WIP Wednesday: August 28

I spent the week doing very small bits of sewing now and then... but it paid off. I basted 113 hexagons and made 5 blocks for my Farmer's Wife Quilt.  I realized after making 3 of them that I needed a new thread/trimming/garbage collection system because everytime I moved I got covered in thread bits.

See, its was a mess. I found a tutorial by Tabitha at The Polka Dot Apron on making a thread catcher/pincushion and went for it! I used the neon orange fabric that I got for $1/m in the spring. I love the fabric, but find it way too bright to use on anything big (I considered recovering my ironing board with it, but it might induce migraines in such a large expanse).

The thread catcher is working great and my space feels so much cleaner. I wish I had taken time sooner to make one of these handy little tools. 

Lastly, here are the blocks I finished this week for my Farmer's Wife Quilt.

Block 41 - Friendship Star	Block 11 - Broken Dishes	Block 20 - Churn Dash
Block 4 - Basket Weave	Block 72 - Railroad

All 7 completed blocks

Linking up with Freshly Pieced.

Thanks for stopping by to have a look. Enjoy the last Wednesday of August.
GeoMama

Work In Progress Wednesday: Farmer's Wife Quilt

It has been nice to have small bits and pieces to tackle this week. I bought some cardstock so I could have some heavier paper to baste hexies on (why had I not done this sooner I have no idea...oh well). I have basted 108 white on white hexies... progress is slow. I have done a second block for my Farmer's Wife Quilt and prepped/cut fabric for 3 more blocks.

Block 2 - Autumn Tints

Block 26 and Block 2 together

Linking up with Freshly Pieced because thats what the cool quilters do.. 

Have a great week, thanks for stopping by to have a look.

GeoMama

Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt Block 26

I did it. I made the first block for this sampler quilt. I probably should have started with a simpler one using only rectangles, but I didn't.

This was my first time making Half-Square Triangles (HSTs). I like them, but they are definitely one of the more challenging things I have tried. This block had lots, so lots of opportunities to succeed... And lots of opportunities to practice my stitch ripping skills.

Things I learned doing this block:
1. Direction that you press your seams is KEY. Some of mine worked well. Others are a mess (I was being pretty consistent until I added the squares, then it got out of hand).
2. I am sewing with Grandma's Elna again, and it does pretty good, but I miss having a needle up/down function. And it seems a little jumpy when you first start stitching.
3. I am pretty good a scant 1/4 inch seam until the last 3 stitches then I tend to veer into the block.
4. My block that was suppose to be 6.5 inches square is only 6 1/4 inches. Leaving very limited seam allowance for attaching it into a quilt with 6 inch blocks. Oh well. I think I may make another one of these further down the road when I have done more HSTs.

Without further ado:
Here is my Cut Glass Dish:

Thanks for stopping by to read and enjoy the rest of your weekend. 

GeoMama