Michelle:Here's my finished top. All 128 blocks. (I added 17 to make the size that would best suit me).
Michelle, your quilt is beautiful! These quilts look so different with different fabrics, sashing colors, placement, number of blocks, etc. I am auditioning sashing for mine now and hope to start attaching it to some of the blocks while we are in Texas. Need to take minimal quilting with me because we are flying, not driving, this time. I still need to finish some blocks, but by adding sashing and cornerstones to 2 sides of each block, I can still arrange them any way I want later. Will make the process less boring if I get some done now. These last blocks are going slow because they are the more complicated ones. Am working on Pine Tree now and should get it done the next time I am in the truck.
Marsha - Western New York
Michelle
You have done a fabulous job. Your quilt is stunning. I know that you are glad to be done.
Vinton, Virginia
I have posted the next block assignment. Unfortunately even on the blocks that I could give you cutting instructions I am no longer able to do this. The author of this book is having melt down over people doing groups and giving cutting and piecing instructions for this project. Personally I wouldn't care but since this is QCA I won't do something that could get the club into hot water. Sorry.
Nana, I am so sorry that this is happening, but I understand your position, and I REALLY appreciate all that you have done for us on this project. We will figure it out; you were almost finished anyway. It has been a fantastic experience!
Namma
Nana: I have posted the next block assignment. Unfortunately even on the blocks that I could give you cutting instructions I am no longer able to do this. The author of this book is having melt down over people doing groups and giving cutting and piecing instructions for this project. Personally I wouldn't care but since this is QCA I won't do something that could get the club into hot water. Sorry.
She's a real sour puss Nana.
You've done a great job as the group leader. Thanks for taking it on.
Wonder why she's just now getting her britches in a bunch. Anyway many thanks Nana for doing this for us, it's been fun and have really enjoyed seeing everyones work.
I personally find the fact that there are alot of people that have joined all the online groups to do this project that wouldn't have bought her book otherwise. I mean there are no piecing instructions or anything in the book. Without a little guidance this project would be extremely tough for a newbie quilter. Real shame I can't take her book back to where I purchased it.
Gwen,
I stayed in the darker fabrics all the way through this quilt. I used dark sashing with a brown plaid cornerpost. As you know, in making the blocks they varied in size. I added an additional border to three blocks to make them 6 1/2 I cut the sashing exact 6 1/2. when I sewed them together I put the larger one down to the feed dogs and did a little stretching. I did each block individually with sashing, cornerpost on left side and bottom. then when sewing I had three sides when I had a row and the fourth sashing was the bottom of the row above. The sashing and corner posts fit perfectly. I copied the templates for the set together triangles and measured them and cut without the template. Everything fit perfectly. I even have the points on the triangle corners before the outside border.
I was amazed how well it came together, I had struggles with the block sizes and lack of direction in the book.
I'm here to tell you all, It can be done!!!!
For my extra blocks, I finished SBS last year and I went into that book for additional blocks. I have no two blocks that are the same. My extra blocks were one complete row with the half-row wider. It was easy to work out from the layout in assembling the blocks so you just adjust the rows with the right number blocks.
Salem, UT
Nana:I personally find the fact that there are alot of people that have joined all the online groups to do this project that wouldn't have bought her book otherwise. I mean there are no piecing instructions or anything in the book.
Nana, I appreciated your help and directions. I wouldn't have even begun the quilt without you and your support.
I have heard from more than one source that the author is a difficult person to work with. However, I have been studing copyright laws and quilting patterns...Here's my 2 cents She used traditional blocks that she did not have the copyright . They are traditional blocks and public domain when she assign a particular block to a particular letter she gained that copyright. You could give directions and not refer to her book and be OK. Her book and her copyright of the book makes her an author NOT a quilter!!!
She actually took all her blocks from the book, "5,500 Quilt Block Designs" by Maggie Malone. Malone collected thousands of designs over the years and brought them together for her comprehensive book, published in 2003. I can say this with some certainty because there are anomalies shown in the blocks in malones book that are replicated in the Farmer's Wife blocks.
So, why doesn't Malone have her grundies in a bunch? Because she knows better. While I can't legally make a copy of Malone's book and sell it, I can use it as a reference to create my own work, as Ms. Hird did.
If she wanted to control the identity of her work, she should have called it something that she could trademark, the way Papadakis named her book "Dear Jane." Farmer's Wife is not protectable because there are a series of books by other companies also using the public domain contents of that long-defunct magazine.
Legalities aside, my opinion is that Ms. Hird will harm herself professionally in the long run by making waves about this. Discouraging customers from sharing tips and creating clubs is a good way to sour quilters on buying your next book.
Lisa in Rockford, IL
Thanks for the tips in assembly.
I'm getting closer to putting it all together, but might start adding some of the sashings and cornerstones before I finish all the blocks. There are only 18 more to finish the original 111.
I'm a bit behind because I spent the past weekend helping my mother (age 81) complete 91 scrappy disappearing 4 patch blocks. Try as we might, there does not seem to be a way to use up the scraps. I can't even see a slight drop in her "small pieces" scrap box, from which we selected our fabrics. Oh well, it is fun trying to use up the scraps.
Gwen (aka Musicmama)
Michelle: Nana:I personally find the fact that there are alot of people that have joined all the online groups to do this project that wouldn't have bought her book otherwise. I mean there are no piecing instructions or anything in the book. Nana, I appreciated your help and directions. I wouldn't have even begun the quilt without you and your support. I have heard from more than one source that the author is a difficult person to work with. However, I have been studing copyright laws and quilting patterns...Here's my 2 cents She used traditional blocks that she did not have the copyright . They are traditional blocks and public domain when she assign a particular block to a particular letter she gained that copyright. You could give directions and not refer to her book and be OK. Her book and her copyright of the book makes her an author NOT a quilter!!!
I joined her group to see how other groups handled this quilt, and I am happy I have done the quilt here. Her group is on Yahoo. I joined her Farmer's Wife Pony Club group - have a signed book, but the going is SLOW one block at a time. I did the first block - was even the first to post a block - but have put it aside for now. Will probably do it on my own. Our group is so much more chatty and friendly.
Pushed the post button too fast. Thank you so much, Nana, for all the time and energy you have put into this project. After checking into other groups on many sites, there is nothing to compare to this site. Also, the setup of the site is so much easier to use.
Gwen, that sounds like way too much fun! I wish I lived closer to my mom so we could make projects like that together.
Lisa Y
Rockford, Il
Marsha-SM: Pushed the post button too fast. Thank you so much, Nana, for all the time and energy you have put into this project. After checking into other groups on many sites, there is nothing to compare to this site. Also, the setup of the site is so much easier to use.
Marsha
Thank you. I think this is a pretty awesome site too. I think this author is experiencing sour grapes because her book is non workable for the newbie quilter without direction. I understand that she is in the process of doing actual "quilting" instructions to go with her book finally. I know that I will not be buying another of her books. She does not appear to have the heart of a quilter.
Thanks to each of you for the kind words. I truly hope that my help at the beginning gave everyone the foot up to get started. There isn't many blocks left so we should be able to finish this one before much longer. I appreciate all the help from everyone. All of your blocks are beautiful and you are each going to have a beautiful quilt to cherish when finished.