by the colours of the quilt on the front cover, drafting blocks, putting together colours, that I am absolutely addicted to QALs.... through this QAL I also came across some fantastic blogs, other quilt alongs, swaps and bees - such a fantastic online community!
The finished quilt is 80x100". I used a mixture of foundation piecing and rotary cutting. I quilted it myself on my Husqvarna using straight lines.
If you've popped over from the Festival, thanks so much for stopping by - I'd love to see you again sometime.
Categories: Bed Quilt, home machine quilted
Since the last festival I have finished loads of quilts which I could enter, but I'm sure anyone who follows my blog will have guessed which quilt I'm entering.....and will probably be fed up of seeing it by now :)
The Farmer's Wife Quilt - here's the story and lots of photos!
In June 2011 some of my favourite bloggers joined the Farmer's Wife QAL on Flickr and I got sucked in! I had just learnt how to foundation piece, so I also joined the Yahoo group and "borrowed" my parents printer to print off all of the foundation patterns. I hate templates, and there were some blocks that would have been impossible to rotary cut - including some of my favourites!
 |
| Peaceful Hours; Spiders Web; Jackknife Century of Progress; Night and Day; Wood Lily |
I had been looking for an excuse to
 |
| The weather has been awful here recently so we made use of the Methodist church one Sunday after the service to photograph the quilt. |
In January I also joined the Swoon QAL (I finished this in July and this was another candidate to enter). Although I liked the 24" block size, I prefer small and fiddly. I was planning to ask someone in the QAL who had already shrunk the block how they had done it, when it dawned on me! It suddenly clicked, along with the maths for cutting and sewing HST. The Farmer moved quicker after I learnt this skill, as anything I could rotary cut, I did. I think overall maybe two-thirds of the blocks are foundation pieced and the rest rotary cut.
 |
| Held up to the sun before I basted it |
I don't like basket blocks. So I swapped out about 11 blocks and replaced them with others that I had come across, including a 6" version of Swoon.
 |
| Swoon; Maple Star; Card Trick Nifty Star; Cathie's Campfire (ish); Fox and Geese |
I finished piecing the last block in May and then started the sashing. I nearly gave up. I drove me mad. I did a small version of 36 blocks as a baby quilt for some good friends. It re-inspired me - and made me feel a little guilty because I was ignoring the full size one.
 |
| The bottle of whiskey at the end isn't mine - but in hindsight it may have helped |
I picked up a gorgeous extra wide batik at a quilt show - perfect for the backing, bought some black wadding and my mum was volunteered to help me baste it on her living room floor.
I got an early Christmas present - a walking foot and spent a week quilting it. I finished it just two weeks ago.
Wednesday night I washed it. I hadn't pre-washed any of the fabric, so it could have gone really, really badly wrong. Eight colour catchers in the machine with it. It came out fine! *relief*
And the final step: it's now on the bed in the spare room waiting for my mum to arrive tomorrow to spend the week! I can't wait for her to see it.
I learnt so much with this quilt: to not be influenced by the colours of the quilt on the front cover, drafting blocks, putting together colours, that I am absolutely addicted to QALs.... through this QAL I also came across some fantastic blogs, other quilt alongs, swaps and bees - such a fantastic online community!
The finished quilt is 80x100". I used a mixture of foundation piecing and rotary cutting. I quilted it myself on my Husqvarna using straight lines.
 |
| I'm not very good at rolling quilts neatly, but it seems traditional to include a rolled picture :) |
If you've popped over from the Festival, thanks so much for stopping by - I'd love to see you again sometime.
Categories: Bed Quilt, home machine quilted
Comments
Since I can't (still waiting for my friend to carch up), I'm plotting Dear Jane. Have chosen a theme and have arranged to get some small cuts to audition fabric. Planning on starting Feb 1st. Will you be ready to start yours by then? :)
Liebe Grüße Grit
:D or perhaps you'll be on to anpther qal by then? Love it!
Come see my entry #46 Batik Tulips,
appliqued, hand quilted, wall hanging.
also showing an antique #23 zizag-a-licious