Chart 70: Prudence, Block 87 in the Farmer's Wife 1930s Sampler Quilt Sew Along

With just a glance at the pattern pieces for Prudence, it is obvious they are NOT template friendly! Well, look more closely. You may be surprised to see Prudence actually has the same basic grid design as Eva (Post 49) and Nancy and Sara as discussed first in Post 16.


This is the diagonal grid they share:

Why not Simplify?

We replaced some complicated sewing by using template cutting tricks to modify a From Marti Michell A-1 square to replace the 87E and 87F pieces. Then we added simple fusible appliqué, as we have in several other blocks, for 87C.

Piece 87A is our triangle template N-81. We cut 4 more contrasting N-81 triangles to make and complete a nine patch center unit.

Here are the 9 sub-units. See our PDF for instructions.

 

My Prudence Block

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

From Marti Michell Chart #70
 

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

http://gnomeangel.com

http://catandvee.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.

A Surprise Make Your Own Sale! And Craftsy Sale, too!

20% off all products, including kits and fabric-by-the-yard

Visit our website and treat yourself to something on your wish list or some of the tools Marti uses in her Craftsy classes!

The sale ends at midnight on Sunday September 25, 2016, no matter where you live. So, regardless of what time zone you are in, you can save money on our quilting products.

Use the 20% off coupon when you check out -- it's good on everything in our store!

Our usual flat rate of $5.95 shipping and handling for domestic orders (actual postage for orders delivered outside the continental USA) will be applied.

Craftsy is having a surprise sale, too!
ALL Craftsy classes are under $20 this weekend!

This is the perfect time to add my Craftsy classes and any others on your wish list to your Craftsy library – buy now and watch them any time you want, as many times as you like! Sign up for classes here.

Click here for more information about my Piece by Piece Quilt-As-You-Go class
and you can sign up on the same page.

If you have ever tried to join quilted blocks or sections and been disappointed because the seams are bulky, you will see some wonderful "bulk busting" techniques that I have developed using the 1-inch Marti's Choice Fusible Tape (product #8221 or #8272).

Limited instructions are included in the class notes for these specific blocks and do reference the From Marti Michell tools that were used to cut them:

Log Cabin (Ruler #8038, 1 and 2 inch finished strip widths)

Courthouse Steps (Log Cabin Ruler #8037, 1-1/2 and 3/4 inch finished strip widths)

Ohio Star (Template Set A #8251 and the Small Diagonal Set Triangle Ruler #8967)

Virginia Reel (Set A #8251)

Watch a video preview of Better, Faster Log Cabins and sign up by clicking here. 

This class presents in video format three of the most popular Log Cabin Quilts in my book Log Cabin ABCs : the Classic Log Cabin, the Fat quarter Log Cabin and introduces off-center Log Cabin blocks. The From Marti Michell Log Cabin Rulers are not required to benefit from the class, they just make it easier to be accurate.

While you're on our site, be sure to check out our newest products and tools for cutting classic designs that are on your bucket list, like Double Wedding Ring and Giant Dahlia.

Starry Path
#8586


Multi-size template set makes
6, 9 and 10 inch blocks. Includes instructions to make this quilt.

Kite and Crown in 2 sizes
#8287, 2 inch
#8288, 3 inch

Multi-Size Fussy Cutter
#8297

It is so much fun to fussy cut and emphasize motifs that help tell the story or create a new design. The detailed lines in a regular ruler can be confusing. Besides you have to “do the math” to know where the center is or trust your “eyeball” measurements. You may not know when you will need it, but it is easy to see that the Fussy Cutter is “too handy not to have it on hand
 

60-degree Corner Trimmer #8298

The 60° Corner Trimmer is handy for cutting off the dog ears on ruler-cut equilateral triangles plus other shapes in the 60° family. BONUS: You can also use it to cut 5 sizes of equilateral triangles, and it's perfect for A Thousand Pyramids quilts.

More Bang for the Buck! #8352

If you own Set A, B, C, D, E, Strippers, Set L, M, N, O, P Q, R, S, T, Storm at Sea Diamond Template Set and/or the From Marti Michell Flying Geese Ruler, More Bang for the Buck! will help you get more bang for your bucks! Inside this book, you will learn -
• More ways to use Perfect Patchwork Templates
• Ways to convert ruler-cutting instructions to template cutting
• Rotary cutting tips – template rotary cutting tips!
• Why and how to cut strips the Marti Way
• Ways to use templates to cut shapes that have no template
• Tips for cutting connector blocks -- and more!

Giant Dahlia Template Set #8949
with detailed instruction booklet


Regularly $50

20% coupon saves $10 = on sale for $40!



 






Double Wedding Ring Template Set #8017

with detailed instruction booklet

Regularly $38
On sale $30.40!

Thank you for using our products and believing in them.

