Farmer's Wife Block 42

Fruit Basket is the name of Block 42 for the Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt.

As I looked at the block I wondered how the name came about, and upon reading the letter pertaining to this block I really was none the wiser.

Never-the-less the block turned out successfully and gave no trouble in putting it together.  I considered using fabric with strawberries on, but they were very bright and not exactly the look I am trying for.

Blocks 40 and 41

On a roll!  To be honest, these two blocks were quick to construct.

Block 40, Friendship block was illustrated in a muted blue; in a search through my stash, [at this stage I confess to enjoying the search through the sash for suitable fabrics] I found a brighter blue than anticipated, but my eyes kept being drawn back to it ... so ... it chose itself!

Block 41, bringing me into the forties, a milestone reached with only 70 left to go, with only two fabrics in it's construction took only minutes to stitch. 

The letter pertaining to block 41 gives a real insight to the times of the 1920's.

"There will be long weeks of hard work and hours of discouragement but there will also be many days when relaxation will come with a knowledge of work well done ..."

The years have rolled on, but perhaps that basic truth is still relevant?

Friendship

Block 39, Friendship, was a breeze to stitch.  Not many pieces, all easy to join up. 

While some, like block 38, have what feels like a million small parts and take hours to stitch, the Farmer's Wife Quilt book does mix them up, and finding a simple one to sew more than makes up for the stress concentration of the difficult.

Yesterday I laid all the completed blocks out on the floor and was amazed at how much area they covered.  This quilt, when completed, will be substantial!  Enthusiasm has returned!

Block 38

Block 38, Four Winds, which incidently has 64 pieces in this 6" square block, took some time to stitch! 

Initially I had chosen a different brown for the centre 'windmills', but changed my mind as they were just not prominent enough.

I was told some time back that the blocks show up better when scanned in ... I forgot until today.  The result of scanning is 100% better; taking photos is difficult as the edges show up jagged, even though they are not ... I blame that untidy look to my inability to focus the camera directly above, plus the fact that when the block is scanned it is actually pressed down.

Two New Blocks

The cooler weather has arrived and I feel more inclined to make inroads into The Farmer's Wife Sampler quilt blocks.

I am working on the letter 'F', which of course means flowers.

In Laurie Aaron Hird's book, Block 36, Flower Garden Path was constructed in an unusual combination of colours, and as I am aiming to make my sampler quilt in a similar colour range I was left wondering, as I stitched, why the deep red and orange.  My conclusion?  The Farmer's Wife wandered around her garden on twilight, and the deepening shadows altered the daytime colours making them look dark and mysterious. 

Block 37, Flower Pot is an obvious title for this block, which was relatively easy to construct. 

Shades of pink and green always bring forth the delightful colours of a garden, though I imagine this particular flower was planted near the back door to welcome the wife as she went about her chores.  On her trip out to the hens, or the garden, or to help in the fields this flower pot would remind her of the loveliness of flowers.

Block 35 ~ Flower Basket

I am wondering if I need throw my hat into the blog?  Many days, weeks even, have passed since I last posted.  Excuses?  None.

Block 35, Flower Basket should have been easy had I kept the stitching momentum up.  First I traced the templates onto the right side of the fabric, then forgot to cut the handle on the bias!  I guess the price one pays for absence is lost time.

Flower Basket is a joyous block as one can imagine the lady of the house, be it mother or daughter, wandering around the garden in the early morning choosing a few flowers to brighten the home.  No matter where we live, or how seemingly barren the landscape, a few carefully chosen flowers, for there are flowers for every corner of the world, lighten and brighten the landscape and the home.

Block 34 ~ Flock

When I first looked at this block my imagination went into overdrive.  Was the flock sheep, a flower, or birds?  Reading back to the letter this block pertained to I found the explanation ...

"I have more genuine enjoyment in caring for and breeding up my flock of beautiful White Rock chickens; ..."

and immediately felt an empathy with the farmer's wife of early last century.  You may have noticed I chose as my blog header some chickens, not White Rock, but Rhode Island Reds  that belonged to my late brother, on whose farmlet the photo was taken.

Block 33 Farmer's Puzzle

Farmer's Puzzle caused some worries, not because of its difficulty, but because I could not find a suitable fabric for the 'puzzle' in my stash.  Nothing stood out.  In the end a trip to the fabric shop solved the problem.

I found the letter that related to this block endearing.  It's author lived in the country, moved to the city and had an education, but fell in love with a farmer.  She moved back to the land, despising everything except her husband.  In an effort to reconcile her dislike she listed the Pros and Cons of country life.

Pros

1. Husband interested and contented.
2. Independence, and so many hours together.
3. Higher moral tone than city life.
4. Abundance of room and fresh air.
5. Fresh eggs, milk and vegetables.

Cons

1. Mud.
2. Inconveniences.
3. Lack of money.
4. Lack of water.
5. Lack of society.
6. Lack of beauty.
7. Monotony of diet.
8. Monotony of thought.
9. Untidyness of everything.
10. "Early to bed, early to rise".

She did reach a compromise!  Remember this was in the 1920's, but whether then, or today, compromises need to be made whether living in town or country.

Block 32 Farmer's Daughter

Farmer's Daughter is a pretty block, pink with a pale grey flower fabric that may represent a blouse, the floral the skirt, and the plainer pink a pinafore to cover the feminine garb whilst attacking chores around the farm. 

Block 31 ~ Evening Star

Block 31, Evening Star brought to mind the strange pale light that shines upon the earth when the moon is simply a pale sliver of gold that barely allows us to glimpse into the shadows. 

It was easy to choose fabric for this block.  Imagine the great outdoors in star light ... the flora is a mysterious shadow with some plants standing out, while others hide in the shadows of darkness.

