Day: January 19, 2016

Turkey Tracks: New Black Winter Boots

Turkey Tracks:  January

New Black Winter Boots

For a while there, I was thinking that we had no snow because I treated my self to a new pair of winter boots in the early fall.

You know how that thinking goes…

But, I can now say with the recent snow and cold that the new boots are beyond delightful!  Easy to put on, roomy in the foot, warm and warm, and comfortable to wear.

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I got them at Renys, which is a Maine store chain.

You never know what you’ll find in Renys, which is part of the adventure of going there.  But you can always count on sturdy shoes and boots at a fair price.

Speaking of the recent cold, temps will go back up again next week.  Winter events, like ice fishing, are postponing to February as the ice is just not safe yet.

It’s an interesting winter this year…

 

PS:  These boots replaced a pair that were 20+ years old and that are too tight up here in Maine with thick wool socks.  It was time…

Unfortunately, worn out boots do not recycle, repurpose, reuse…

 

Turkey Tracks: First Eight Farmer’s Wife Blocks

Turkey Tracks:  January 19, 2016

First Eight Farmer’s Wife Blocks

Along with a group of Coastal Quilters members, I’m making the 99 Farmer’s Wife blocks–as detailed in an earlier post.  We’re doing eight blocks a month, or about two a week.  The 99 blocks will make a queen size quilt.

I am foundation piecing mine as these are pretty complicated blocks for the most part.

Here are the first eight–which took me some time, though I am getting faster as I do more of them.

I am LOVING the modern/contemporary fabrics I’ve chosen in these blocks.

Here’s how I’ll set them–and you can see that I’m putting on the outer triangles now–mostly as a protection for the very bias edges.  I remove the paper backing to stitch parts together as I get more accuracy that way.

This is the setting used in the book:  The Farmer’s Wife 1930s Sampler Quilt, Laurie Aaron Hird:

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Here’s an alternative setting:

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Or, one could do sashing with cornerstones.  The cornerstones could add a measure of coherence to a busy quilt.

Here are the individual blocks up close–each is named–and each is accompanied by a letter written to The Farmer’s Wife Magazine back in the 1930s.

“Augusta”

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“Alice”

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“Anne”

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“Aunt”

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“April”

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“Addie”

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“Aimee”

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“Ann”

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There are two more “A” names, and then it’s on to the “Bs.”

February is a SHORT month…