Little House Sampler Quilt Sew Along Finish

Welcome back to Melva Loves Scraps and the final instructions for the Little House Sampler Quilt Sew Along.

Layout your blocks in an arrangement, as you desire.  I chose to keep the blocks in the order of the books... 1 through 9, in a way that the log cabins formed furrow rows diagonally.   If you want to choose to change the order (or layout) for any reason that's up to you.

Cut five 2-1/2" wide strips of a background fabric.  Join strips together to be able to cut 2 strips 48-1/2" long and 2 strips 52-1/2" long.

I used remaining fat-quarter pieces to create the final border that is made up of 4-1/2" x 5-1/2" rectangles.  In the "Laura" quilt (below) I used 24... In "Caroline" (shown above) I used 28.  I chose the juxtaposition of the rectangles reflecting the log cabin blocks on purpose. :)

Cut two 4-1/2" wide strips to make the border long enough to be added to the top and bottom of the quilt.   

Cut two more 4-1/2" wide strips to make the remaining border long enough for the side borders.

My quilts both finished at approximately 60+ inches square. Using more fabric from the FQ bundle that I used, I cut 2-1/2" wide strips to make a scrappy binding.

Sandwich and quilt as desired. :)  You can see that I quilted "Laura" with FMQ feathers diagonally with the furrow rows formed by the log cabins.  "Caroline" was quilted with large Baptist fans. 

If you are interested in using leftover jelly roll strips you can make a border similar to the border on the Sticks & Stones quilt.  

Allison at New Every Morning Patchwork & Quilting recently shared her choice of a simplified Delectable Mountain border here.

I have the final prize in hand and ready to ship.  I selected a Stash Builder Mystery Box from Connecting Threads. It contains two fat quarters, two spools of coordinating threads and two notions.

Everyone who links up a completed top (quilting not required) is entered for the random drawing.  I've been slow in getting the winners selected for blocks 7, 8 & 9... I'll do that at the same time. 🙈  Winners will be selected June 30th.

It's been so fun seeing all the blocks from everyone!  I love the variety of colors and fabrics... I love the creativity of those that modified the blocks for their personal reasons!  I know that some of you may have even needed to do some personal quilting math to make those work. ;) Way to go! 🎊

Thank you so much to all that have participated.  I hope that you've enjoyed the stories, the blocks and the math lessons.  I hope that you found the lessons helpful but more than that...

I hope that you enjoyed the whole process of making your quilt!

I've offered this sew along as a free event.  I've poured more hours than I care to calculate into it.  The very small amount I earn through the sharing of blog links on social media and visits to Melva Loves Scraps is nominal.  Honestly... I'm not in it for the money. LOL!  I love sharing with everyone!  However, if you feel so inclined, any tips through my Buy me a Ko-fi button are greatly appreciated!  The blocks will remain free for a short time longer. 

Anybody else need a support group?  ;)

I've kept you here long enough... go gather your fabric and get the borders on!  But before you go, tell me... 

which block was your favorite?

Leave a comment... I'd love to hear from you!

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter

Creatively Crafty at Creatively Beth 

Share Your Style at French Ethereal

Put Your Foot Down at The Quiltery 

I Quilted This! at Quilting & Learning

Thankful Thursday at Brian's Home

m

Little House Sampler Quilt Sew Along ~ Prairie Rose - Block #9

We have nearly reached the end of the journey with Laura and the Little House Sampler Quilt.  The writing of book The First Four Years is in a very different style - in the third person. It was an unfinished piece found amongst other papers and documents in the late 1940s.  After Laura's death in 1957 it sat hidden away until after Rose's passing when it found its way to Harper & Row.  

The scene from prologue tells of how the night was sweet with the strong, dewy fragrance of the wild prairie roses that grew in masses.

Laura was familiar with the prairie and the flowers as well as the hard work required to be a farmer and homesteader after watching her parents work so hard and struggle so many years.  She asked Manly to consider a different life.  

Almanzo was convinced that the success of a farm only depended on what a man was willing to do.  The willingness to work hard meant that he could make more money than the men in town and all the time be his own boss.

Laura was still hesitant... Manly asked for just 3 years.  Laura consented to this.

