FW Progress - Blocks 1 - 10 blocks (class 1)

When I create a Mystery Quilt, I often create a page for the quilter to put snips of the fabric that will be used in the creation of the blocks.  This keeps everything organized (hopefully).  So when I started this quilt, I figured that I needed something to keep all of the instructions and the fabrics together in one place.


Knowing that I have the picture of the block, that I have colored in EQ7 with the actual fabrics I am using, the cutting instructions and sewing instructions from FWRQ,  the fabric with the manufacturer number that I needed to match up with the instructions, I had to have something that I could write on and glue to.




So off to Wallie World I went, looking for composition books, you know, the little black books that are used for notes and doodles when in school.  I found that they now make them in graphic squares, I like graphic squares, especially when designing quilt blocks.


They also have vinyl covers for these books that you can put your pencils and pens in to keep everything in one place.  I thought, great, someplace to keep the templates, sold x 2



So with a little clicking and a little printing and cutting, I ended up with this, the cover from the book is now the cover for my notebooks, yes, books, because it will take 2 notebooks for all 12 lessons and notes. 

Here are Blocks 1 - 10 of the Farmers Wife Quilt Revival

I did learn something, and I hate to admit it, but I have been using fabric from Joann's for so long, that the settings on my machine were quite a bit off.  I have an instruction sheet on my web page that shows you how to adjust your machine for that perfect quarter inch.   "Where is your quarter inch?"  I should have done the exercise using this fabric.

A long time ago, I gave up the use of the quarter inch foot, I found that it would only use 1/2 of my feed dogs and that I was not getting the consistency that I wanted.

I went back to my regular straight stitching foot and now move my needle to the right and use the edge of the foot to achieve that perfect scant quarter inch. If you watch any quilting instructor, look closely at the foot they are using on their machine, is it the quarter inch foot?  Nope it the Zig-zag foot.

This fabric, well, is Quilt Shop Quality Fabric, the good stuff!  What I have been using is, well, not the good stuff.  I sewed my first 2 blocks together and they both came out 1/4 inch smaller than the perfect 6 1/2 sq.  I moved my needle 1 click to the right and wholla, perfection!

What happened is that because the fabric is better quality, it is thicker, it takes up more in the turn of the cloth.

What does "Turn of the Cloth mean?

What the “Turn of the Cloth” refers to is this:  When you sew and then press a seam, the fabric that folds over or ‘turns over’ the thread is called ‘turn of the cloth’.  Depending on what thread you are using and what the thread count of the fabric you are using, this turn could be 1, 2 or as much as 3 threads or more. (thank you college education)

Happy Farming!