Farmer's Wife Finish

Finished at last, finished at last, thank you thank you, it's finished at last!

I began sewing the Farmer's Wife quilt in April of 2011. One of my earliest posts, dated December 1, 2011, was about this quilt.

Slowly and steadily, over more than three years, I sewed all 111 of the 6.5" blocks  that make up this quilt. More than a dozen, I sewed twice, because the templates that come with the book didn't make the blocks finish at the correct size. Thanks to Karen of High Country Quilts, and Marti Michell, I was able to make the blocks fit together "just right."

It's quilted, bound, and mailed to Idaho to be a 50th anniversary gift for my brother and his wife. I included the book, in case they want to look up the names of the blocks and read the stories.

Last Minute Update!

My niece sent me this photo of my brother and his wife with "the quilt." She reports they "love it!" She put the book on a small table next to the quilt so people can look up the names of blocks. Makes it all worth it, doesn't it?

Linking up to TGIFF at Quokka Quilts.

And Can I get a Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

And Link a Finish Friday at Richard and Tanya Quilts.

Tomorrow is "sale day" at Ruth's Stitchery, so no blog post until Sunday. I should have a Stash Report, and I've already picked out a de-stash kit to offer to 52 Quilts followers.

Happy Anniversary Jim and Linda, and thank you JoLynn for receiving the quilt for me!

From the desk of your

Sunday Stash and De-Stash

This De-Stash deal is working out really well! I'm clearing out a shelf and making some quilters happy at the same time.

Stash

One of my favorite Idaho shops, The Quilt Barn in Kimberly, also did a de-stash on Instagram this month. I "won" two bundles of Civil War repro shirtings. For awhile it seemed I wasn't meant to have this fabric, what with PayPal problems and me thinking "pending" meant I'd paid the invoice and the shop hadn't received my payment. Finally, things worked out and I'll stash these goodies for the Marcus Fabrics Friends and Companions Sew-Along in August.

Now that 2014 is half over, it's time to start thinking about Jelly Roll Party for 2015. Gudrun Erla taught a workshop at High Country Quilts this spring for the Piecing Partners Quilt Guild. I just happened to be in the shop the day of her class, and found this great new pattern for 2.5" strips. Just right to use my Kona Cotton strip roll!

 

Speaking of Jelly Roll Party, how's this for the October sample? The fabric line is "Eerie" from Moda, and the background will be deep purple Grunge, with orange Grunge for the inner border.

I read about this clever tip to de-fuzz jelly rolls on a blog a long time ago. But I never remembered to try it, so I decided to give it a whirl while photographing this new jelly roll.

Wow, look at all that lint -- and that's only from one side! Of course, it's very important to match the nail polish (Sandi Henderson for Soak) and FitBit bracelet to the fabric!

The son of one of my best friends will be married in August at the Air Force Academy chapel. I've decided I should sew a new dress for the occasion. I'm thinking either a turquoise linen, or a bright, overblown floral. What do you think?

And on a completely unrelated note, I just have to share this photo from last month's Front Range Modern Quilt Guild. That's my friend, Emily and me, laughing at the photographer. She is so smart and so much fun, I wish I could just adopt  her!

De-Stash

It's the third week of the "thank you Kathleen Moorhead Johnson de-stash."  So far, both de-stash bundles have found takers! Up for grabs this week:

The prints are all from Maywood Studios, left to right:

• Floral, 3 yards April Showers
• Green, 3 yards Dandelion Daydreams
• Stripe, 5 yards April Showers
• The blue is from Moda, 2 yards Solids for Moda.

If you'd like to give this collection a good home, here's the deal: I'll give away the fabric, free. The recipient just has to pay postage. Anywhere in the world, just pre-pay the postage via PayPal, and the featured quilt kit is your! Just comment with your PayPal address and zip code. I'll respond with an invoice for the postage, and "April Showers" will be on its way to you!

I'm going "camping" this week and don't know if I'll have internet. So if you don't hear from me, not to worry -- I'll be back by the end of the week!

From the desk of your