It is in their first year that they welcome their first child, Rose.  Laura and Almanzo experience the joy of new beginnings, despite the hard work and financial strain of starting a farm from scratch.

In the rest of the book, we see the young couple face diphtheria which left Almanzo with a paralyzed leg, they lose of their wheat crop to a hailstorm.  They celebrated as they welcomed a baby boy but then mourn as he dies at just a few weeks old.  They continue to struggle financially because of more crop and livestock failures and even lose their home to a devastating fire.

Laura and Almanzo realized then that they must abandon the farm and find a new path forward. The book closes with uncertainty—but also a glimmer of the resolve that carried them through these trials. 

Block #9 is Prairie Rose, a block that was part of the Santa Fe Trail Sew Along.  I chose it to represent the birth of their daughter, Rose.  

The original block was a 12" block, and I could have done the math to reduce it but wanted to use just 1/4 of the block.  Therefore, I opted to use the grid method to determine the sizes of the units needed for this block.

The finished block is to be 6" square so... each square of this block needs to be 2" finished.  

Add your 1/2" for seam allowances. 

You'll be cutting 2-1/2" squares to make this block.

The vertical portion of the rose (rectangular section) needs to be 2" x 4" finished... add your 1/2 seam allowances.  Cut one 2-1/2" x 4-1/2" rectangle.

Grab the Prairie Rose pattern in my payhip store and gather your fabrics... This block will be pieced before you know it!  Add your Log Cabin frame and you'll be ready to join all of the blocks together.  The final instructions for the borders will be released soon!  Keep the fabrics that you have used for all of these blocks close at hand... the border and binding are scrappy and a perfect opportunity to utilize them.

If you missed any of the patterns from this sew along, they are free for just a short time longer.

But before you go... 

Did you know there is a continuing series that tells of their life in Missouri?

The series, "The Rocky Ridge Years", is written by Roger Lea MacBride and there are 6 books. :)  There is also a series called "The Rose Years."  Someday... I would love to visit the various sites of LIW's life.  They are all on my bucket list!  Have you made it to any of them?

Leave a comment... I'd love to hear from you.

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

m

Little House Sampler Quilt Sew Along ~ Heart Block - Block #8

Welcome back!  This week's book is #8 of the Little House series - These Happy Golden Years... the story of Laura and Almonzo's courtship and marriage.  Laura was not yet 16 years old when she took a teaching job 12 miles from home.  

Pa was driving her to the small, drafty shanty she was to be staying in when she asked, "Do you think I can, Pa?"  Pa replied with encouragement... "Of course you can.  You've never failed yet at anything you tried to do, have you?  You've tackled every job that ever came your way.  You never shirked, and you always stuck to it 'til you did what you set out to do.  Success gets to be a habit, like anything else a fellow keeps on doing."

Most of the pupils were taller than her and she was residing with hateful, crazed lady.  Laura was miserable but she did not give up.

Perhaps the words of encouragement from Pa kept her going... that and knowing that she would be able to return home on Friday afternoon.  At first, Almonzo picked her up as a "favor" to Laura's Pa... It didn't take long before their love began to blossom for each other and a formal courtship began.

It was only natural for me to choose Pieces of My Heart as the center of this log cabin block for the book that tells of their love for each other.  I struggled with this block in trying to make it reflect my original block which was 12" finished.

Reducing the pieces by 50% meant that tiny, narrow strips/pieces would be required. I tried changing the number of strips, but that made for an odd look... I tried using only two colors in three different ways...

I even considered paper piecing it... not a good option for this block.

Tiny pieces ended up being the chosen block.  The scant 1/4" seam is very important in this block.  If you struggle with that... NO FEAR!  Any shortage you may end up with in the dimension of the heart block can be made up in the log cabin frame.  OR you can add a coping strip the same color as the background fabric on two sides of the block... they won't even be noticeable. ;)

Let's jump into the math lesson.  There are lots of pieces and the process is the same for each piece... determine the finished size of the unit, divide in 2 (since the block is to be 1/2 the size of the original), add your 1/2" for seam allowances.

