Farmer's Wife WEEK ONE

Happy New Year! I'm so excited to be back and blogging seriously, as I finally have something to blog about! I started a blog to document my journey into (and hopefully through...) the Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt. Originally I had planned to do 2 blocks a week. This was ambitious in its own right. I don't know if you recall, but I recently had a baby (he's 5 months now) and have two other kids, ages 2.5 and 4. I also cook, clean, and have a happy marriage... So wait... why am I throwing in deadlines... That's right, it's already crazy, why not!?
So without further delay! Here is what I accomplished from January 1st until today, January 7.

WEEK ONE:

    It looks so simple, this homeward bound... But I struggled with it nonetheless... Reason being that it is only 3 fabrics in such a simple layout. I had navy stripes in the corners but it just wasn't working. The red was a 'maybe this?' moment that helped make it come together in a satisfying enough way. I pulled the little house fabric for this block for obvious reasons, because it represents the 'home' the letter writer described she and her father returning to after her mother's passing. Some of the houses have little hearts on them which I thought represented the "...happiness, health, content[ment]" felt from her love of working on the farm. 

There's a even a little farm house!!!

Country Path is my favourite block this week! I was delighted to see it coming together and every time I pressed the block I got more excited. Once I finished it I noticed I had put the red and navy triangles on the top piece in backwards and so back to unpicking and flipping... Again, apologies for the bad lighting. These little pick up trucks represent the letter writer's "trusty Ford" which takes them to school and church. The plaid represents the clothes "ordered from a dozen catalogs and a world of pleasure ordering"  

For the Steps to the Alter block I couldn't resist the "something borrowed something blue" saying and pulled a turquoise fabric to represent that. I then used a white to represent the bride's lace dress (which is hard to see... I will photograph in better light next time... Seriously though, it's been so foggy I have been hard pressed for natural light...). A farmer's wife would in my mind wear lace. And the red invitation fabric was used to represent the first kiss as a married couple. 

How perfect are the Sweetwater fabrics?! Seriously, FW + Sweetwater = match made in Heaven!

It's easy to say this block has no business being in my line up. And you'd be right on the money if it weren't for the future blocks that will kind of tie this in. And AGAIN, I know... this lighting stinks like my 4 year olds dead flowers she kept in her room after her dance recital, sure they were going to come back to life... I ended that dream... This isn't about how adorable 4 year old dance recitals are, though, it's about a kitchen window box... 

I conjured this one up because I thought of what I'm doing when I'm looking out my kitchen window. I see trees and birds and a winding driveway. And I'm standing there because I'm doing dishes, so I'm probably day dreaming that I don't have anywhere from 1-3 kids hanging off of me asking me for milk, or food (which we all know they're not going to eat anyway...) or where their teddy/blanket/doll shoes are.... Bare with this block, I promise it will work... or I'll pull it apart! 

There it is! 4 This week (OK, 5... but I'm not sure about the 5th so I left it out)... I plan on aiming for two every week still, but these little things are super fun and addicting and I'm really enjoying finding the right fabric for each block to do the letters and the blocks justice. And all from Sweetwater! 

I'll be blogging next week (if not before) with progress on the next blocks. (Which I will be cutting out tomorrow and I kind of can't wait...)