Make Nine Challenge 2019: progress check

About a month ago, I pledged the Make Nine Challenge. This is the progress on two of my projects—a knitted vest and a jacket.

Lolita Vest. Make Nine Challenge 2019.

Lolita Knitted Vest
After a setback on the Lolita Vest (I was photographing it and found a mistake; decided to frog 3-4 inches), I've gotten past the second armhole, and the neck and shoulder shaping. Knitting the left front remains.

Yarn-dyed woven Jacket
Another Make Nine project is a jacket made with yarn-dyed wovens from Diamond Textiles. I'm incorporating leftover bits (the 4-patch diamonds) into this piece to fulfill the recycle and repurpose goal I've set.

Yarn-dyed woven Jacket back. Make Nine Challenge 2019.

These are the two jacket fronts. For the pockets, I'm thinking side seam pockets is a better option over patch pockets.

Yarn-dyed woven Jacket front. Make Nine Challenge 2019.

I've seen a few beautiful finishes from others participating in the Make Nine Challenge and was feeling behind. But stepping back and evaluating these two projects, I feel good about my progress. These pieces were both UFOs [unfinished objects] and they've been revitalized and are now back on track.

48 Farmer's Wife blocks

Forty-eight Farmer's Wife blocks complete. There are 111 patterns in the book... if one were to make all of them.

48 Farmer's Wife blocks made with Art Gallery Fabrics.

Fabric inspiration at YLQS

With the start of a new year and the cold winter weather encouraging more indoor activities, quilt shops and sewing centers have been busy creating fabulous things with fabric! In my recent travels, I saw many inspiring projects that shops have in the works for upcoming classes, kits and samples.

Art Gallery's Color Masters bundle combined with a background fabric
at Stitcher's Playhouse.

The classic Jacob's Ladder block with Art Gallery fabrics
Jeanne at Stitcher's Playhouse paired a box of Art Gallery Color Masters fat quarters with a background fabric. She used the classic Jacob's Ladder quilt block—a combo or 4-patches and half-square triangles—in a solid setting. An interesting positive/negative effect.

Jacob's Ladder block made with Art Gallery fabrics.

Mixing yarn-dyed textured wovens with printed cottons
Go ahead... mix yarn-dyed wovens, printed cottons and even batiks... in the same quilt block! Margaret at Quilt Connection is assembling 14" sampler quilt blocks with Diamond Textiles' yarn-dyed wovens and printed cottons. One block even combines a yarn-dyed plaid and a batik!

Combining yarn-dyed wovens from Diamond Textiles with printed quilting cottons
at Quilt Connection.

The randomness of the stripes in this yarn-dyed woven keeps your eye bouncing around this block.

14" sampler block at Quilt Connection.

In this block, the Primitive Stars fabric in the sashing complements the Ohio Star units.

14" Ohio Star sampler block.

This is probably my fav. It combines Primitive Stars (the sashing) and a black striped woven. The rotation of the 'butterfly' units cause the stripe to go in vertical and horizontal directions.

This block features two yarn-dyed wovens from Diamond Textiles.

Australian aboriginal designs are perfect for an Expedition
Debbie at Calico Rose is making the Swoon Expedition Travel Tote using M&S Textiles Australia. It's got at least two zippers and a bunch of pockets. This is going to be a stunning bag when she finishes!

Swoon Expedition Travel Tote with M&S Textiles Australia fabrics
at Calico Rose Fabrics.

Calico Rose has a great selection of M&S Textiles fabrics and pre-cuts—with many more on the way. Debbie chose this M&S Textiles print—Bush Plum—for the lining. Bright, colorful and exciting!

Bush Plum design from M&S Textiles Australia.

Love Letters for a SignAge Quilt
I caught one of the Sew Special sessions at Sew Many Ideas where Juls announced the shop is offering fabrics, kits and a class on this SignAge quilt from Art Gallery Fabrics. The XOXOXO fabric on the back is an Art Gallery fabric from the Letters Capsule collection. Perfect for Valentine's Day—or any day when you need to spread a little LOVE.

Sign Age Quilt at Sew Many Ideas.

Coordinating fabrics in the quilt from the Art Gallery Denim Studio are also available at Sew Many Ideas.

Letters Capsule collection from Art Gallery Fabrics at Sew Many Ideas.

What's inspiring you? 
As for me and my projects... I'm plugging along on my Make Nine 2019 list and the Farmer's Wife sampler blocks. And the inspiration I saw at these quilt shops gets me excited and charged up about making!

What project are you excited about today??? Contact any of these quilt shops or visit YLQS [your local quilt shop] and take a class, pick out a new project, and get excited about creating something beautiful and fun with fabric.

A pattern is just a jumping off point

While cutting pieces for my Farmer's Wife sampler this weekend, I had an epiphany. Because I'm machine piecing these blocks—not printing and using the templates; not using the EPP [English paper piecing] method—I was omitting the five-unit blocks as the pieces were not nicely divisible into 6 inches (the finished block size). Then it hit me...

Modified Farmer's Wife block #32.

I've already modified the assembly of several of the blocks to make machine piecing easier, so why not modify the designs to better fit my construction method, too? It's MY quilt! I can do that. Right??

Modifying the Block Patterns
The Farmer's Daughter block #32 is a good example of my modification process. I decided to use part of the 5-unit design to make a 3-unit, nine patch block. My Cat's Head block: easy math, 9 patches vs. 25, less cutting, quick assembly.

Modified Farmer's Wife Farmer's Daughter block.

My Fruit Basket Block #42 is now a 4-unit Pint of Blueberries block. The top and side rows of half-square triangles were omitted.

Modified Farmer's Wife Fruit Basket block.

My Block #27 is one Starling instead of four Darting Birds.

Modified Farmer's Wife Darting Birds block.

The *new* relaxed guidelines I've implemented makes this sampler project much more fun! I'm still doing the cutting math, but I'm able to use more of the block patterns in the book. I think the variety of blocks with small and larger pieces is a nice change. It's MY sampler, right?

My Farmer's Wife Sampler Progress: 36 Blocks

There are 111 blocks in The Farmer's Wife book. Here are 36 I've made so far. Using the book as a jumping off place, I have more block possibilities to suit my machine pieced assembly method.

36 blocks for The Farmer's Wife sampler quilt.
Fabrics are from various collections from Art Gallery Fabrics.