When Craig asked me what I wanted a couple Christmases ago, I didn't hesitate: Lori Holt's Farm Girl Vintage book. I had recently discovered Lori's Bee In My Bonnet blog and immediately knew I needed to make a Farm Girl Vintage quilt. Or two. The first was made for Cara's Evelyn and I somehow ended up with no pictures of that baby quilt (so how did THAT happen?). This second Farm Girl Vintage quilt was made for Caitlin's Lucas, with less pink and more blue, though Miss Piggy just has to be pink.
The book offers 45 Farm Girl Blocks with instructions for both 6" and 12" blocks. Even better, for us unimaginative types (did I mention I need a pattern?), there are layouts where you can plop your chosen squares into a quilt, table runner, table topper, wall hanging, pot holder ... so many options! I used the Country Fair Quilt Setting in the Small Version, which has 12 6" squares and finishes at 30 1/2" x 37 1/2", perfect for a baby quilt.
I need more practice in embroidering faces and other body parts, I was satisfied with Miss Piggy's tail, but Mr. Barn Cat's whiskers needed more work. The instructions called for three strands of thread, but I really think two would have been better. I was worried about damaging the fabric by taking out the stitching more than once, so I just went with the second attempt. Definitely more practice needed, and I want to play around with different types of stitches.
Some of the pieces in these blocks are less than an inch, and I've only recently read about using starch on fabric prior to cutting. I never pre-wash my fabric: I like that vintage look that a bit of shrinkage provides. If I make the 6" blocks again, I will not pre-wash, but I will starch the fabric to stabilize those small pieces and hopefully the blocks will be a bit more precise.
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