Farmer’s Wife 1930s Sampler Quilt: Plans and Sew Along

At last, the Farmer’s Wife 1930s Sampler Quilt sew along (try saying that 10 times fast!) begins! There has been so much excitement and chatter in the Facebook group, it’s so nice to officially start things off. Although I must admit, I’ve been secretly sewing a few random blocks from the book over the past month or so anyway, because with 99 blocks to make, I wanted to take advantage my enthusiasm while it’s still hot. So here’s where I’m headed.

The Fabric

This, my friends, is just, ahem, some of my Kate Spain stash. To be more precise, this is all the fat quarters, and then less than a quarter of the charms, and about half of the layer cake squares… Yeah, I wasn’t lying every time I declared my love for her fabric!

At the bottom of the picture are the fat quarters folded up in two tubs. The charm squares are laid out in two shallow drawers, with more on top using the cardboard from layer cakes to separate them. The layer cake squares are folded in four in another tub with a few scraps that may come in handy too.

I sorted them all out one night and I was literally ooh-ing and sighing with pleasure throughout the process. Just look at it, so delicious! And uh, there may be quite the pile of spare charms, particularly all the multi-coloured or Christmas novelty prints (ditto fat quarters), as well as an unopened Horizon layer cake, and a few yardage pieces… Ahem. And since this photo, a Canyon fat eighth bundle and Jingle charm pack have also arrived…

The Plan

The colour-ordered fabric might have given you a clue as to what I’m going to be doing for my quilt. I will be making all 99 blocks, which will make a queen-sized quilt. Here’s another clue showing the centre blocks for my quilt…

I am planning to  foundation paper piece most blocks, for which I shared my favourite tools for last month. Some blocks are easily done by normal rotary cutting* and machine piecing using quilt maths if needed, which is a nice little respite from cutting and trimming paper!

*I should note that the book includes rotary cutting measurements for various pieces within some blocks where they are easy-to-cut measurements. But these are instead of using templates (printed or Marti Mitchell’s acrylic options) for the shapes. For example, this means you are still cutting individual triangles to make up half-square triangles (or HSTs) instead of using quick HST construction methods. That is what I mean by using some quilt maths – working out what finished size your HSTs need to be, and choosing what method of making HSTs is better for that particular block.

Other helpful resources:

• Quilt maths ebook including the math charts for HSTs, QSTs and flying geese to help you work out how to machine piece the blocks yourself
• Half-square triangle math chart printables
• A PDF download for the colouring-in chart version of my layout picture above
• Paper piecing tutorial for beginners
• Free Craftsy mini class covering basic quilting skills and tips

The Sew Along

I was totally on board with this idea when Angie told me about her idea, but now I’m also an official blogger for the Farmer’s Wife 1930s Sampler Quilt Sew Along! That means that over the next year, I’ll be officially posting about a few specific blocks along the way. Unofficially, I’ll be sharing my progress in between!

This Sew Along is a little different than what you might expect, because we’re not just starting at block #1 and working our way forward. Angie and the Fat Quarter Shop have planned out all the blocks into groupings, starting with the easiest blocks and progressively getting more tricky as we go. We also don’t know what order those blocks are! I’m just as much in the dark as you guys are as to what blocks are being sewn each week. I like this added mystery aspect, it will definitely keep things interesting and exciting to keep our motivation levels up. And yes, I have started a few random blocks already, but there’s still plenty more to sew along with you all! It also means that with our move from Japan back to Australia happening sometime in the first half of next year, I’m less likely to fall behind.

The Farmer’s Wife 1930s Sampler Quilt: Inspiring Letters from Farm Women of the Great Depression and 99 Quilt Blocks That Honor Them by Laurie Aaron Hird for Fons & Porter/F+W; RRP $28.99 – Click here to purchase

If you want to join in, this is the book  you’ll be needing. The Facebook group is buzzing with excitement, a huge community has formed! You can also find it all on Instagram using #FQS1930FarmersWife, or even a Flickr group if that’s more your jam! The first month’s schedule of bloggers is:

29/09/2015: Angie @ GnomeAngel.com

30/09/2015:Lucy @ Charm About You & Melissa @ Oh How Sweet

01/10/2015: Angie @ GnomeAngel.com

02/10/2015: Jodi @ Tales of Cloth

06/10/2015: Angie @ GnomeAngel.com

07/10/2015: Alyce @ Blossom Heart Quilts

08/10/2015: Angie @ GnomeAngel.com

09/10/2015: Jess @ Elven Garden Quilts & Sedef @ Down Grapevine Lane

13/10/2015: Angie @ GnomeAngel.com

14/10/2015: Melissa @ Ms Midge

15/10/2015: Angie @ GnomeAngel.com

16/10/2015: Erin @ Why Not Sew

20/10/2015: Angie @ GnomeAngel.com

21/10/2015: Nathalie @ Les Ouvrages de Nat

22/10/2015: Angie @ GnomeAngel.com

23/10/2015: Tina @ Emily Ann’s Closet

27/10/2015: Angie @ GnomeAngel.com

28/10/2015: Rachel @ Wooden Spoon Quilts

I just love how many different bloggers and styles are represented here! You are going to be in for a big treat this next year, with so many tips and tutorials and styles to teach and inspire you. Can’t wait to share this journey with you! Who else is joining in?!

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