Farm Girl Vintage

So despite the weather (think torrential rain and actually it's cold too!), family illness (my youngest daughter has a summer cold and very sore throat) and the general unsettled feeling in my country (for that read it's like we've gone down a rabbit hole and nothing is as it appears) I am feeling rather sociable today so will be linking up with Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts.  

Just to take a while to sit and visit some of the other people's blog who link up is a very relaxing and enjoyable way to spend some time .... and if there's coffee and brownies thrown in then I am there!  I also have a big thank you to Lorna for her flanged binding tutorial which I used yesterday on my Shakespeare challenege mini quilt.  On that note, yesterday I said:

 "Although looking at the top picture it's really annoying me so I may well unpick and restitch!"

Having been woken up VERY early by my daughter who is ill I had a few hours laying in bed thinking .....  Which, of course led to some seam ripping before breakfast .... but now I am very happy that I did.  Hint:  it was the join on the left hand side, which now whilst a little wavy, is at least even in the two colours!

Last week I offered up a Pay It Forward on my blog and the person whose name came out of the hat was Sue from Sevenoaks Street Quilts.  At some stage, before the end of the year, Sue will get a little something through the post from me.  Hopefully it will make her smile and brighten up her day.  In turn she will Pay It Forward with a little handmade love of her own.

Patchwork Pumpkin Block

I haven't yet shared any of my Farm Girl Vintage blocks on this blog.  I got the book for Christmas and really enjoyed making a few blocks at the start of the year.  I decided I wanted to make all 48 blocks and opted for the 6 1/2" block to make the full quilt.  

Fresh Pears Block

My, self-imposed, timeline was to make at least one block a week, so that all the blocks were done by the end of the year ready to be sashed and quilted in the New Year.  I have never had such a long term project as this but it sounded doable. In week 1 I made the pumpkin - which I loved doing, week 2 were the pears, week 3 was the strawberry ....

Scrappy Strawberry Block

and week 4 the canning block.  So far so good - one block a week was definitely doable, until ...... 

Canning Season Block

other commitments crept in, Home Ed activities started up again, plus swaps plus show quilts and then the completed blocks came off my design wall and then the book got covered with piles of other things ........ until last week.  I already had some pieces cut so one night I thought I would just sew these together and a little chick (still legless) was hatched ....

Baby Chick Block

and then the milk churn was made.

Milking Day Block

So not quite the 26 blocks that 'should' have been made by the last week in June but hey ho!  The number is increasing and they are looking really cute on my design wall.

Farm Girl Vintage Progress report: 6 blocks of 48 made x

WIP Wednesday ....

Being worked on in my studio at the moment ...  There are three projects that are on my 2016FAL list:

1.  This is for the Rainbow Mini Quilt Swap Round 2 over on IG

 

2.  The black and silver strips are for a quilt for my eldest daughter.  I bought my first ever Jelly Roll back in November and the quilt was going to be for Christmas - the flu put paid to that.  The upside is that she can be involved in the process because it's now not  a surprise.  It was lovely being in the studio with her on Monday evening and picking the fabrics.  The majority of fabrics are from the jelly roll but there were 4 strips she did not like.  We then pulled some blacks, greys and silvers from my stash and picked some.  These have now been cut so it really shouldn't be that arduous to get piecing!

 

3.  The purple strips are for a my quilting club's Secret Challenge and have now been pieced and are ready to iron and cut.

 



I have also been working on my longarm machine and trying out some freehand designs.  These are now off the frame and waiting to be neatened up and put into a sample book.

 

Only one extra block done for the Farm Girl Vintage sampler.  I am now behind in my self-imposed challenge of a block a week and need to make two this week to catch up!



 

 

And finally a piece I started at a recent workshop with Gillian Travis, which I still haven't blogged about.  I have got as far as I can at the moment until the felt batting arrives (hopefully today) but am determined to get this finished and hanging as soon as possible.  I find that projects from workshops tend to get set aside and languish on my shelves for  months, if not years!

 

 

But I had one outline left so I thought I would have a go at quilting it on my longarm.  I am not yet sure whether to quilt on my longarm or on my DSM.  I think the feel of the felt batting may make that decision for me.

