Greetings to all you happy farmers! I am excited to share my latest two blocks with you, the delightful Ava and the not so delightful Daffodil.
In case you missed them, Angie’s tutorial for Ava is HERE, Marti Michell’s tutorial is HERE and the official guest blogger for Ava was Sedef of Down Grapevine Lane (and another South Australian to boot!), Sedef’s tutorial is HERE.
I loved sewing up Ava – she took no time at all and the fun combinations of grey and candy pinks made me think of a Galah. If you don’t know it, a Galah is an Australian native Cockatoo with lovely soft grey and pink feathers. Using my Marti Michell templates and my usual pressing to the side and nesting seams, I found Ava went together really well.
I am getting really excited to see all my blocks together, but I am saving that treat up for in a couple of weeks, when Farmer’s Wife is having a break!
Next we had Daffodil. What an obscure block indeed. I didn’t find the shape very Daffodil like, and it didn’t line up very well either. If you are needing help with this block, HERE is a previous tutorial I wrote on printing PDF documents to size on a Mac. You DO need to print Daffodil “Mirror” or you block will come out the opposite of the book. If you are having trouble with Foundation Paper Piecing, HERE is Part 1 of a comprehensive tutorial I wrote on it, followed by Part 2. They take you through making a foundation paper pieced block from start to finish, showing you every step and a few tricks that will make your life easier along the way.
If you missed the other tutorials for Daffodil you can find Angie’s tutorial HERE, Marti Michell’s tutorial HERE, and the official guest blogger, Janice of Better off Thread has her Daffodil tutorial HERE. Janice made her Daffodil pink and I absolutely love it!
Daffodil was fairly straightforward to piece, the major issues came when joining the three vertical sections together. A little fudging was required and I definitely recommend using a longer stitch length to check how you have lined everything up before you commit to sewing it with a tiny stitch. I did enjoy using a different set of fabrics for this block, the tiny yellow floral seemed just the right shade for my flower and the bold blue dot contrasted that well.
Making these Farmer’s Wife blocks is an excellent opportunity to practice colour mixing and experimenting with value and tone of fabrics, without committing to making a whole quilt.
For example, I used the rule of contrast in this block to make it interesting – my prints were different sizes/shapes to each other, with the addition of a solid, and when you look at the block in Black and White you can see that I covered the range of tones that make a block “pop” – with dark solid, light background and a mid-tone flower. I explored this concept previously when looking at my Potent Star quilt – HERE.
What I’m trying to say is – use this chance to play. Have fun with your fabric selections, step out of your colour comfort zone and practice these principles of contrast, tone and value. You may discover some fabulous new combinations that you’d never tried before, and you certainly will develop your designer’s eye. Your later quilts will only be better for it.
What has been your favourite part of participating in the Farmer’s Wife 1930’s sew along so far?
**Disclaimer** I received the Marti Michell templates as part of my participation in the Farmer’s Wife 1930’s sew along. However all opinions are my own.
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