Original cutting size - 2" x 8" rectangle

Remove seam allowance of 1/2 " = 1-1/2" x 7-1/2"

Divide each dimension by 2 = 3/4" x 3-3/4"

Add 1/2" seam allowance = 1-1/4" x 4-1/4" rectangle

 

Rest assured that I have done the math on all 18 pieces of this block... multiple times.  I know that tiny pieces can be intimidating.  I do hope that you are not running screaming from this block.  Or sitting there with your ears covered going "la, la, la, la!  I encourage you to try! 

Remember the words of Pa to Laura... "Of course you can.  You've never failed yet at anything you tried to do, have you?  You've tackled every job that ever came your way.  You never shirked, and you always stuck to it 'til you did what you set out to do.  Success gets to be a habit."

You managed tiny pieces in the Snowflake block fabulously... YOU CAN DO IT!  Grab the Heart pattern, collect your fabrics and courage and get going.

But before you go... How about some trivia questions.

What three gems are in Laura's engagement ring?

What word does Laura not want to include as part of her wedding vows?

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

m

Little House Sampler Quilt Sew Along ~ Kitten in the Corner - Block #7

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

Linking with:

Share Your Style at French Ethereal

Put Your Foot Down at The Quiltery 

I Quilted This! at Quilting & Learning

Off The Wall Friday with Nina Marie

Brag About Your Beauties at From Bolt to Beauty

Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts

Create, Bake, Grow & Gather at Shabby Art Boutique

Home Matters at Modern on Monticello

m

Little House Sampler Quilt Sew Along ~ Snowflake - Block #6

I am so pleased that you have come back for another "Chapter" of the Little House Sampler Quilt Sew Along!  If you're new here or just learning of the sew along, every two weeks I release a new block pattern for the Little House Sampler Quilt.  All of the previous blocks can be found at the tab above labeled Little House Sampler Sew Along.

Book 6 of the Little House series is The Long Winter.  The Ingalls family is in De Smet and have claimed their homestead.  The winter they endured in the previous year was mild, though they had a late blizzard in the spring.  De Smet was being built up rapidly and Ma didn't want the influence of the growing town to have a negative impact on the girls.  

The first blizzard came in October... the last was in April.  Temperatures dropped to -40 F.  Snow reached the rooftops.  And no trains could get through with food and coal.  The townspeople began to starve.  The Ingalls family barely survived the winter.  Alas, Almonzo Wilder would risk his life to save the town!

No wonder Laura fell in love with him. ;)

Like the previous block (Rails), this is not a block that I have used in another sew along.  The math lesson begins with noticing that the block is a 16-patch unit... 4 across, 4 down.

The finished block is to be 6-inches square, making each finished square of this block 1-1/2" square...

6 divided by 4 = 1.5"

Notice that every square of the block is a half-square triangle.

We've learned in previous math lessons that we simply add 1" to the finished unit size (1-1/2")

Cut the units for the HSTs 2-1/2" square.  After making the HST units, trim to 2" square... which means your finished blocks will measure 1-1/2" square.

When making HSTs you get two units from each pair of pieces... you will need 8 light and 8 dark squares to make 16 half-square triangles. :)  Layout as shown in the photo.  Easy-peasy!

Like snowflakes gently falling over the months that the Long Winter takes place, I have noticed a steady increase of interest in this sew along.  For all of you that are joining the sew along and sharing in the block parties...  For all of you that are sharing blocks on your blog or social media... THANK YOU!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

We are now 2/3 through the sew along.  How are you handling the "math lessons?"  

Are they helpful?  Are they confusing?

Would you miss them??

I'd love to hear your thoughts... Leave a comment!

We are still enjoying our camping trip, so this is short and sweet.  Head over to Payhip to get the Snowflake pattern.  Be sure to come back and share your block.  I'd love to see all of them!

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

m

Little House Sampler Quilt Sew Along ~ Rails - Block #5

Thanks for coming back for another chapter of the Little House Sampler Quilt Sew Along!  This chapter of the sew along is all about the book By the Shores of Silver Lake.

The Ingalls family had many challenges while in Plum Creek, Minnesota.  They were in debt because of the grasshopper invasion destroying their crops. Mary was now blind.  Pa had to leave his family for work in Dakota Territory where he could make as much as $50 a month.  He sent for his family.  They traveled by train to meet him.  They became the first settlers in the new town of De Smet.  

