Farmer’s Wife 1930s Quilt Blocks 13, 14, 41 and 45

My quicker-than-quick version of block 41 - Granny (details below)

This weeks blocks for the Very Kerry Berry sew along are two that I have already made for the Gnome Angel sew-along ......

Block 13 – Belle.  English paper-pieced. 

Block 13 - Belle

Block 14 – Betty.  Patched. 

Block 14 - Betty

For the Gnome Angel sew-along we added another two blocks.  First up was Block 41 – Granny.  I paper-pieced this block and took a very quick shortcut.  

Block 41 - Granny

Here is how I simplified the paper-piecing construction ..... (note:  you will need the templates from the Farmer's Wife 1930s book – the diagrams shown here are for illustration purposes only and are not to scale).

Print out the eight paper-piecing templates that are on the CD that came with the book and cut out each one. Stick the templates together (A to H, C to B, D to E and F to G) to create four corner units that should look like this:

Join the templates to create four corner units.
(Do not print this diagram - it is not to scale or size.  Use the templates that come with the book)

Next you need to draw a line that runs from the corner of the square up to the diagonal as shown by the dotted line below. 

Draw a line from the corner to the diagonal.
(This diagram is not to scale or size.  Use the templates that come with the book)

Then it is a case of simply paper-piecing each corner unit in the following sequence.  Sections 2 and 3 are the same fabric whilst square 1 is a contrasting fabric (see the book for details).

Paper-piece the block in the order given - just two seams.
Use the templates that come with the book - this diagram is not to scale or size.

I have marked the four sections on my photo below so that you can see how it goes together.   

The other block was Block 45 – Jenny.  I patched this block using quick corners. You can find a tutorial over at She Quilts a Lot showing how.

Block 45 - Jenny

It was a simple make and I posted a photo to my Instagram feed.  People were too polite to mention that I had stitched a corner the wrong way round but once I spotted it I was able to just spin the corner.

Block 45 - Naughty Jenny - see that top right-hand corner!

I have set up a page for all my Farmer’s Wife 1930 blocks (see tab above) and will be adding to this collection every week.  Alternatively you could head on over to my Farmer’s Wife Pinterest board.

Until next time...... 

Halloween Coasters and Mug Rugs

Brighten the Halloween table with mug rug fun

A simple way to celebrate special days and seasonal fun is to add a coaster or mug rug to your table, desk or nightstand.  Children especially enjoy having their own holiday mug rug.

Over the years I have created many Halloween patterns from bats to witches .....

Halloween Witch Mug Rug

......... to cats .......

Moonlit Cat Mug Rug - Scaredy Cat version

........ to ghosts  .....

Ghostly Duo Mug Rug

..... and let us not forget the Halloween pumpkins ....

Pumpkin Patch Mug Rug with Halloween templates

You can find all these patterns are more in my Etsy Store.    And if time is really short you can use them to create a little fabric coaster from two 5" charm squares - perfect for a Halloween party or a child’s bedside table. 

One Bat from my Halloween pattern book

But another way to add a touch of fabric fun to your home is to create a shaped coaster like this ghostly apparition .....

Ghostly Coaster

And here is how it is done .......

1.   First - choose your fabric (the hardest part of any task for me!).  For each Ghostly coaster you will need:

                   One 6" square

                   Two 3½" x 6" rectangles

                   One 6" square of batting
                   One 6" square of fusible webbing

                   Fabric for your ghost 

                   Ghostly Duo mug rug pattern 

(Tip:  I cut my ghosts from an old white linen table cloth as it is a bit thicker than quilting fabric and I know it will wash well.)

2.  Fold under the 6” edge of one of the rectangles of fabric as shown and press.

3.  Applique a ghost onto the center of the 6” fabric square following the instructions in the pattern.  Place batting behind the appliqued square and quilt around the ghost. 

Applique and quilt one ghost from the Ghostly Duo Mug Rug pattern

4.  Next lay the two backing rectangles right sides facing upwards, so that the rectangle with the folded edge overlaps the other rectangle slightly, creating a 6” square (the folded edge should lie on top).

5.  Place the appliquéd ghost square on top – right side facing downwards.  Pin to secure.

You should be able to see the quilted line quite easily.  

6.  Now stitch all the way around the ghost, approximately ½” outside of the quilted line.  Accuracy is not essential and smooth corners will work better than pointy ones. 

7.  Once you have stitched all the way around - trim all layers approximately ¼” from the outline stitching.  Take care not to snip any stitches.

8.  Turning out is simple because of the overlapping back.  

(I run my Clover Turner all along the inside of the seam to ensure it is fully turned out.) 

Pink Ghostly Coaster

9.  Give the ghoulish coaster a good pressing and slip-stitch the envelope back closed. 

Easy?  You bet.  So much so you could whip up a whole gang of ghoulish ghosts for your children, nephews, nieces, grandchildren and ... oh yes, yourself.  This method would also work well for other shapes.

Perfect for those Halloween cocktails

And if you would prefer a book of Halloween mug rug patterns you will find a paperback version on Amazon or a PDF version in my Etsy store. 

Halloween & Thanksgiving Mug Rug Booklet

Until next time ..... enjoy the Halloween fun and games and keep safe.

Farmer’s Wife 1930s Quilt Blocks 11, 12, 49, 78 and 94

Block 78 - Old Maid  

Another week and more Farmer's Wife blocks.  The blocks for the Very Kerry Berry sew-along were .... 

Block 11 – Bea.  Paper-pieced.  My notes in the book read: “Went together well.  Only just 6½ .”

Farmer's Wife Block 11 - Bea 

Block 12 – Becky.  Patched.  “Easy, very easy.  Great stash buster.”

Farmer's Wife Block 12 - Becky  

For the Gnome Angel sew-along there were three blocks this week:

Block 49 – Katherine.  I patched this block using quick corner triangles.  “Very easy patchwork.  Pretty Block.”

Farmer's Wife Block 49 - Katherine

Block 78 – Old Maid.  Initially I attempted to make this block using the templates provided on the CD.  However, due to the bias diagonal cuts I lost my points so I reverted back to the tried-and-tested paper-piecing.  I noted that it was important to “leave papers on when stitching sections or you will lose your points.”  So I did and it turned out lovely.

Farmer's Wife Block78 - Old Maid 

Block 94 – Susannah.  Like block 49 this was patched using those versatile quick corner triangles and a little bit of strip patchwork.  “Nice easy strip patchwork.”

Farmer's Wife Block 94 - Susanna

If you want to see all my Farmer’s Wife blocks in one place then head over to my Farmer’s Wife Pinterest board or click on the Farmer's Wife 1930s tab at the top of the page.

Until next time......