FWQAL Week 7

Wasn't sure I was going to get my blocks done this week!  Guy and I had such a great time on our short trip last weekend (read more about it here) that pretty much all this week has been non-stop catching up!  But I did, over a few days, manage to get my two blocks done for this week of:

Block 13: Buckwheat 

Block 14: Butterfly at the Crossroads

I want to really like both of the blocks...but #14 is my fave of the two...my fabric selections are really not working out as well as I would have liked on some of these blocks.  However, what I'm starting to notice is...once they all get laid out...the blocks I'm not a huge fan of...actually start to look a lot better!  Here are my 14 blocks so far:

Now...off to get some sewing done so that I can update my works in progress and finally start piecing together OUR quilt!

Later!

FWQAL Week 6...the fruit punch is tasty!

Seriously!  I may have drank the kool-aid...but it tastes darn good!  So here is this week's (Week 6 of the FWQAL, my week 2, but I'm keeping with what the general week is as I've made the same number of blocks (2 per week) that would make me at week 6 anyways...wow I tend to over explain things!).

ANYWAYS...here are this week's blocks:

Block #11: Broken Dishes
 (my personal fave so far)

Block #12: Broken Sugar Bowl

and all 12 blocks together (pics like this help me figure out what colors/fabrics I need more of in future blocks):

just realized the above pic only has 11 blocks...will have to take another pic with Week 7!

I have to say...joining the FWQAL Flickr group has been the best!  All the fab folks over there have been so sweet, take the time to post pointers, post questions, and provide the best and most positive atmosphere for all participants!

and that's all she wrote for now...not much sewing in my plans for later this week...so hoping I will have a bit of time early next week for Week 7 blocks...otherwise...I'll just play catch up again!

FWQAL Weeks 4-5, I've lost my mind

Sort of, the blocks for weeks 4 and 5 about did me in...well one of them (actually 2) almost had me throw up my hands and quit!  These blocks are a lot of fun, but a few of them take some serious concentration.  Some of them have more than their fair share of pieces!  I took a quick pic of block #7 after I had all the pieces cut out, so you could see all 40 little pieces...yeah...I said 40:

Let's just say that those 40 little pieces kept me busy for a few hours!  Anywho...a little about the letters in the Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt.  You can feel how passionate these women were about their belief that their daughter SHOULD grow up to be a Farmer's Wife.  I read a few letters at a time, some letters I read a few times.  Their stories of what they feel they get from being the wives of farmers, and what they hope for for their children is quite lovely.  I'm enjoying this book for more than just the block patterns.

And now:

Block 7: Birds in the Air

Block 8: Bouquet

Block 9: Box

Block 10: Bowtie

and that officially gets me "caught up"!  Here are all 10 blocks together:

On to week #6!

Drink the Kool-Aid! (FWQAL Weeks 1-3)

So last time I posted, I said that I had drank the Kool-Aid and let me tell you...it's GOOD!  I dove head first into these waters yesterday:

I had been putting off starting this until this weekend, figured I'd have plenty of time to "catch up" with a long weekend.  The original start of the Farmer's Wife Quilt along (the Flickr group is FABULOUS btw!) would have hit Week 5 this week (well it's SUnday, so this past week, this would be the start of Week 6).  And even thought it's a go at your own pace QAL, I wanted to "catch up" so I could keep myself on track.  If I'm "caught up" and others are posting for that week...I'll be more inclined to stay with the crowd as opposed to falling behind and then trying get going again.  Does any of that make sense?  LOL!  Anywho...drum roll please...here are my Week's 1-3 blocks (I'm doing them in numerical order or I'd be completely lost):

Block 1: Attic Windows

Block 2: Autumn Tints

Block 3: Basket 

(it's missing it's handle..when I figure out how to do it, it will have one...check back in a year or so).

Block 4: Basket Weave 

Block 5: Bat Wing

Block 6: Big Dipper

and a group shot:

I'm using Denyse Schmidt Picnic and Fairgrounds fabrics, Sweet Pickins by Darlene Zimmerman for Kaufman fabrics and a few Kona solids (in the above blocks I have a smidge of White and Big Dipper is using Kona Ash) and a few other random fabrics (Bat Wing).

and now I'm off to get to work on Week 4!  These little blocks are so much fun!

WIP (with pictures!)

Wow...ok, so this is going to be a long post!  Not sure where to start...but I guess I'll start with this:

which is SIL's quilt,  I worked through the first step and got my layer cakes trimmed down to this and made my binding:

(do not let the top print scare you!  it did me at first...but the entire collection is fabulous and even this louder print works fabulous in the quilt squares!)

 and then the next step got posted...so here is phase 1 of the that step:

and then phase 2:

don't they look a little like cocktail napkins???  LOL!  anywho...now I'm working on phase 3 which is sewing the blocks together, so after that, in phase 4, I piece together the quilt top...so i'm about 70% of the way through phase 3...hope to be on phase 4 by tomorrow evening sometime.

now...the progress on OUR quilt...took this fabric:

got EVERYTHING cut (for the entire quilt top...my poor little rotary cutter!)

 and got to sewing all of the strips together:

and that's where I'm still at...so still I count this as progress!

and now...just because I've likely lost my damn mind...I joined in on this:

and here's my book:

I have totally drank the kool-aid!  Just in case you might be interested in dipping in the fruit punch too...check this fab Flickr group out...and the two fab folks that kicked it all off...Amanda and Angela!

Ok...got some Phase 3 work to do on SIL's quilt...have a few strip pieces of OUR quilt to get stitched together...and now that I've ordered this fabric to add to the remaining stash of OUR quilt fabrics...time to get going on my Farmer's Wife blocks!

somewhere in the middle I'll remember to breathe!

WIP

as in...work in progress...as in...ME!  I'm a contstant work in progress!  Also, and I don't have the pics ready to go right now, but I'm working on OUR quilt (got all the fabric cut and have started piecing together the strip blocks) and on my Syncronized Squares quilt (AKA SILs quilt).  Lotss of progress since my last post actually!  Hopefully I'll be able to upload some pics later tonight!  Just wanted to drop in and at least say hey, since it's been awhile since my last post, and now...chat with ya later!

Done!

with my Sister's quilt!  Wooohooo!  See this post for all the info (pattern, fabric, etc.), this post is just for some final pics!

I've started working on the next quilt...but that's a post for another day!