I have chosen the Rails Block to represent this fifth book in the Little House series.  This is a "new" block for me... meaning, it has not been a part of any previous sew along.

The Rails block is another beginner friendly block and will be pieced quickly.  

The math calculation is simple. Remember, the finished block is to be 6" square.  

The Rails block is made up of four equal units that will measure 3" square (finished).  Each unit is made of up 3 strips... this means that each finished strip will measure 1" wide by 3" long.  

Be sure to add your seam allowance of 1/2".  This means... your will be cutting strips 1-1/2" wide.

You can strip piece this block and then sub cut the four units.  

Color/value placement may play a part in your fabric selection.  Since I wanted the units to reflect the railroad, I wanted the outer strips of the unit to be darker... ultimately, I planned on using the same fabric for both rails.

However, when I laid out the 4 units I ended up with a very defined swastika design.  I certainly did not want that!  So, I switched out one of the fabrics... it was better.

4 units

Join your units together and then add the log cabin frame.

It was a special treat and memory for Laura and the family to be able to travel by train.  A mode of transportation that was so much faster than she had experienced in a wagon.

I recall riding the train from Durango to Silverton, CO as a child.  It was all of the family.  My family, my grandparents as well as my aunt & uncle and three cousins.  I remember the cinders from the engine getting in my eye and my cousin pushing me off of my Grandma's lap.  Not much else. LOL!

I also remember taking the Southwest Chief from Chicago to La Junta after Christmas in 1987.  We were brand new parents traveling with a 6-week-old baby.  We were in a lower-level compartment and had our baby laying on the floor between Dave and I as we faced each other.  She slept the majority of the way!  I don't recall much about the return trip...

Another special train ride that I remember is from just a few years ago when we took the grand daughters from Trinidad to Raton, NM.  Also on the Southwest Chief.  Two of the three were very nervous and didn't know what to think.  The 3rd had the time of her life!

Do you have a train trip that is memorable?

Leave a comment... I'd love to hear from you!

The time has come for you to head to Payhip to get the Rails block pattern.  When you have the Rails block pieced be sure to come back and share in the block party.  

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

m

Little House Sampler Quilt Sew Along ~ Shoo Fly - Block #4

 

Welcome back to the fourth "chapter" of the Little House Sampler Sew Along!  The 4th book in the Little House series is On the Banks of Plum Creek.  When the Ingalls family was forced to move from the prairies of Kansas they headed north to Minnesota. 

They first lived in a sod house until Pas was able to build a clean new house beside Plum Creek. Pa purchased the materials on credit with the intention of paying off the credit with the fall wheat harvest.

Just before the harvest, a strange glittering cloud suddenly blocked out the sun.  Millions of grasshoppers descended over the countryside... destroying all of the crops in the area.

The Shoo Fly block represents this book in the series.  While not a grasshopper, you can be certain that the pioneers were saying Shoo! Shoo! to the pesty creatures.

I originally used this pattern in the Pieces of the Santa Fe Trail quilt.  The pattern made a 12" block.  I had to pull out the paper, pencil and calculator and reduce the block by 50%.  Finished unit sizes were 4" square.  Cutting instructions for the original block were as follows:

From Light fabric cut:  

4 – 4-1/2” Squares

2 – 5” Squares

From Dark fabric cut:  

1 – 4-1/2” Square

2 – 5” Squares

Always work with the finished unit size, make the adjustment and then add your 1/4" seam allowances (two seam allowances - one each on opposite sides of the block = 1/2").

4-1/2" minus the seam allowances of 1/2" = 4" (Finished unit size). 

Multiply 4 x 50% = 2 ~ 4 minus 2 = 2"

Add 1/2" for seam allowances = 2-1/2"

Cut 2-1/2" square units 

The half-square triangles... We now know that the finished unit size in the smaller block is 2" so we add 1" to the finished unit size (2")

Cut the units for the HSTs 3" square.  After making the HST units, trim to 2-1/2" square.  The resized cutting instructions are as follows:

From Light fabric cut:  

4 – 2-1/2” Squares

2 – 3” Squares

From Dark fabric cut:  

1 – 2-1/2” Square

2 – 3” Squares

This block is a beginner friendly block and will piece together quickly.  Before you know it, you will be ready to add the log cabin frame.  When finished, be sure to come back to join the block party for a chance to win a fat quarter (US mailing address only).

