Farmers wife/templates?
 

Quilt in a day has a special on farmers wife a d farmers wife sampler books and marti michell set A templates, which I guess can be used with those books....my question...anyone here done either or both books and/or those particular templates doing them?

I've done the FWS 1930 blocks and I've used Marti Mitchell templates, but never noticed that any pieces cut for FWS blocks would be the same size. There is a CD that comes with the book, and for a couple of the blocks I did paper piecing, but for most of the 80 blocks that I did, I printed out the templates and used the paper templates. I intended to make just one block, so I didn't need something sturdy. Some of the blocks had 40 and 50 pieces, and very small unusual pieces in a lot of them-- and there are only a few sizes of plastic MM temples in the set that I have, so it didn't occur to me to even check if any of the MM templates would be useful in the construction of the FWS blocks. Perhaps it would be worth checking for the Pony Club blocks, as they are bigger, finishing at 8" and don't seem to have as many pieces in them.

I was able to cut a lot of the pieces for this quilt with my Accuquilt 6 inch Cube. It made things much easier!

hmm, I have a GO and many dies, not any Qubes, but I'll see what I have that might work.......if I decide this will be my next self-challenge....btw, did not order the MM templates from QIAD....

One of the stumbling blocks of the Pony Club blocks is although they are bigger many are not based on a 4 patch design, but a 9P. 8" doesn't divide by three very well. I have found that PPing them has been easier than regular piecing. IMHO.

I have started both quilts and need to get back to them.

I paper pieced my FW blocks.

You don't need to buy templates as the Farmers Wife book has a CD you run to make the templates.

What has been said by those who made or attempted to make the Farmer's Wife books are true. I have finished three and working on my Bible Sampler which is the fourth book. The other three are displayed in my Great Room ( dining and living room combined). The disk that comes with the book has template designs and paper piecing templates.

I was given good hints on the first book and followed the same process on the other books. I found a 4" notebook (Wal Mart supplies were reasonably priced) and clear view paper holders for the notebook. Into each paper holder went a picture of the block, the templates for cutting out fabric, and the pp templates. By doing twenty or so at a time, it was not burdensome to do. All of the cutting out templates, I used cement rubber glue and glued them onto stiff cardboard, cut them out, put small holes where the corner of the seam allowance was and put them back into the plastic holder. They were a good 'guide' for the pp too, not wasting fabric. Every block I finished, went into the plastic holder again, until I was ready to set the quilt together. I did use a permanent pen to note the # of the block and name, because I knew I would never remember the block name. After the second book, I pp less of the blocks, but find I am doing more on the fourth book. I am still marveling how Laura A. Hird can divide a finished 6"
(and 8 ") into so many pieces.

The first book Farmer's Wife Sample Quilt was developed to go into EQ7; that helped a great deal. Again, with EQ7, you could change the size the blocks were easily. The Block of the Month people on QB were very encouraging and I had fun with them during all three 'trails' of the first three books. With the fourth book, Bible Sampler, I am prodding along at a slow pace. Not doing the two blocks a week that we did on the first three books. On the fourth book, I have looked at the chart she suggests to set them together and used it as a guide, putting each block together as I go, seeing the colors of each block in its own permanent setting. And when I finish, the top will be done. All sewn together, finished!

I will be starting the 1920's book with a group through Gnome Angel this week. I will be machine piecing mine using either paper piecing, my cutting dies, or the templates or a combination of the 3. I spent a lot of time last week going through and copying templates that I knew I couldn't cut with my dies. We will see if my prep work was worth it when we get to a block with irregular shapes. I can always go back and print a paper piecing pattern for tough blocks.

Good luck on your journey, Connie...enjoy!