Odd question for Farmers wife quilt makers
 

I have the Farmer's Wife quilt book and someday would like to make it. My dilema is- i like the colors in the one pictured or civil war fabrics but don't own any of those. If I were to buy it how much would I need to make a large lap or twin quilt? Would a jelly roll, layer cake, or some type of precut work? That way I would get the variety. I just don't know. Please help!

I'm doing one using a fat quarter bundle.

I would decide what background fabric I wanted to use and buy several yards of that, then go with a fat quarter bundle, or maybe two from different but similar lines. You can always piece the leftovers to make your backing..

Find a quilter who may have CW repro scraps and offer up a trade. That is what I did.

Sometimes Keepsake Quilting offers 10" squares of vintage reproductions that might work for that quilt. You get a little bit of a lot of prints--perfect for that type of scrappy quilt comprised of fairly small blocks.

Precuts would certainly be a way to get a variety. Or as suggested, swap with some other quilters.

Mine was totally scrappy and all from my stash, except for the sashing, cornerstones, borders, binding and backing. I did not decide on those til I was almost finished making all my blocks.

All told ... 144 fabrics!
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That is so beautiful!

I agree with MC, I think the only fabric you have to get enough of is the background and sashing. A layer cake is plenty of fabric to make at least two blocks, seems to me a jelly roll might be to narrow. I think I would start with a couple and accumulate the rest as I found them. QuiltE love your quilt. The green and gold tie all the blocks together, and best of all, from your stash.

Thank You Kitty and EmmaS!!!



For many of the blocks (or parts of) jelly roll strips will be fine.
However, many they will be too narrow.

QuiltE that quilt is amazing. Which is part of my problem- i love all of the FW quilts. I can't decide what I want! LOL
Lots of helpful ideas. i guess until I actually make up my mind, I probably should wait to start it. In the meantime I will keep looking at all of them.

SewMom ... Thank You!!! I am quite pleased with it too. Though I will confess, there was a while where I absolutely hated it and just finished it for the sake of doing so. Even once done I was not in love with it and was even contemplating loaning it to a friend to hang in her large historic home. What finally got me thrilled, was the day I hung it to take the photo I posted. That was the first time that I saw it from a distance and truly saw how it all came together. After that, no way was I giving it to her .... nor tucking it away. Instead it now hangs in my living room on the far wall, so I can enjoy seeing it every time I come and go from my office.

You could always do it like I did ... no plan in mind!!! I just started making blocks, and went from one to the other using fabrics I wanted and liked. Then would look for fabrics in my stash to blend together blocks that just didn't go with each other! It's kind of fun to take two opposite blocks and then find a print that has the colours for the two and presto, you have them all of a sudden looking like they belong together.

Good Luck ... and enjoy making your FWS!!

Good advice QE :thumbup: Personally, I would steer away from a layer cake or charm packs. I found when using a 10" square I could only make a couple of blocks and there wouldn't be enough of the scraps to do much more than that (other than make a mini quilt or two:D)
Best of luck with your adventure--unlike some people I know--mine is still a WIP!

All I can find to say is "wow!" :)

This thread has me wondering, though. Has anyone ever made these with the bright, modern fabrics? My guess is that they'd be "jangly" to look at, and a bit of a mixed metaphor, but it would be interesting to see one.

Hugs,
Charlotte

Sewmom: Here are images from yahoo, all kinds of colors! https://images.search.yahoo.com/sear...27s+wife+quilt

QuiltE: Holy cow, that is gorgeous. Definitely one of the nicest I've seen. Although you used lots of colors, you really placed them well and brought them all together beautifully! It looks like mostly tot's or blenders?

I've had the book for quite a while, thinking I'd make it as an acknowlegement to my childhood (daughter of a farmer). Like the OP, I just can't decide on fabrics, which I don't usually have a problem with. It's just overwhelming, I guess.

I've seen many pictures of the FW, Dear Jane, and Pony Wives quilts done in many colorways- they are all very beautiful! Even the quilts that are not my personal color choices- still beautiful. There are some in modern colors, two color, 30's, Civil War. That's my problem!.

Thanks everyone for the advice, pictures and encouragement. When I do start this quilt, I want to also start a notebook and journal the construction- pros, cons, or any issues I had during the creation of this quilt. One thing I do know- it will be a long process and a challenge. I hope it will also be fun.

QuiltE your FWS is positively droolworthy. I love it!

Here is a link to one that I quilted for a client done in somewhat modern fabrics. Lots of blenders in this one in bolder colors. It was pretty.

http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...c-t237644.html

The keeping of a log is such a neat idea. It would be great to add some current event type items to go along with your quilting journey.

Peace&Joy and FelineFanatic ... Thank you for the compliments. FF ... you did give me a laugh with droolworthy!! :D. Yes TOTs/blenders but there were a lot of prints in there too. And some of them quite bizarre. I didn't get 'much into FC work for this one, though maxed out that technique with my Pony Club.

For anyone interested ... here's links to both quilts. You'll be able to see closer up pics of both too.
http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...t-t226726.html

http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...r-t226710.html

SewMomand EmmaS... a good way to do your journal is right in the FWS book with notes along with each block and other things that are going on in your life at the time.

FFanatic ... That is a grand FWS that you and your client did. I remember admiring it at the time and tyhe similarity to mine because of the greens and yet such a different finished look.