Only one knew the answer to the trivia question (thanks to a little help from the internet) I asked with the Harvest Basket pattern... Almonzo won first prize at the country fair for a pumpkin.  Almonzo waited for the dark of the moon in May to plant his pumpkin seeds.  He may have had a few "feeding" tricks to help the pumpkin grow as well. ;)

Farmers were known to plant (or butcher, schedule surgeries or even cut their hair) by the sign of the moon as well as follow many other "wives' tales".  My own Dad used such methods... Do they really work?  I can't say that I've ever seen solid evidence, but I certainly will not argue with anyone who chooses to use or follow them.  Afterall, the Farmer's Almanac was a trusted publication for years... and for more than weather predictions. ;)

Have you ever used or referred to a Farmer's Almanac?

Leave a comment... I'd love to hear from you!  Now, grab your pattern and get sewing!  I look forward to seeing your blocks!

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter

Creatively Crafty at Creatively Beth

Share Your Style at French Ethereal

Put Your Foot Down at The Quiltery 

I Quilted This! at Quilting & Learning

Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation

Off The Wall Friday with Nina Marie

Brag About Your Beauties at From Bolt to Beauty

Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts

Create, Bake, Grow & Gather at Shabby Art Boutique

Home Matters at Modern on Monticello

m

Little House Sampler Quilt Sew Along ~ Harvest Basket - Block #3

 

Welcome back!  It is time for block #3 of the Little House Sampler Quilt Sew Along.

Book #3 is the story of Almonzo Wilder's childhood.  Unlike the other books, which follow Wilder’s own life growing up on the American frontier, Farmer Boy tells the childhood story of Almanzo Wilder, Laura’s future husband. Set in 1866 in upstate New York, this book offers a vivid and detailed look at what life was like for a prosperous farming family in the post-Civil War Northeast.  Farmer Boy is structured around the calendar, offering readers a month-by-month account of life on a working farm in the 1860s. 

The inspiration for this block comes from Chapters 19 & 20 (Early Harvest & Late Harvest) with the stories of harvesting hay, oats and wheat, as well as beans, pumpkins, carrots, turnips and potatoes.

There was no time for rest and play for anyone in the family.  While the boys were all out in the field harvesting, the girls were in the house preserving.  Cucumber pickles, green-tomato pickles, and watermelon-rind pickles; they dried corn and apples and made jams and jellies.  Nothing was wasted of all the summer's bounty.  Apple cores were saved for making vinegar and a bundle of oat-straw was soaking in a tub on the back porch.  Whenever there was a spare moment, Almonzo's mother braided an inch or two of the straw for making next summer's straw hats.

The block that accompanies this book is the Harvest Basket.  It was originally a part of my Pieces From the Past series (Basket of Diamonds) and measured 9" finished.  For this quilt, like all of the LHS blocks, it needs to be 6" finished.  As you can see in the photo above, the block layout is 4 x 4 units.  Each unit needs to measure 1-1/2", finished.

The square pieces simply need 1/2" added for the seam allowance.  And like the Native Star block last time, when making Half-Square Triangle units you add 1" to the finished unit size = 2-1/2".  For a more precisely sized unit, many will add 7/8".  I prefer to use the oversized method because it allows me to square up the unit when trimming and the end result is a proper sized finished block.  Remember, you get two HST units from each set... In this pattern you will have a few extra HSTs, as noted on the pattern.  (The extras can be placed in the spare parts department.)  

Add the log cabin frame around the block and then come back to link up your finished block for a chance to win a prize!

Now for a little fun, here's a trivia question for you to answer before you go to payhip for the pattern.  

What does Almanzo win first prize for at the country fair?

Keep Piecing,

Melva

Linking with:

Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter

Creatively Crafty at Creatively Beth 

Share Your Style at French Ethereal

Put Your Foot Down at The Quiltery 

I Quilted This! at Quilting & Learning

Off The Wall Friday with Nina Marie

Thank Goodness It’s Finished Friday

m

Please NOTE:  This linky party is for Little House Sampler Quilt blocks only. ;)