Chart 66: Ruby, Block #89 in the Farmer's Wife 1930s Sew Along

Ruby is a 6-inch version of one of my favorite string-pieced scrap quilt blocks. Without the string-piecing, the block is called Periwinkle…so with string-piecing, we cleverly call these blocks String-pieced Periwinkle. 😊

The blocks in the 16 x 44 inch (40.6 x 111.8 cm) table runner below are 14 inches.

We used the full size on the From Marti Michell #8105 No-Flip Diagonal Set Triangle Ruler to cut 12 foundation fabric triangles for the 3 blocks.  In the instructions for Ruby, the foundation fabric was exposed and became the star in the center. However, it is more common to completely cover the foundation fabric so you can use fabric you want to get rid of for the foundation. It stays in the project.

Then the FMM #8105 Kite is used to cut the kite shapes. It is a multi-sized tool and for this table runner the “Large” size was used. Place the separate kite shape in the center of the foundation fabric.

I like to make the first string-piecing strips from the same fabric and cut the same width so they nicely outline the star when the four triangles are joined.

It is fun to use mirrors to get a good idea of the completed look. (Shown are the 11-inch hinged mirrors, #30084. Also available in 6-inch size, #8941.)

Have you been saving selvages thinking you would find just the right project? Why not try a String-pieced Periwinkle pillow or quilt?

My Ruby Block

Click on the image for a larger view. Click the link below to download the Chart for cutting and making Ruby:

From Marti Michell Chart #66
 

Visit these other Farmer's Wife Sew Along blogs, too, for sewing tutorials and other info about the Ruby block:

http://gnomeangel.com

http://intheboondocks.blogspot.com/

The Farmer’s Wife 1930s Sampler Quilt: Inspiring Letters from Farm Women of the Great Depression and 99 Quilt Blocks That Honor Them by Laurie Aaron Hird for Fons & Porter/F+W.

Chart #65: Mrs. Taft, Block #73 in the Farmer's Wife 1930s Sew Along

In some parts of the world, today is my birthday, so… I'm taking the day off!  😊 

However, I can't help but remind you that if you are using Laurie's layout for your finished quilt, you will need 8 half blocks for the top and bottom for 4 of the rows. This is easiest to do by making a block with a center diagonal seam, like Mrs. Taft, and leaving it in two halves. That means you will still have the proper 1/4-inch seam allowances.

My Mrs. Taft Block

Click on the image for a larger view. Click the link below to download the Chart for cutting and making Mrs. Taft:

From Marti Michell Chart #65
 

Visit these other Farmer's Wife Sew Along blogs, too, for sewing tutorials and other info about the April block:

http://gnomeangel.com

http://betteroffthread.com/

The Farmer’s Wife 1930s Sampler Quilt: Inspiring Letters from Farm Women of the Great Depression and 99 Quilt Blocks That Honor Them by Laurie Aaron Hird for Fons & Porter/F+W.

Chart 64: Magnolia, Block #54 in the Farmer's Wife 1930s Sew Along

Magnolia from Another Angle

A cheap Kaleidoscope was one of my favorite toys as a child and I’m still fascinated with watching the changing images through a Kaleidoscope. In fact, I see 5 Kaleidoscopes on my desk and 4 more on a nearby bookshelf.

One of my early blogs “Arizona in February (Feb. 24, 2009) details my enjoyment of visiting the largest Kaleidoscope store in the world – Nellie Bly in Jerome, AZ.

All of that background information was just so I can tell you that when I show the From Marti Michell Magic Mirrors, I almost always say, “and when you don’t even feel like sewing, you can just get out the mirrors and look at your fabric like a kaleidoscope!” Typically I then show the mirrors held at either a 60° or 45° angle and reflecting fabric motifs like a kaleidoscope.

We have two mirrors available (click to go to our web store):

I have mentioned before that sometimes being in a sampler quilt does not do a block justice. Some block designs are more interesting set edge to edge for example or rotated. I felt like Magnolia might be more interesting as one quarter of a 12” block. So I got out the mirror set to look – this time with a 90° angle on one corner of the block. What do you think? View 1:

With the magnolia buds pointing outward, we might call it Magnolia Corners. Four pairs of Peaky shapes would combine to make four traditional Peaky and Spike sub-units.

Or do you prefer View 2? Here I’ve added a dark corner square and it and the dark Peaky shapes form a rounded shape – we might call this new block the Magnolia Showcase:

Meanwhile, I hope you will enjoy making Magnolia.

My Magnolia Block

Click on the image for a larger view. Click the link below to download the Chart for cutting and making Magnolia:

From Marti Michell Chart #64
 

Visit these other Farmer's Wife Sew Along blogs, too, for sewing tutorials and other info about the Starlight block:

http://gnomeangel.com

http://www.aquiltinglife.com/

The Farmer’s Wife 1930s Sampler Quilt: Inspiring Letters from Farm Women of the Great Depression and 99 Quilt Blocks That Honor Them by Laurie Aaron Hird for Fons & Porter/F+W.

