Another Wicked Little 6" Sampler Block: EQ7 Block 2968 Wisconsin

So after the not-so-peaceful "Peaceful Days" block was finished, I thought I'd make another 6" sampler block using a pattern that I found in my EQ7 block library.  The EQ7 notecard identifies the block as Wisconsin (Hearth and Home).  I picked this block because it was giving me a vintage vibe and I thought it would blend nicely with the 6" blocks from the Farmer's Wife Sampler books and the Vintage Quilt-Along blocks.  Hmmm...  I wonder what made this block look so vintage to me, so subtly different from the blocks I usually see in quilts today?  Could it be some wickedly wonky set-in zigzag seams to join the outer units to the center star?!  I didn't notice this until I had already started making the block.  It's not the end of the world. 

6" Sampler Block (No. 2968 from EQ7 Block Library)

I used my EQ7 software to audition color/value/print placement for this block before cutting into any of my actual fabric.  If I wanted to spend a lot of time on it, I could have scanned in the actual stash fabrics I wanted to use, but as you can see, I was able to find close enough approximations in my "virtual stash" to know whether what I envisioned in my mind would look good once it was cut up and sewn together in real life:

EQ7 Mockup with Similar Fabrics

I foundation paper pieced this block, but that method only got me this far before I had to resort to Old-School Traditional Putz-Putz Machine Piecing:

Paper Piecing Completed, Time to Sew This Mess Together

I wasn't really in the mood for this, and I had lots of other things going on in "Life" over the past few weeks that were eating up a lot of time, so I let the block languish and eventually got it done by sewing just ONE SEAM PER DAY.  Now that it's done, I think I need something mindless and easy as a palate cleanser, like another pineapple log cabin block.

Here are my assorted sampler blocks so far:

6" Sampler Blocks

And here's the entire design wall, kind of a Hall of Shame for all of the projects I've started and abandoned over the past year.  Except that only about half of my projects-in-progress even fit on the wall.  The others are packed away.  And yes, having run out of room on the wall, I did pin the one giant 30" block RIGHT ON TOP of another neglected quilt top...

My Design Wall of Shame

Meanwhile, I have two services of singing in church tomorrow, followed by a Confirmation Stepping Stone event to attend with my son Anders.  Then laundry to fold, a Thanksgiving menu to plan, lunches to pack, a house to clean, a birthday to plan, and somewhere in there I need to put in some time to brush up on rusty math skills (don't ask; I'll tell you about that one when I'm ready).

Happy November, everyone!

I'm linking up with:

·       Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times www.patchworktimes.com

·       Main Crush Monday at Cooking Up Quilts http://www.cookingupquilts.com/

·       Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt http://lovelaughquilt.blogspot.com/

·       Oh Scrap! at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework http://quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.com/

·       Moving it Forward at Em’s Scrap Bag: http://emsscrapbag.blogspot.com.au/

• WIPs on Wednesday at Esther's Blog: http://estheraliu.blogspot.com 
• Finished Or Not Friday at Busy Hands Quilts: http://busyhandsquilts.blogspot.com/

Farmer's Wife Block 103 "Whirlwind" and Farmer's Wife 1930s Block 5 "Anne"

I made not one, but TWO more 6" blocks for my Mish-Mash Sampler (Farmer's Wife, Farmer's Wife 1930s, Vintage Kansas City Star, and other block sources yet to be selected).

This is Block 5 from the 1930s Farmer's Wife book, "Anne:"

FW1930s Block 5, "Anne"

Anne was foundation paper pieced.  Next we have a block from the original Farmer's Wife quilt sampler book, Block 103, "Whirlwind:"

Original Farmer's Wife Block 103, "Whirlwind"

I almost didn't make this block at all, for two reasons.  First of all, the block that was photographed for the book reminds me of a swastika, and I didn't want any swastika blocks in my quilt.  So I reversed the block so it "spins" the other direction (counter-swastika) and used a contrasting fabric for the center square, and selected the sweetest, most cheerful fabrics I could find.  Happily, my resulting block doesn't remind me of Nazis.

Original Farmer's Wife Block 103 "Whirlwind"

I used my EQ7 software to explore different fabric options for the block without cutting into my stash prematurely.  I played around with my "virtual stash" in EQ7 until I had a block that I liked, and then went through my ACTUAL stash to find similar fabrics to the ones I'd used in the computer version.  I find that I use my EQ7 software a lot for tasks like this, just playing with ideas for a single block, versus designing an entire quilt from start to finish.

EQ7 Block Design with Similar Fabrics

The second reason I almost didn't make this block is that I'm not a fan of all the extra seams.  To me, a patchwork seam is superfluous if it is adjacent to another patch of the same fabric and it is possible to sew the block without that seam.  Making the block as shown in the book with all squares and half square triangle units is easier construction, but those additional seams disrupt the flow of prints, add unnecessary extra bulk, and more importantly, sewing partial seams or set-in seams or whatever is a new (to me) skill that I've never tried before.  So I gave it a go.  Again, EQ7 to the rescue -- I found a similar block in the EQ7 block library, edited it to remove the unwanted seams, sized the block to finish at 6", and then printed out templates on cardstock.  I rotary cut the center square and the pink QSTs (quarter square triangles), and cut 2" strips for the diamond patches, but used the diamond template in conjunction with a rotary cutter and ruler to subcut those strips into accurate diamond units.  Another reason to love EQ7 -- the ability to print my own templates or foundation paper patterns for any block in any size. 

By eliminating those unwanted seams, I reduced the number of patches in this block from 21 to 9.  Even with fewer pieces, it still took me awhile to piece this block due to the fiddly set-in seams.

Assorted 6" Sampler Blocks

So I learned something new today -- yay!  :-)   Looking at my blocks on my design wall, I still don't feel like they "go together" all that well, and I still don't care.  These are very process-oriented blocks for me, each one is a self-contained challenge to learn something new.  Maybe they'll end up in a quilt together someday, and maybe they will end up divided up into several quilts.  Just making a bunch of random 6" blocks with no set purpose in mind feel deliciously decadent!  However, other UFOs have been languishing.  I think I'm going to have to make another giant pineapple log cabin block before I make another 6" sampler block.  Remember this project?

17 3/4" FPP Pineapple Log Cabin Blocks

I started that project almost exactly two years ago, June 28th of 2014.  It's intended for my own California King bed, and although I love how it's coming out, there are something like 97 seams in each block and they are time-consuming and monotonous to construct.  So I do one or two pineapple log cabin blocks, and then I have to switch gears and do something else for awhile.

I need to put in some serious hours on my business web site design today, but tomorrow we're going up to Davidson College to pick up my younger son Anders.  Yippee!  He's been gone for three long weeks at Duke TIP Summer Center Studies for 7th and 8th graders, taking an intensive course in academic debate.  He's been having a great time, staying in the college dorms, having a taste of independence, and getting to know other bright kids from around the country and around the world, but I've MISSED HIM!  Can't wait to get him back in my studio, watching Tom & Jerry cartoons and cackling with laughter as I sew.

Missing Studio Accessory, Laughing Bean Bag Boy, Returns Tomorrow!

Meanwhile, I'm linking up with Can I Get A Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.  And I'll be checking out everyone else's projects at the linky parties over my second cup of coffee!