The main difference would be in the fabrics. Both have common blocks that were made during their time period and are still made today. The Farmer's Wife blocks are just blocks selected by Laurie Aaron Hird for her book. Civil War quilts are often patterns of blocks compiled by the quilt designer. Sometimes the Civil War quilt is duplicated from a quilt that was made during the 1860s or in that era and that is in a museum or family collection.