To be a bit cliché, this shoemaker is a professional Web Developer and her child is this blog, but it was past time to launch what I have of a new design. All the content is still here, everything else is a work in progress (kind of like most of my sewing projects)!
Blogland is abuzz with talk about the latest Farmer’s Wife Sampler Quilt QAL, started by Angela of {fussy cut} and Amanda of msmcporkchopquilts. Not only is the Flickr group busy, busy, but Twitter is constantly updating with tweets tagged #FWQAL.
Essentially, everyone is trying to do two blocks a week, in any order, out of The Farmer’s Wife Sampler Quilt by Laurie Aaron Hird.
Here’s the code for the four buttons members have created so far (in no particular order):
Copy the provided code and add it to your site! If you have questions about how to do that, leave a comment with the type of blog you have or email me at rae@raevenfea.com and I’ll help you if I can.
I’ve been assured, based on my quilty-blog browsing, that many quilters tend to gravitate toward filling their stash with a specific color (or a couple of them). Mine has been inundated with blues and greens from the start, but after my latest shopping spree, the greens have pulled ahead in the race (and other colors have gained no ground at all, it seems).
All of these…
I present (in no particular order) some prints from Prince Charming, Aviary 2, Delovely, Alhambra, Dolly Dresses 2, and Silent Cinema; Kona Solids; Moda Bella Solids; a bit of butter-colored linen and some green corduroy for good measure.
…will be going into one particular quilt, though (well, that’s the current plan, at least. Maybe not all will make it in). I have a feeling there will be lots of scraps leftover, due to the project calling for two layer cakes and the fact that I’m not using precuts.
I’m getting a bit ahead of schedule, but I just couldn’t stop myself from working on sashing when I got home from work yesterday. Remember, I decided to make a modification and add set-in seams to the center instead of doing butted sashing.
Checkout the twist: there’s no right-side up (although it’s really only obvious in the photo if you look at the trees.
I started early, because I had a feeling that the set-in seams would piss me off, requiring use of the seam ripper, and make me want to stop working (requiring more time so I could take a break for a day or so). But actually, it all went swimmingly. It’s not absolutely perfect—one seam ended up off by a little less than 1⁄8″ so there’s a really small gap in the center to cover with the quilting, but it is close enough for me.
I’ll admit, I’ve been playing with the layout since I got my charm pack in the mail. I couldn’t help myself. Once I decided on my border, sashing, and bag fabrics, I chose to set aside those charms so that I could showcase as many of the collection’s prints as possible.
The Above All Fabric Spring Quilt-Along started yesterday. The assignment: cut out the sashing, border, and binding strips and work on arranging the charm squares.
Backing up: fabric choices
Before I can blog about progress on this, I have to tell you about my fabric choices, huh? I’m doing the quilt top entirely out of Just Wing It by MoMo for Moda. I played around with some other collections to go with the Just Wing It charm pack, but wasn’t feeling it.
It starts on April 11, so I have two weeks to finish up the vest, make progress on the applique project and piece the damask quilt top. Oh, and do some cutting/quilting/piecing pre-work for a class I’m taking on April 12.
I can do it, right? I was feeling very motivated this weekend. See, here is one of the welt pockets I made, and about 3⁄8ths of the pieces for the damask quilt.
For the quilt-along fabrics, I ordered a charm pack of Just Wing It by MoMo for Moda. That‘s all I have so far, because I want to see the fabric before I decide on what should accompany it. Hopefully the yardage of the line will be available in time for me to make the bag. I also ordered some Kona Magenta because I think it might match, but if it doesn’t, I’ll use it along with the Tailor Made Teal Scissors and Multi Stitching Stripes fabric I picked up for that class I’m taking (we’re making a rotary mat and rulers bag and need 1 yd each of 3 fabrics).
Speaking of Kona and my sanity, I really wanted to do this Modern Solids Quilt Along hosted by Patchwork Squared, but I’m not, because I need my sanity to deal with house training Moof, dealing with this non-Spring weather, trying to do Flamenco lessons and getting into shape for the start of the cycling season. And because there may soon be a Utica/Mohawk Valley MQG, so I need time for that. See? I’m not that busy. Right? Right???
Have you done/are you doing a quilt-along? Do you have any tips for keeping up to speed and being a good participant? Are you doing this one?