Block 30 ~ End of Day

The meaning of this block came to me in an instant.  We can all identify with the end of a day with the sun setting in a golden orb in the west and casting shadows over the garden.  There is a feeling of inextricable peace before the darkness of the night descends. 

It only took a few moments to extract the fabrics I needed from my box of stash ... picturing the garden in shadows I chose the gold to represent the setting sun, the light print for the sunshine area of the garden and the darker print for that part in shadows.

As my journey along the Farmer's Wife Quilt meaders along I find myself becoming immersed in what each block represents, and wonder who invented each block and why.

Block 29, Economy

How wonderful it would be if I could achieve the impossible!  Make a block a day, but being realistic I realise this is but a pipe dream.

Block 29, Economy, was economical in the use of my time!  The block is simple, but simply effective, as I guess are most matters of economy.  Sometimes we go the long way round when a simple, and economic, solution is there before us.  Perhaps Block 29 should be my ideal as a life journey?  If the result of that life journey is as effective as this block in its simplicity the challenge would be worth taking.

Block 28 ~ Duck and Ducklings

I loved constructing Block 28, Duck and Ducklings ... there were no template 13's!! 

The colour choices are similar to The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt by Laurie Aaron Hird, and I have no inspiration as to why the pink was chosen.  Yellow representing fluffy ducklings would have been a more logical colour, but the pink and brown do make for a colourful block.

The completion of Block 28 marks the ¼-way block to the top of the quilt ... a milestone!

Block 27 Darting Birds

After catching up with other projects once again I am working on The Farmer's Wife quilt.  Block 27, Darting Birds is another that has more than its fair share of template 13, which is perhaps why I took so long!

At first I puzzled on the choice of colours as depicted in Laurie Aaron Hird's quilt, and it wasn't until I had it completed and ironed that it dawned ... well perhaps dusk is the correct word?

I could easily decipher the dark shadows of birds winging into the golden glowing sunset and it made me think of our tawny frog-mouth family that is at present nesting in the gum tree just above the rooftop.

Block 26 ~ Cut Glass Dish

Block 26, Cut Glass Dish was a slow block to construct as it has [too]  many template 13s, but as time goes by I am finding matching the tiny pieces is becoming easier.  Careful stitching is required! 

I think these fabrics illustrate the beauty of a cut glass dish which would have been a prized possession in the 1920's.  Trifles laced with sherry and covered in whipped cream with luscious strawberries picked from a patch not far from the back door would appear on the farm-house table at Christmas and other family celebrations.  Reflections of the feast would reflect in the faceted cut glass.

Country Path and Cups and Saucers

After time staying in the city now I am home again the inclination to stitch is once more taking control.

Country Path, Block 24, in spite of appearing difficult, was in reality simple.  Perhaps the fact that I am using a tiny very sharp needle has something to do with it?  This block needs no explaining ... a country path is easily discerned.

Block 25, Cups and Saucers, while looking easy, didn't prove to be.  I undid part of this block twice in an effort to match the corners.  It looks OK now, though for a while I did wonder if I would need to start from scratch.

As I am endeavouring to keep more or less to the original colour ways I do wonder at the dark colours of Cups and Saucers and came to the conclusion that day-to-day crockery would have been sturdy and drab in colour.  Back in the 1920's dishes did not get thrown out once a plate or cup was chipped or broken; dishes lasted a lifetime. 

Country Farm

Block 23, Country Farm was a delight to stitch.  The verdant green of the paddocks in spring, the golden corn stretching to the corner of each paddock just prior to harvest; the red?  Perhaps the rooves of the homestead and the barns, and the delicate lavender/silver a symbol of the peace that is 'living on a country farm'?  That was my interpretation of this block. 

Part of the letter that inspired block 23 from The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt by Laurie Aaron Hird reads: "We farm women of today need no pity.  We have as many conveniences and pleasures as city women and we make use of our opportunities."   Now isn't that still today a true fact? !

Corn and Beans

After a break from constructing blocks for The Farmer's Wife sampler quilt, once again I am back on the job.

Block 22, Corn and Beans was more fiddly and time-consuming than difficult, but with thoughts of rows of tall corn competing for green beans on wigwams for the summer sunshine, my mind was completely occupied while my fingers stitched.  I remembered The Waltons, a television programme of last century and pictured Grandmother and Mother in their massive farm kitchen canning home-grown produce. 

I do not know if corn was preserved, but canned beans are popular all over, even today.

Churn Dash and Contrary Wife

Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt block 20 was Churn Dash, one of the simpler blocks to do.  Memories of 'winding the separator' to make cream which my mother turned into luscious fresh butter ... in the good old days when I was young!  I am trying to keep to similar colours to what is in the book, The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt by Laurie Aaron Hird; the rich gold in this block does remind me of home-made butter.

Block 21, Contrary Wife is bright and 'contrary'.  The letter pertaining to this block catalogues the differences between a country woman and a town woman, to the detriment of the town woman!  I chose barely matching colours in an effort to show that perceived gap between town and country.

Checkerboard

Block 19, Checkerboard conjures up images of a family, settled down for the evening, with a checkerboard on the kitchen table, the family enjoying a simple game and pleasures that sadly have so often today been usurped by the 'box in the corner'.  Junior, no doubt, tries a little cheating, but is quickly drawn into line ... valuable lessons of how to conduct oneself learned from familial competition of a game of Checkers.

This block was a joy to stitch.  I have decided, after the frustrations of Cats and Mice, to draw not only the inside of the template, but also the outside.  Result?  Accuracy! 

There is something pleasurable about sitting in a comfortable arm chair, light over my shoulder to give a working brightness, listening to 'my football team' finally winning a game, and a gentle heat from the pot belly stove, fired with wood gathered on the property and sawn into suitable lengths, warming the room.  I could almost be back in the 1920's!