Tuesday, October 30, 2012

4 More Blocks...


#68 
Postage Stamp

This morning I decided to make 4 more farmers wife blocks for my quilt.

I chose to make 4 that were easy and quick to cut and sew because I only had a 2 hour block of time and I really wanted to get them finished so that I can start putting the quilt together.


#69
Practical Orchard


#4
Basket Weave


#48
Homeward Bound

I decided to make a few more so that I would have a total of 52 blocks...
instead of 48 needed for the 6 x 8 setting.
 Now I can add a block in each corner of the border.

It was fun to sew up 4 simple blocks while listening to 
Sometimes simple is the best...
don't you think?
xx
Lori 



Monday, October 29, 2012

A Fun Announcement!...

I'm sew excited to share with you something that is going to be really fun and exiting!

Announcing the first annual 
Riley Blake Fabric Fest 2013
September 9 - 12, 2013
in Las Vegas, Nevada

This is going to be the very first of what will be a yearly event.

There will be 4 days and 3 nights of...
classes galore...demo's...keynote speakers...
booths to purchase all kinds of quilty goodness...
and of course...
a quilt show and a fabric fashion show...
and more than I can fit into this post!!!

I'm happy to announce that I will be there
 teaching several classes...
(along with my cutie pie stunt double Kassidy)

I hope to see you there...
to go to the Fabric Fest website so that you can 
"save the date"

Vegas Baby!!!
How about it???
xx
Lori

Friday, October 26, 2012

Farmers Wife...Finishing Up the Blocks...




I've got 4 more farmers wife blocks to show you.
I now have 48 blocks sewn...
and that's how many I need for my quilt!
Yay!!!
I am not making all of the blocks in the book...
(there are 111 total)
 I wanted to make it smaller so that my quilt can hang on my kitchen wall.

My quilt will measure
55" x 69"
which will fit perfectly for the space that I have planned.


#45
Grape Basket



#85
Square Dance


#98
Waterwheel



#106
Wild Rose


Now it's time to think about sashings and borders.
After auditioning several fabrics from my stash...I like the way these 5 go together so these are what I have decided on.
What do you think?
Good choice?



I'm using Pam's small yellow polka dot for my sashings...
and my Sew Cherry yellow sew leaves for the borders...
my Sew Cherry red gingham for the binding...
 and finally the Annie's Farm Stand seed catalogue prints for the backing.

Now to lay out the blocks and get them into rows!
Wish me luck:)
Have a quilty weekend my friends!
xx
Lori

P.S. Stay tuned...I have a really fun announcement on Monday:)

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

The Bee in my Bonnet Row Along...Row 5!!


Good morning rowers!!!
It's row along day and it's time for row 5....flying geese!

Here in Utah...
October is the time of year, when in the early morning hours...
I wake up to the sound of honking geese flying overhead. 
I love that sound.
To me it signals the changing of the season and nice change in the weather.
 Crisp cool mornings...
 sunny Autumn afternoons...
 that end with a beautiful harvest moon in the evening.
I just love fall!!!



Are you ready to play???
Good.
Let's start by choosing fabric.


Pull some bits and bobs from your stash in the colors
 of your favorite fall sweaters...


Each flying goose will use 2 different fabrics...
so naturally you will choose 2 fabrics for each goose.

You can pair them up willy nilly or fuss and fret...
it's all up to you!


We will be using the "fast flying geese" method that has been around for a long time...
it's the method that I have always taught to my beginning students and it's the way that I still love to make them.

You will need 12 pairs for a total of 48 geese...
but I got a little carried away and paired up a few extra sets for even more scrappy happiness.


Okay...now onto making a set of the 2 square sizes into 4 flying geese.

First you will be marking stitching lines 
onto the WRONG side of the LARGE square.
The smaller square will be the triangle in the center of the goose....
and will not need to be marked.
Use a mechanical pencil for a nice thin line.


I used this awesome ruler that is 1/2" wide...
and placed it directly across the center diagonally...


and marked a line on each side of the ruler...which means that I marked a stitching line 1/4" away from the center on each side.


Rotate your square and mark again so that it looks like this.
These are your stitching lines.


If you don't have 1/2" wide rulers...no worries.
Just use a small square quilting ruler and mark a line down the center from corner to corner...and then mark 1/4" on each side so that it looks like the lines on the aqua square.


Now that your lines are marked...
you will cut the large square into 4 smaller squares before sewing.
Cut the square exactly in half.


and cutting into 2 rectangles.


Then cut each rectangle in half so that you end up with 4 squares.


Now for the sewing.
Place two marked squares onto the larger square in the set with right sides together...lining up the marked lines.
(they will overlap in the center)


Stitch directly onto the lines that you marked which are 1/4" on each side of the center.


Cut right down the middle...
in between your stitching lines...
like this.


Press towards the small triangles...
and smile at the cute heart shape:)


Now place a remaining square on each half like this.
Always make sure that the corners of both squares are lined up perfectly.



Stitch on both lines again...


and cut them apart again.


Press open...
and you now have 4 flying geese!
YAY!!!
Wasn't that fast and easy and fun to do on a fall day:)



Of course you will want to trim off all of the tiny triangles before sewing them together in a row:)


After you have made a set of 4 and get used to the process...you can chain stitch them if you would like...






Or you can do keep doing them 4 at a time if you want...whatever rows your boat!!!
(pun intended..haha)


When you are finished...
sew them together in sets of 2...
and then sets of 4...
then 8...
 and continue until you have a row of
 fabulous scrappy happy colorful autumn baby flying geese:)


Press all seam allowances towards the bottom of the adjoining triangle for less bulk....and be careful to use a 1/4" seam allowance so that you don't sew off the points of your goose!


Add your background strips to each end and make sure that your row measures correctly so that it will fit into your quilt:)


Flying geese + apples = a happy autumn time:-)


Our row quilt is growing...


And growing!

In 2 weeks it will be November and time for row 6.
Have a flying goose kind of day:-)
xx
Lori

***edit July 2013
The instructions and pattern for the 
Bee in my Bonnet Row Along Quilt
are in my new book 
"Quilty Fun"
to reserve your copy today:)




Thursday, October 18, 2012

On the Funny Farm...


 Today I thought I would show you a few more of my 
 blocks that I have completed.

 I feel like I'm on the funny farm because I am on the final time crunch to get things wrapped up to send to fall market in Houston.
Sew much work but sew much fun!!!

Pictures of all of those projects are coming soon...
but for right now...pictures of FW blocks.


#25
Cups and Saucers



#38
Four Winds


#101
Wedding Ring


#55
Linoleum


#31
Evening Star


#102
Whirlpool


#41
Friendship Star



#51
Hovering Birds



#62
Old Windmill


This quilt is so much fun to work on...
and I love using bits of fabrics that look like they might have been in a quilt that the wife of a farmer made many years ago.

I'd really like to get this quilt finished up and on my kitchen wall where it belongs...soon!

I'm hoping that you have a quilty kind of day my friends:)
xx
Lori