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.