Thanks for coming back to the Little House Sampler Quilt Sew Along! Block #7 of 9 represents book #7, Little Town on the Prairie. The long hard winter was finally over, and the people of DeSmet were interested in getting out and began social life again. They held church socials, dances and "literaries." The Ingalls family had moved from town to their homestead claim, the garden was growing and, after spending the winter together in tight quarters, the entire family enjoyed the extra space the homestead offered, as well as the opportunity the get outdoors.
Pa had planted corn, but the gophers were plucking the new shoots as quickly as they grew. They were a nuisance, as were mice in the house. The family needed a cat. Pa brought home a very small grey kitten and what a mouser it was! There was quite the "cat-and-mouse" fight that occurred and the very reason I selected the Kit in the Corner as the block to represent Little Town on the Prairie.
This block is originally from the Pieces of the Santa Fe Trail sew along. It was a 12" block with a 9-patch layout. Reducing the block by 50% meant that the "kitten" pieces would be just 1" square finished. I opted to use two-thirds of the block (a 4-patch) to make the 6" finished block.
Let's take a look at the math. Each 1/4 unit needs to be 3" finished. Two of the quarters are not pieced, so the units need to be 3" (finished) plus 1/2" for the seams... making the cutting dimension 3-1/2" square. You'll need two of them.
The remaining two units are pieced. Using the 4-patch grid again, which will finish at 3" square you can calculate that 1/2 of 3 is 1.5", add your 1/2 seam allowance... 1-1/2" + 1/2" = 2". You need two of these. There is no need for an unnecessary seam in the unit, so the final piece of the unit will be 2" wide by 3-1/2" long.
Hopefully, this all made sense. :) Whether it made sense or not, head over to Payhip to get the free pattern.
Laura, aged 15 in this story, is quickly becoming a young lady. She accepts a job as a shirt maker for a woman in town. The shop owner purchased a treadle sewing machine for the making of the shirts. Laura was to be doing only the hand sewing and earn 25 cents a day, plus dinner.
Laura quickly did the math and, thinking that what she earned could help to send Mary to blind school sooner, accepted the job. In two hours, together, they finished four shirts. Laura basted the collars and cuffs in place and Mrs. White then sewed them. Laura was very efficient at making buttonholes... "She so hated making buttonholes that she had learned how to do them quickly and get it over with."
This brings me to question you...
What is your least favorite step of quilting?
Do you procrastinate and put it off?
Or do you like to "get it over with", like Laura?
Leave a comment... I'd love to hear from you!
Keep Piecing,
Melva
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Thank you for the blocks, which are all so sweet and special! Binding is probably my least favorite part of quilting, but I always do it right after I finish the quilting because I'm excited to get the finished quilt out the door.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning! Came here by way of PinkerNPunkin. I'm saving the blocks - thank you for this - It's going to be a beautiful quilt. My dd loves the Little House Series - her daughters have read the books too. She even has one of the cookbooks! My least favorite is sandwiching the quilt. I only have my bed to work on so it's kind of a pain ;-)
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
Another great block and another great introduction to Pulling the fabrics is my least favorite part of the process. Sometimes, I just get it done and sometimes, I procrastinate so long I don't make the project! It seems like I can get the majority of the fabrics pulled but that last one or two doesn't seem to want to come together!--TerryK@OnGoingProjects
ReplyDeleteThis is a sweet one, Melva! I love your butterfly prints in it. Looking forward to making it. My least favorite step is sandwiching the quilt - it's such a big job! But I keep doing it!
ReplyDeleteIt's so nice to remember parts of these books. I had forgotten so much, I really should get the Kindle version of all of them. Like Donna, sandwiching is something I put off. I do it on my design board with basting spray, and I have to put down old sheets to catch overspray, plus get on the stepladder to reach the upper part of the quilt. And I need to stop climbing stepladders! Like TerryK, fabric pulls can be hard for me. I initially enjoy pulling fabrics, but quickly get bogged down by second-guessing myself!
ReplyDeleteThe cutting of all the pieces is my least favorite part of quilting. I've taken a class on rotary cutting, but no matter what I do they don't turn out right. Basting is my next least favorite due to limited space in which to do it.
ReplyDeleteI am not sewing along as we are dealing with a family medical crisis. However, I am greatly enjoying reading your posts. These were my favorite books growing up. I remember all the scenes you are talking about. So much fun Sarah Aldrich sarahsgiftnship at gmail.
ReplyDeleteI'm excited to make this one. I really need to reread these books (and Emily of new moon). My least favorite part is the prepping for quilting or sandwiching. I use the roll onto the boards method, then pin on my banquet table that is my sewing table. Hubby got me 2 -90 inch long 4x4s that I use. Off to pick fabrics and sew this block up!
ReplyDeleteI don't hate binding but it is my least favorite but it does get done.
ReplyDeleteAnother beautiful block, Melva. I look forward to piecing it this weekend. Hmmm though I love all aspects of quilting what ranks "lowest for me" is cutting the fabric, but once I make that first cut, I'm good to go. Thank you again for hosting such a wonderful sew along. I am having a ball.
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