Wow What a Beautiful Quilt... I love Scrappy look,,, Great Job...! ! !

Quilt E, the sashing,cornerstones inset triangles & border were an inspired choice. Being a FW pattern, these help to give the suggestion of cornfields and corn, thus enhancing the reference to farm life. Well done!

Thanks Star ... but no, i had never even thought of the corn parallel with the green and gold. I had taken my blocks to my LQS and we tried umpteen # of fabrics and colours before I knew that the green and gold were what I wanted. Even settling on which green and which gold were quite the challenges! :D

One thing that really helped me was my design wall. Sometimes I just had to use a certain fabric for a block...it talked to me...and it didn't go in the order in the book but could always find a place when things got mixed up on the wall. Watching the values was still pretty new to me then so some of the blocks were indistinguishable....things all blended together...so that is something to keep in mind as you make your selections if you want the pattern of each block to stand on it's own two feet.

QuiltE, that is the most co-ordinated beautiful FWS that I have seen, everything just flows. It is a stunner!

Yooper ... Thanks too! As for flowing, it was outright agonizing!!!

GGal mentioned the importance of a design wall. I SO agree!!!

........ when doing both the FWS and PC I kept my blocks on the wall all the time, to help keep me inspired and motivated, PLUS it gave me a clear reference when choosing fabrics. Did I need more red? Too much red? What did I need to add in to balance the colour mix? Believe me, there were times that all I saw was a dog's breakfast! :D Then the next agonizing time was when I was deciding final placement and moving the blocks around and around and around til I was ready to get them to flow (as Yooper mentioned) and finally to sew them all together.

And yes, I have all my DJ blocks on a wall by themselves. At least with it, I have kept to one colour mix (all blues!). Though I know the agony will come when I work on the final placement!!! Long ways away for that though! :)

I started a dear Jane quilt which I will never finish. I was going to make it from Civil War fabrics. I don't have any of them. I joined one of the exchanges on here and got at least 60 different Civil War fabrics. These are a great way to get a huge variety.

WOW, what a beautiful quilt and the dark green borders really frame the blocks nicely.

QuiltE: stunning quilt!

I bought the FWS book two years ago but haven't gotten enough courage up to tackle it yet. My stumbling block is color... I am a total control freak when it comes to color, and I can't just seem to "jump in" and let the scrappiness emerge. However, this thread has given me the courage I need to venture forth and just take it one step at a time. I may blow the dust off the book and let the fun begin!

QuiltiE..Now THAT is a Quilt..!!! Sensational, I'd call it...That had to be in the works for a looong time.. I don't think I would ever get tired of looking at it...

this is beautiful....you did a great job! this is on my list to do

Your quilt is beautiful!

Great thread. I am also interested in making a Farmer's Wife quilt. It's daunting because the book doesn't have the measurements.

QuiltE - love yours. Did you draw each of the blocks on graph paper?

Thank you JeanieG. I bought the book when it first came out and it didn't have a cd. I think so many people complained about having to draft all the blocks, they decided to put them on a cd. It might be almost worth it for me to rebuy the book, but hate to do that. Maybe I should write the publisher.....

You have a great quilt store I love to visit when passing through Camarillo - it's Quilter's Studio. Love that store!

I bet your group was fun to sew with. Keeps the motivation going!

Thank you everyone for your accolades ....
though I did not post my quilt to hijack this thread. Sorry SewMom!
I posted it to show how scrappy can happen ... and come together at the end as a unified quilt.

Thanks JeanieG for telling everyone about our group.
For those interested ... all the threads that JeanieG mentioned for the FWS are still available to you for the whole quilt. There were two blocks per week and two threads. One thread had the rotary cutting measurements for those who wanted/needed them. The other thread was where we posted our completed blocks. If we didn't finish them that week, we then went back to it when we got the specific block completed. Plus in that second thread, we chatted about the how to's of the quilt, fabric choices, completion ideas, etc. As the weeks went by, the friendships grew. If you are not one for rotary cutting or templates, there was (probably still is) a Yahoo group that had developed the PP patterns for all the blocks. Sorry, I don't have a link for you any longer.

For those thinking of doing it, it is definitely worth working together on it. I know if it had not been for the wonderful Ladies in that group, I would never have completed my FWS. I believe the original group started in August 2010. I joined the QB in Spring 2011 and soon after noticed what they were doing. I had never heard of the FWS quilt, but having been on the farm all my life, it called to me, so it wasn't long til I was making blocks on my own, but soon joined the group. There were times I am sure I would have thrown in the proverbial towel ... and if it had not been for such a grand group, I probably would have done so. I completed my quilt in the wee hours of a June 2011 morning and about four hours later had it at our local Fair to be shown!

So Ladies ... all who are thinking about it ... jump in, and go to those threads, and start posting your blocks to them. Many of us are still drawn to anything FWS and we will be there to cheer you on as you work on your FWS quilts.

Good Luck!!!!!!!

I am doing it now ...in Asian fabrics! However it only takes scraps. you can probably raid your friends scrap bins or I would just buy FQs.

oooooooooooh Asian fabrics sounds lovely and deluxe!
CMilton ... how about a shot of your blocks, to excite us!
Pleeeeeeeeease? :D:D