Modernizing the Farmer's Wife Quilt: Introduction

I have always loved the Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilts that I have seen, however I enjoy making simple quilts.  The Farmer's Wife quilt is anything but simple with all those tiny pieces in a six inch block!  I mentioned to my friend Jennie that I have thought about simplifying and modernizing the Farmer's Wife quilt.  She thought it was a great idea, and I started planning how I would do that. 

It is a new year, time to start a new project, and the perfect time for me to start my own Modern Farmer's Wife quilt.  I will be posting my progress and my ideas for modernizing the quilt here on my blog, so feel free to join me in making the quilt--especially if you have started a Farmer's Wife quilt only to abandon it due to the tiny pieces. 

Here are my plans for the series (with a sneak peek at the upcoming episodes): 

• Episode 1:   Selecting Fabric and a Block Layout

• Episode 2:   Enlarging the Simplest Blocks {Using only squares and rectangles, plus a bonus fifth block}

• Episode 3:   Enlarging Simple Blocks {9-patches made with HST and 4-patches}

• Episode 4:   Enlarging Intermediate Blocks {Blocks made up with just HST}

• Episode 5:   Enlarging Intermediate Blocks {Blocks using HST, squares, and rectangles}

• Episode 6:   Enlarging Blocks divided into fifths {Plus Adding a Border to finish at 12 inches}

• Episode 7:   Repeating Simple 6 inch blocks {Two and Four of a Kind}

• Episode 8:   Using Individual 6 inch blocks {Combining blocks, plus a bonus fifth block}

• Episode 9:   Finishing the Blocks {Adding borders}

• Episode 10:  Finishing the Top {Adding sashing and cornerstones}   

• Episode 11:  Machine Quilting the Modern Farmer's Wife

• Episode 12:  The Finished Quilt! 

In the episodes sharing the altered blocks, I will be including the sizes I used to rotary cut my blocks.  Please refer to the excellent FWQ book by Laurie Hird for more information.  I must say that the best part of the book (and the reason why I wanted to make this quilt) is the letters it includes from farmers' wives of 1922 answering the question: "If you had a daughter of marriageable age, would you, in light of your own experiences, have her marry a farmer?"  I love the message behind the blocks and quilt.

I will be going through this series quickly (hopefully finishing by the end of the month), because I have already started making the blocks.  Whether you decide to make a Modern Farmer's Wife Quilt or not, I hope you enjoy this series. 

Before I finish this post, I thought I would include a couple tips for organizing the fabric when making a sampler quilt. 

Tip #1  Use Post-it notes to keep track of strip sizes.

Tip #2 Use paper plates to organize blocks which have already been cut

If you decide to make a quilt from this series, I hope you will show me.  :)

XX,
Jasmine

P.S.  I will be updating this post with links to each episode in the series as I finish them. 

P.P.S.  I know it is a little funny to call this a series with episodes, but you can just blame that on all of the series and episodes of Curious George I have been watching with my boys who have been unwell.  ;)

P.P.P.S.  I will be linking up with some of my favorite parties including Let's Bee Social, Needle and Thread Thursday, and Can I Get a Whoop Whoop.