I've always wanted to make a Farmer's Wife Quilt. I think it is one of the rites of passage for a quilter - like upgrading to proper quilting thread, or discovering that you have more quilting rulers than is strictly necessary. Farmer's Wife Quilt? You've arrived. 

I fell in love with Lori Holt's Farm Girl Vintage 2 when she released it in 2015, but at that stage I had a tiny baby, another one on the way, and absolutely zero sewing time. I would look at it wistfully on instagram and blogs, watching everyone make their beautiful Farm Girl Vintage quilts while I sterilised baby bottles, changed nappies and packed moving boxes. 

Fast forward six years later (!) and the babies are both a little bit bigger and quite self sufficient. There are no more nappies. The bottle steriliser is gone and there is space for a sewing machine (or two). And I'm ready. I'm ready for slow stitching, fabric gathering, block measuring, and quilting. I'm ready for 50 pieced and quilted blocks, and to indulge in a Farmer's Wife Quilt with a difference. This isn't the old-fashioned quilt of yesteryear. Although those too are beautiful, the cheerful blocks and bright colours of the Farm Girl Vintage quilt are just more - me. 

There are two Farm Girl Vintage books (creatively named Farm Girl Vintage and Farm Girl Vintage 2!). In the sampler pattern (on the front cover of the Farm Girl Vintage 2 book above) there are 20 12-inch blocks and 30 6-inch blocks, and I chose blocks from both books based on what I'd have in my farm if I were lucky enough to live on one! It was really slow going, especially when trying to fit blocks within the tiny moments I've managed to carve out in the early mornings or late afternoons. But it is so worth it. 

I quilted each block differently, and I really like the way that it makes the blocks pop out. I left some small areas unquilted - like the yellow stripes on the bee's body, or the cat face, or the heart in the middle of the beehive. I like that they're puffy and dimensional. 
I really love these yarn skeins! It's the "Grandma's Crochet" block. In my case, it's definitely Mama's Crochet, I don't think either of my grandmothers are known for their crochet.This is the "Evening Star" block. This was my first quilt block for the whole quilt, and I absolutely love these fabrics and the design. We have spent many, many nights under the desert sky watching the stars come out and swirl across the sky in a way that is totally unique to the Abu Dhabi terrain. The beauty of wild camping, which we've been fortunate enough to do for the past year or so, is that you're all alone in the great outdoors and there are no lights to obscure the sky and no other people around to interfere with the quiet of the great outdoors. It's really very magical!