I’ve put several of my farming memories on fabric in the past. This year my class was having a reunion and we were having a silent auction. Classmates that have hobbies were welcome to donate some of their wares to the auction.
During the planning for the auction, another classmate that quilts suggested a ‘farm memory quilt square’ that a couple of us would put together a quilt, wall hanging or table runner depending on how many squares we received.
I had to make one. First I decided to make a potato basket. I had this great potato fabric and wanted to use it in the overflowing basket.
I have several potato baskets in varying degrees of oldness. Or newness. The potato baskets were woven from ash and between the weaves were small holes as the weave was not tight. I have one, well several, but one was in front of me as my brain was thinking about how I was going to make it.
Somehow my brain went into overdrive. It happened in a split second and I couldn’t stop it. I had this wood grain fabric that I wanted to use for the basket. That’s when it hit me, like a ton of potatoes, to use my potato fabric with the wood grain weave so you could see the potatoes in the basket. Just like when we were in the fields picking potatoes.
I had sketched out a couple squares; the potato basket being one; and this one in the car waiting in line to get gas. It’s a potato barrel, for my non-potato farming followers, and those that can’t decipher my drawing. I wanted to use potatoes from my potato fabric that I used in the potato basket. I planned to use our class year for the ticket number and school initials for the logo.
I was pleased with how my potato barrel turned out. I left the logo off … at first.
A week or two later, my friend sent her square for the farm memory project.
I couldn’t believe how close our designs were!! Even our barrels were about the same size!! We hadn’t talked about what each other planned to make. I was glad I didn’t put the school initials on my barrel because I decided not to use it and use my friends barrel for the class auction.
The logo was usually the farmers initials, or just the initial of his last name painted on the barrels. You’ll notice my friends C, for her family last name. My family also used a C, but my grandfather wanted something different. He designed < C > stencil. We sometimes referred to it as a C in a diamond. I stenciled many logos on our barrels over the years. I still have my grandfather’s stencil that I use for my hanging plants. I’ve studied his stencil over the years and noticed the little bar on the C and I’ve decided he combined his first and last name initials into one. GC to < C- > (I can’t type it exactly like the stencil.) I love it!!
I also made a potato house square. I did use the school initials on the barrels for the auction. I don’t do well with 3-D on fabric, my roofline is a little off. It’s not about the roof.
James 5:7 Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen.
I decided on a wall hanging for my farm squares. I still need to machine quilt it, but I need to finish the auction one for the class first.
The farm memory runner for the class, framed and bordered. I changed the roofline on this potato house.
Lining up for the diagonal hashes. I don’t think you can see the diagonal line on my ruler, but I slid the tape under the ruler to line up for the first diagonal.
Next, machine quilting. I usually roll the ends as I’m going along.
Diagonals done in one direction. I’m getting to the short rows now.
Done!! Ready for the reunion!! Ready for the highest bidder!!
A couple weeks after the above picture.
Proverbs 12:11 Those who work their land will have abundant food,
but those who chase fantasies have no sense.
About three weeks later. Blossoms just in time for the Potato Blossom Festival.
Our Maine Potato Blossom Festival is celebrating 75 years this year!!
Catch up on blogs you missed.
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