Farmer's Wife Quilt

I'm starting a Farmer's Wife quilt. I was inspired by a bunch of quilters I follow on Instagram. I'll try to post my progress on the ol' blog, but following me on Instagram will probably be the best bet for seeing more timely updates. While you can access Instagram on a computer, it's best used as an app. If you don't have a smart phone, but do have an iPad, you're in luck. I think you should be able to download the Instagram App to your iPad. You'll probably have to set up your own account and then you'll need to find my account: "@kbrusven". I have my account set to private, so you'll have to send a request to follow me. 

There are 111 possible blocks to choose from. We'll see how many I get made before I piece together a quilt... or wallhanging... or doll quilt... or pot holder.

There are also a lot of pictures of people's farmer's wife quilts to be found on Pinterest. If you're friends with me on Pinterest, it's no surprise to you that I LOVE IT! Not only am I inspired by the projects I stumble upon, but I have also learned so much from links to different people's blog tutorials. For example, one person suggested using freezer paper to cut accurate templates. The book has a CD with the templates in pdf fromat. I merged the templates for Block 1 using Photoshop and printed it on the non-shiny side of the freezer paper, rough cut them out, and ironed them on the fabric. Pretty neat trick for cutting out accurate templates.

I'm using some Michael Miller airplane fabric, "Wild Blue Yonder", that my mom made the boys' crib skirts out of. I already have a bunch of coordinating fabrics because I was going to make a wall hanging for the boys' nursery. Four years later, it looks like that plan might not happen. Time to use up some of the stash. (Loving my new sewing room, too! It's still a huge mess, but I'll share pictures here once it's presentable.)

Block 1 | Attic Windows

I'm going to use #kerisfarm for my Instagram hashtag on this project. By the way, did you know hashtags are a programming tool to be able to search for certain text? I've started teaching my students about this, so they actually know what using a hashtag means. They had no clue and more or less attributed it to the magic of the internet. I would also suggest following @elizabew. She has been putting together the most amazing blocks and is fussy cutting almost every single one of them. They're incredible. You can search for others' blocks using the #fwqal (Farmer's Wife quilt-a-long) hashtag.

I like this project because I think I'll be able to sneak in a block here and there without the pressure of worrying about when the entire project will come together. Each block feels like a mini accomplishment. 110 more to go...