Chart 69: Carolina, Block #19 in the Farmer's Wife 1930s Sew Along

Carolina must hold the record for the number of different shapes in one quilt block. It is very unusual to find 60-degree equilateral triangles (19H), Spike triangles (19D), right triangles (19C), a square (19B), rectangles (19A), kites (19G), and a couple of mirror image irregular triangles (19E and 19F) that I can’t identify, all in one block!

Have you read the letter on page 74 associated with the Carolina block? It is so-so-so true! "Things weren't what they used to be." Isn’t it interesting how that message can be applied so easily to the quilt world, too? So, while Carolina is more template-friendly than it looks, it is also quite easy to cut the non-template friendly pieces using the paper patterns and small rulers.

Interestingly, we have a brand new 60-degree corner trimmer that is an equilateral triangle complete with our engineered corners. It also has markings for cutting triangles that will have 1-1/2 inch finished edges just like the eight #19H triangles needed for this block. If you have one of our new corner trimmers, you could use it to cut the 19H triangles.

The corner trimmer is also a great One-derful One Patch template. It's perfect for cutting 1- to 3-inch 60-degree triangles in 1/2-inch increments, and for eliminating dog ears on ruler-cut equilateral triangles, too.

I’m not suggesting that you buy the 60° Corner Trimmer to make this one block, but if you keep a From Marti Michell Wish List (and we hope you do!), you might want to list the 60° Corner Trimmer, Product #8298, $5 USD.

We used Spike from the Multi Size Peaky & Spike template set to cut 19D. Don't forget to trim the corners at the bottom of Spike.

My Carolina Block

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

From Marti Michell Chart #69
 

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

http://gnomeangel.com

http://sweetlittlepretties.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 68: Bride, Block 17 in the Farmer's Wife 1930s Sew Along

 

Mini Fresh Cuts 

34 inches square, made by Faye Heyn

The Bride block is very template–friendly if you own From Marti Michell Template Set E, Product #8255 and the Multi-size Kite Ruler, #8158. That being the case, we can’t help but put in a plug for owning those very versatile tools.

Set E is the basic set for making 6- and 12-inch quilt blocks that feature the 8-pointed stars made with 45° diamonds. It is a great opportunity to show off your skills with set-in seams. Pair Set E with Volume 3 of the Encyclopedia of Patchwork Blocks, Product #8345. We think Volume 3 has the best collection available of blocks using 45° diamonds. There are 55 block designs—some in as many as 3 sizes!

While Volume 3 includes the Bride's Bouquet block (the classic name for this block), it's actually the Kite Ruler booklet that includes the most complete instructions for making Bride's Bouquet in 3 sizes. The booklet that comes with the Multi-Size Kite Ruler also has instructions for six other classic blocks, which you can see on the package cover above. There are 2 designs that pair with Set E and 2 with the Kaleido-Ruler, all in multiple sizes.

And if you really love the Bride's Bouquet block and making miniature quilts, you'll love the second page of the PDF that you can download below. It includes paper patterns of our template shapes, the swag pattern and yardage for the mini quilt featuring 9 darling 6-inch blocks that is shown at the beginning of this article. 

My Bride Block

This block is made with our Template Set E and the Multi-size Kite Ruler. 

Click on the image for a larger view. Click the link below to download the Chart for cutting and making Bride and the Bonus Mini Fresh Cuts:

From Marti Michell Chart #68
 

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

http://gnomeangel.com

http://kidgiddy.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 67: Alice, Block 3 in the Farmer's Wife 1930s Sew Along

Before you start, make sure that you have the author's corrections file, which you can download from  Gnome Angel's blog about halfway down on the Sew Along FAQs page. However, you don't need the correction to make the block with our tools and techniques.

Alice is another 6-inch block designed on this popular diagonal set grid. Regardless of how you piece, all of the sub-units can be confirmed or perfected with Set A templates A-3, A-4 and A-6.

If a 6-inch block has 53 pieces, there is a good chance some of them are microscopic – my definition of a microscopic quilt piece is that there is more square area in the seam allowances than in the finished shape.

The bottom line is that we chose to simplify the microscopic triangles 3B and 3D by cutting squares instead. Then the squares can be folded and sewn in place (3B) to replace triangles or sewn into a bigger unit that is cut down (3D). 

The best part is that these 2 changes have resulted in eliminating all of the mirror-image pointed 3E, 3F, 3G, 3H, 3L, and 3M pieces and replacing them with nice even strips.

But, I digress even with these simplifications, you still don’t have time to read more! Alice beckons!

My Alice Block

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

From Marti Michell Chart #67
 

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

http://gnomeangel.com

http://www.downgrapevinelane.com/

Speaking of Down Grapevine Lane

One of my favorite things about going to Quilt Market is the chance to meet someone in person who I know only from working with them online or via telephone or email. In May, I met Sedef Imer, who is one of our Farmer's Wife 1930s Sew Along bloggers. Sedef had traveled from Australia to Salt Lake City, Utah, for the introduction of her new fabric line with Riley Blake, and one of the things I was doing there was showing my new line with Maywood Studios. We were happy to share a hug and a chatty hello!

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.