October 31, 2016

Chart 75: Mother, Block #65 in the Farmer's Wife 1930s Sampler Quilt Sew Along


Sometimes it makes sense to look for a different way to get the same visual result. That kicked in for me when I saw pieces 65B, H and G being used to make a square corner.

We hope you will enjoy our two-unit technique that eliminated all those tiny pieces in the center. Of course, it does include the "A" word, albeit less than 9 inches of appliqué stitching!



We prepared the Nine Patch for appliqué by turning under the edges a scant 1/4-inch and centering a piece of SoftFuse™ on the wrong side. After fusing the square in place, we hand stitched around the Nine Patch to complete the block. Click here to download a PDF with more detailed instructions for "Soft Edge - No Raw Edge - Fusible Appliqué" using SoftFuse™.

My Mother Block



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

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

http://gnomeangel.com

http://theelvengarden.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.



October 24, 2016

Chart 74: Peony, Block 81 and our Substitute Double Aster in the Farmer's Wife 1930s Sampler Quilt Sew Along



Here are the From Marti Michell template conversions for the Peony block:

 

The Double Aster Block

Double Aster is a classic design credited to Nancy Cabot. In Jinny Beyer's book The Quilter's Album of Patchwork Blocks, Nancy Cabot is said to have presented this block, which she called Double Windmill, in her Chicago Tribune column of October 26, 1936, and attributed it to an old Pennsylvania Dutch pattern pieced in Philadelphia as early as 1800.


Nancy Cabot was on a roll -- 2 weeks later, she added 2 triangles to each quarter-block and the new block became Double Aster. She "fertilized" Double Aster with 8 more triangles and a dozen squares and created a new block called Peony and Forget Me Nots, very close to block #76 Peony.

I fell in love with Double Aster in the late 1990s, when I used it in this sampler quilt. (Sorry this is only one section of the quilt. The blocks are 16 inches, it is a big quilt!)


Wherever the quilt was displayed, Double Aster was always the block that attracted people.


At that time, we developed a Double Aster class plan that we made available to stores. It was great for learning about the triangles in Sets A and B because the block has 4 different sized triangles. I had made 8-1/2, 12 and 16 inch Double Aster blocks, but not a 6 inch block.

When I first saw Peony in the Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt book, I thought it wa Double Aster and assumed it looked different because it was so small. Then I realized Peony had more stuff going on at the edges, which seemed to clutter the design. That settled my decision to make Double Aster for my quilt and share it with you. By the way, it was only after I decided that I compared the number of pieces. Double Aster has only 37 pieces, compared to 57 for Peony -- wouldn't you rather cut, sew and press 37 pieces than 57?

A Double Aster for our Mystery Quilt

Made with Set A, this is also a perfect block for our 8-1/2 inch mystery quilt. (Click the images for a larger view.)
 

Bonus Sizes

Double Aster is also a perfect block to demonstrate the versatility of the templates. You're using From Marti Michell templates to make 6-inch blocks, but our basic sets (A through D) can make up to 4 sizes each of hundreds of block designs. 

If you own Set A, you can make Double Aster in 3 sizes (6, 8-1/2 and 12 inches, finished). And you get 3 more sizes with Set B (8, 11-1/4, and 16 inches).


What's the 2+2 triangles in the 12-inch block?  It's triangle template A-2 doing a template trick! You can cut any triangle twice as big using this trick!  (It's great for Flying Geese units, too -- cut the 2 small triangles with the triangle template, then use this template trick to cut the center triangle!) See 31 sizes of Flying Geese in More Bang for the Buck!

My Double Aster Block



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

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

http://gnomeangel.com

http://www.talesofcloth.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.


October 17, 2016

Chart 73: Golda, Block 38 in the Farmer's Wife 1930s Sampler Quilt Sew Along


If you were the lucky winner of last week’s Kaleido-Ruler contest, you can use that ruler to make Golda because Golda is a variation of a classic 6-inch Kaleidoscope block. Twenty years ago in 1996, the two Kaleido-Rulers (#8641 for  2- to 8-inch blocks and #8642 for 6- to 16-inch blocks) were the first From Marti Michell multi-size tools. They and the Kaleidoscope ABCs book have been consistent best sellers!