 

 

And that's it!  I am linking up with Let's Bee Social and WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced today. x

 

PS If you fancy some blocks which will be made into quilts for Project Linus then please head over here to see what I am asking for!!





2016 Finish Along - first finish!

I have my first finish from my list for the 2016FAL.  I have plenty more to finish but I am always excited by the first finish!

 

I was recently sent a box, anonymously, with lots of fabric, blocks and tops in.  The sender was donating it for Project Linus and I have recently become a local co-ordinator and so was very appreciative of all the material goodness inside.

 

This cute little top was just folded up in there waiting to be turned into a quilt.

 

 

I used some yellow sheeting fabric I had on my shelf for the backing and the wadding was a hi loft polyester that I happened to just have enough of ... no idea where it came from.  Due to its loft it has made a really fluffy quilt which is very touchable!

 

 

The backing is rather unforgiving and trying to do arcs of a circle freehand is pretty hard!  However, the overall effect is fine and hopefully this will soon be bringing comfort to a child who needs it.

And as for the other things I was working on last week:

- the Harry Potter cushion cover has not been touched, other than to move it from place to place!

- the Bee blocks are all done, you can see them here if you like

- the canning jar block from the Farm Girl Vintage is now pieced.  It's not perfect but ..... if I started unpicking  all the time the quilt would take years to finish so I'm going with it!

- but the project that has been taking up most of my time is longarm quilting my first customer quilt.  It has been a very exciting, nerve wracking and frustrating experience which is almost over and then I can show you the results!

I am linking up with Lorna over at Sew Fresh Quilts and Lee at Freshly Pieced today. x
 

 

Happy Mail and WIPs ....

On Christmas Eve we went over to my Mum's for a family meal.  We got back at just gone 5pm and the was a 'Unable to Deliver; postcard from the postman.  It was international and it required a signature ......... it would be available to collect from the depot on 'the next working day'.  That was 5 days away!!  I thought I knew what it was but had to try to forget it was sat in the locked up depot.  I was there early on the 29th and it was well and truly worth the wait.  It was my prize from Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts for my entry into her Dog Gone Cute link up.  Thank you Lorna and your very generous sponsors and thank you to everyone who voted for my quilt!

 

The prize, on the quilt that won the prize, on the bed with my daughter, whose quilt it is, underneath!!!

 

 

There are 23 fat quarters in there, Grecian Water Colorstory.  The colours are delicious ........ I have never owned any Kona Cotton before so there was quite a lot of squealing going on in this household.  Now, of course, I have to find the perfect project for them .... that could take some time!

 

I finally made it back into the studio after what seemed like forever, but was probably just 10 days, and have started lots of things.  First is a long term project from the Farm Girl Vintage book.

 

This was a little present to myself and I have decided to make all 48 blocks.  I have set myself the challenge of one block a week, which should be easily achievable without becoming toooo addictive.  So far I have made 3 blocks, so I am a little ahead of schedule!

 

 

With the fourth all cut and ready to be sewn!

 

My niece is a huge Harry Potter fan and it is her birthday at the end of the month so I have started a cushion cover for her.  I can't get a decent photo at the moment which shows the true colours.  I am hoping that shoe will love it.

And last, but not least, I have started on my Bee commitments for the month.  It's been a few years since I have joined in with any Bees and I am so looking forward to getting to know and sew for the member in the Neighbourhood Block Swap, Stash Bee and The Bee Hive.  This block is the January block for The Bee Hive.  I really enjoyed making this last night and have the second block cut out to make today.  Oh, is that another one also cut out?  I have, in my wisdom, decided to make an extra block of each Bee block I make this year.  I thought it would be a great idea to have a quilt top to put together easily at the end of the year and it would make a lovely keepsake of the Bees.  Well that's what I am saying in January I'll have to see if I keep up all this good work!

 

So back into it now after the 'flu, Christmas and the New Year and I am really looking forward to the year ahead, both in terms of sewing and family.  Lots of lovely things planned and adventures to have.  Linking up today to Let's Bee Social and WIP Wednesday. x