Chart 63: Starlight, Block #93 in the Farmer's Wife 1930s Sew Along

Within a few days of making the Starlight block, I was selecting several of our antique and/or vintage quilts to share at a regional American Quilt Study Group meeting. Crib quilts are more difficult to acquire, but much easier to pack and display so I was taking all that we own.

It is always fun to show this 1930s crib quilt. Normally the size of the blocks in a crib quilt are reduced to be more appropriate to the scale of the quilt, so it is very unusual for a crib quilt to feature 12-inch blocks like these.

I can’t help but wonder why? Were these blocks intended for a full-size bed sampler and the maker got tired of making sampler blocks? Or were the blocks inherited and the new owner felt obligated to finish something? Or did the maker need a baby-gift in a hurry and just used some big blocks she had?

While I clearly remember the crib quilt and the 12-inch blocks, I have to admit that from memory I could not have named one of the block designs. However, as soon as I opened the quilt I spotted the Starlight block. There are four pale green squares that are so badly faded out it is easy to miss the design, so here is a close-up.

 

Now, here is my 6-inch block for the 1930’s Farmer’s Wife Sampler.

My Starlight Block

Click on the image for a larger view. Click the link below to download the Chart for cutting and making Starlight:

From Marti Michell Chart #63
 

Visit these other Farmer's Wife Sew Along blogs, too, for sewing tutorials and other info about the Starlight block:

http://gnomeangel.com

http://www.blog.tiedwitharibbon.com/

The Farmer’s Wife 1930s Sampler Quilt: Inspiring Letters from Farm Women of the Great Depression and 99 Quilt Blocks That Honor Them by Laurie Aaron Hird for Fons & Porter/F+W.

Chart 62: Carol, Block #18 in the Farmer's Wife 1930s Sew Along

If you own Set C of the Perfect Patchwork Templates, you can use C-15 to cut the large square-on-point in Carol. Many of you also made the 1920s Farmer’s Wife Sampler blocks and the Set C pieces were used more frequently in that book than in this one.

If you have not done the 1920s blocks, you may not know that we have also done template conversions for those blocks. Every 3 or 4 months we start a new email program with those conversions. You receive a template conversion chart for 10 blocks via email every 2 weeks. The blocks are also organized by common template sets or techniques as in this quilt. We just started mailing those PDFs out a few weeks ago, so there is still time to sign up on our website at http://www.frommarti.com/  Here's what to look for on the left side of the page:

You can also sign up through our company Facebook page. That button is also on the left side of the page (you may have to scroll down). Click on the bird holding the envelope to open the signup window (you can get to our Pinterest and YouTube Channel from the same area):

Please share this info with your friends.

Comparing Sets A and B

Sets A and B contain the most frequently used pieces in basic patchwork. 12-inch or approximately 30 cm blocks are the most popular finished sizes, and 3 x 3 or 4 x 4 grid designs are also the most common.

The pieces in Sets A and B are exactly the same 7 shapes, just different sizes. Set A pieces are components of a 3-inch square and Set B of a 4-inch square. We like to say, “Anything you can make with Set A, you can make with Set B, it will just be bigger.’’

Volume 1 of the Encyclopedia of Patchwork Blocks features 69 patchwork block designs. You can make most in 3 sizes each with Sets A and B.

For example (from the Vol. 1 Block Index on our website):

Comparing Sets C and D

Sets C and D are companion sets for Sets A and B. They contain components of 3-inch and 4-inch squares that are not used quite as frequently as those in Sets A and B. Most of the shapes are the same, but in Set C we included C-15, a square that sits on point in a 6-inch square, the equivalent of 4 3-inch squares. Set D, on the other hand, includes the Square Within a Square components for a 2-inch finished unit made with the D-28 square on point plus triangle D-29 to make the corners, the latter being a combination you have used frequently in the 1930s Farmer’s Wife Sampler blocks.

You can see more blocks that use Sets A and C or B and D in the block index on our website for Volume 2 of the Encyclopedia of Patchwork Blocks. 

My Carol Block

Click on the image for a larger view. Click the link below to download the Chart for cutting and making Carol:

From Marti Michell Chart #62
 

Visit these other Farmer's Wife Sew Along blogs, too, for sewing tutorials and other info about the Starlight block:

http://gnomeangel.com

http://www.sunflowerstitcheries.com/sunflower-quilting-blog/

The Farmer’s Wife 1930s Sampler Quilt: Inspiring Letters from Farm Women of the Great Depression and 99 Quilt Blocks That Honor Them by Laurie Aaron Hird for Fons & Porter/F+W.