People love Kaleidoscope quilts because they can create the illusion of curves with straight-line sewing!

Plus the variations are endless. The book has detailed instructions to make 14 quilts and dozens of quilts for inspiration.




Quilters love our Kaleido-Rulers because the angles to cut at the base of the Kaleidoscope triangles need to be 67-1/2 degrees! Who knows how to cut that? You do when you own the Kaleido-Rulers! As a bonus, you can also use the ruler to cut exact size corner triangles for the blocks.

Click here to connect to more info on Kaleido-Rulers on our website. and to see videos on using them.

My Golda Block


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

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

http://gnomeangel.com

http://www.charmaboutyou.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.



October 10, 2016

Chart 72: Crystal, Block 25 in the Farmer's Wife 1930s Sew Along


Help! We Need a New Expression!

There was a day when paper patterns reigned supreme. It came right before rotary cutters (invented in 1979 in Japan) and after both newspaper foundation paper piecing and what we in the U.S. call English paper-piecing had almost disappeared (somewhere in the 1940s to 50s.)

Now when I say, “Just use the paper patterns” I discover that Laurie actually calls paper patterns “templates printed from the CD” in the book. Naturally, to me, templates are acrylic at least 1/8-inch thick and made for rotary cutting.

When I say “cut” that may imply using scissors. Even though most of us still have scissors for cutting paper, we prefer cutting fabric with a rotary cutter. So when I say “cut using the paper patterns”, I always mean the individual pieces, not the combined shapes you can also print off the CD in the book that are laid out for foundation paper piecing. In addition, I mean that while you will put the paper pattern on the fabric, you will immediately cover it with an acrylic tool and align an edge and/or appropriate corners of the acrylic with the edge of the paper so you can cut the fabric with a rotary cutter.

Why is this a Good Idea?

Almost everyone cuts straighter edges and corners when cutting with a rotary cutter compared to scissors, and the smaller the pieces you are cutting, the more important accuracy becomes. It is easier to control accurate grainline when rotary cutting as compared to foundation paper piecing.

But what do we call this method of paper and acrylic cutting?

I Nominate “Paper Pattern a la Mode”

There should be a phrase that is understood by every quilter to mean "cover a paper pattern with the most appropriate acrylic tool you have and rotary cut the fabric piece you need."

My first thought was “paper pattern ala mode” but then, my favorite breakfast is hot oatmeal with ice cream! So why wouldn't I think of that?


I heard someone else suggest “cutting safety style” because the acrylic edge prevents cutting up the paper pattern and protects your fingers at the same time. That is certainly more concise, but not much fun!

My Crystal Block



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

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

http://gnomeangel.com

http://www.ohhowsweet.com/

Make a Comment

So, what would you suggest for the new descriptive expression? Comment by October 17, 2016, for a chance to win the small Kaleido-Ruler. Even though it is a multi-size tool, it makes a great 6-inch finished block, in case you are looking to make extra blocks for your quilt.

This giveaway is closed. 

Congratulations to Mary, her comment, #1, was selected to win the Kaleido-Ruler!


 We'll use a random picker and post an update on this page to announce the winner, so be sure to check back on October 18 to see if your name is selected! The winner will have two weeks to contact us via our 800 number or by email. Our contact info is at http://www.frommarti.com/contact_us.shtml  If we don't hear from the winner by Halloween, we'll select a new name and update this post with that person's name -- so be sure to bookmark this page!  Good luck and thanks for making your blocks with our templates!








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.

October 5, 2016

A New Spin on Drunkard's Path Blog Hop & Giveaway!


Here we are on the 10th day of the blog tour celebrating John Kubiniec’s new book, A New Spin on Drunkard’s Path from C & T Publishing.


It is a pleasure to be included in the blog tour and an honor to have had John include the From Marti Michell Large Drunkard’s Path template set (Product # 8024) as a recommended tool.


(If you are inspired to try John’s quilts with smaller blocks, we also have another template set (Product # 8960) that includes both the more traditional 3- and 4-inch units.)

