When I initially saw the two Civil War quilt books, I was intrigued, but thought I had plenty to do already - so I didn't buy them. Then I saw this one, published in 2009, and HAD to have it. It's called The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt, and has 111 different 6" blocks. What's different (or new) for me is the fact that the blocks are made with templates. I really was put off by the templates - until I discovered that one of the members of the quilt-along-group on the
Quilters' Message Board is going to the trouble to write out cutting directions and sizes for each block. There are many blocks where we'll be able to use her rotary cutting directions instead of the templates.
The original quilt featured in the books is made with subdued fabrics that were contemporary to the early 1920s - subdued darks and lights with plenty of florals. In creating my blocks, I decided to make it scrappy - and am doing my upmost best to draw primarily from my scrap box.
Here are the first 11 blocks, all of which I finished this past weekend while Don was tuna fishing.
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| Block 1 - Attic Windows |
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| Block 2 - Autumn Tints |
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| Block 3 - Basket |
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| Block 4 - Basket Weave |
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| Block 5 - Bat Wing |
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| Block 6 - Big Dipper |
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| Block 7 - Birds in the Air |
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| Block 8 - Bouquet |
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| Block 9 - Box |
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| Block 10 - Bowtie |
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| Block 11 - Broken Dishes |
(For Broken Dishes, the pattern called for only 2 colors - light and dark. However, I had some HSTs that I needed to use up, hence the multi-colored block.)