If I count correctly, I’m the 17th person to enthusiastically recommend that you add this book to your quilt library now! Because I was lucky enough to receive a review copy, I can assure you that the book includes all of the necessary prerequisites to make you want a copy of your own:

    • 12 inspiring and innovative quilts inspired by the classic Drunkard’s Path block including multiple color options.

    • Step-by-step illustrated instructions.

    • Tips on fabric selection.

    • Sage advice on “Quiltmaking in a Busy World”

    • Not to mention, all of the quality you’ve grown to expect in a C&T publication!

The only thing that could improve this book would be an ”instant face-time button” so you could enjoy John’s warm personality and humor!

Here are the quilts that called out to me, begging to be made. I might change my mind on the order in which I would start, but I think it would be Bowties, Nightfall, Beach Balls, Deco Blue, Abstract and Shaken Not Stirred, the cover quilt. Oh wait, I have to add Peacock Alley, Checkerboard and Tile Floor, too!

If you use our templates to make the quilts in John's book, you'll also get bonus quilt patterns in the template booklet, like one of our favorites, Asian Roundabout:



You could win a copy of John's book
and a set of the Drunkard's Path templates!


 The contest is now closed. Thanks, everyone, for commenting!
Donna W. has won John's giveaway and Donna Cutting has won ours.


C & T and John are giving away a copy of A New Spin on Drunkard's Path and a set of the large From Marti Michell Drunkard's Path templates. To enter the giveaway, just comment below and tell us what your favorite From Marti Michell tool is, or if there is a tool we don't have that you want us to develop. Winners will be selected by a random picker on October 10.

BONUS!
We'll be picking a second comment to win a set of the small Drunkard's Path templates, too!

Hop over to these blogs for more chances to win!

September 26, 2016
Jenifer Dick   www.42quilts.com
September 27, 2016
Heather Kojan http://www.heatherkojan.com  
September 28, 2016
McCall’s Quilting  http://www.mccallsquilting.com/blogs/                        
September 29, 2016
September 30, 2016
October 1, 2016         
Kathy Patterson  http://hillstreetquilts.blogspot.com
October 2, 2016
October 3, 2016
Generation Q Magazine http://generationqmagazine.com
October 4, 2016
Nicole Daksiewicz www.modernhandcraft.com/blog
October 5, 2016
😊 You are here!  Marti Michell http://frommartimichell.blogspot.com
October 6, 2016
Kim Niedzwiecki http://www.gogokim.com
October 7, 2016

October 3, 2016

Chart 71: Sylvia, Block 95 in the Farmer's Wife 1930s Sampler Quilt Sew Along


If you love working in metric measure, Sylvia is a perfect block for using metric.  Read the second half of the block PDF before you start cutting.

The metric system of measuring makes so much sense. It was designed to make measuring and comparing sizes easier. It is intuitive and all the units are in multiples of 10. That means all the numbers can be expressed in decimals.

So, I ask, “How did we Americans end up with a standard of measurement that has fractions?!”


Well, it looks like most of those measurements came over on the Mayflower. Take a quick look at this entertaining and educational website from the UK and you will see what I mean.

http://www.npl.co.uk/educate-explore/factsheets/history-of-length-measurement/


Read it carefully and you will discover that during Edward I's reign (1272-1307) it was ordained that three grains of barley, dry and round make an inch. So, like they say, “It could be worse”…we could be measuring by half a barley grain! And then you might question was that with the barley grains side-by-side or tip-to-tip?

Read further on the website and you will see that it was not until 1875 that the Metre Convention was signed by participating nations and the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) was established just outside Paris.

By that time in the United States, the standard or Imperial system of measurement was very deeply ingrained, especially in the areas of manufacturing. The major industries opposed converting based on the cost of changing all existing machinery, etc. Over the years, we continue to “inch our way “ into more and more metric measurements. Scientific language is metric and so is much of our manufacturing, but day to day ordinary measurements -- "not so much!"

In the final analysis, there are at least two places where I will always prefer Imperial style measurements.

    1. Body measurements: 36 - 24- 36 sounds way more appealing than 91 - 61 - 91!

    2. Cutting a pie – I can do 1/8th of a pie easily, but I have no idea how to cut 1/10th of a pie!


My Sylvia Block 


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

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

http://gnomeangel.com

https://nightquilter.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.