I always loved horses, I don’t know why, but I did. I remember riding them at the hospital garden party in the spring. Of course, there were favorite books about horses, which included Black Stallion*, Misty of Chincoteague* and Robert the Rose Horse*. And, if you are of a certain age, you may remember this little ditty from Mr. Ed, a TV show that I loved.
A horse is a horse, of course, of course,
https://www.lyricsondemand.com/tvthemes/mredlyrics.html
And no one can talk to a horse of course
That is, of course, unless the horse is the famous Mr. Ed.
And if you really want to go down memory lane, you can watch it here (1961-1966). Now that I got that all that trivia out of my head, I can concentrate on this beautiful horse block created by Elizabeth Hartman.
Cutting The Block
Again in order to make the cutting and identifying of pieces easy, lets use SEPC:
- Scan the cutting instructions
- Enlarge the cutting instructions
- Print the cutting instructions
- Cut- both the paper and the fabric, attaching the paper label to the fabric pieces.
Hint #1: There are cutting illustrations for the block on page 14.
This particular block, does have a lot of pieces, but this system helps you keep it organized.
I sometimes like to figure out what the width or length of the piece is that I need, so I do some of those calculations in the book.
Making Block 2
This block could be intimidating, but it really isn’t. I had a half hour to before I needed to prepare dinner and I thought I would start. This section was done lickety split. I felt pretty good about it. It then took me another day or two to get back to it but I was already done with a nice section. Sometimes 30 minutes of sewing is very productive.
I wanted to show you the way I keep track of sewing directional lines.
You can see this diagram, and the direction of the sewing line.
I put my pin in the piece in the same direction.
Then, I use my diagonal seam tape* to sew the line. I don’t need to mark a short line like this. I do stay a touch to right of line to accommodate the folded fabric. And, yes, I remove that pin, but I place the piece with the pin, so I don’t inadvertently change direction and sew it wrong.
Finally, I finger press and trim with scissors any excess fabric, lining it up on the back. After that I trim the excess fabric with the scissors.
HINT#2: Turn to page 45 to finish the horse. Of importance, is that the last set of directions seems condensed but the instructions for the last sections are all there.
The Finished Block
Block 2 is done and combines 1 & 2. This is the only combination block in the quilt, but it was fun. I am loving the old McKenna Ryan fabric that I have that looks a bit like fur! I can tell you I have hoarded that for a very long time.
Hope you are enjoying your blocks. The goat is next and I am waffling on the fabric but a decision will be made as there are deadlines! And, it is not to late to start. Background fabric is the biggest challenge, I am using fabric that I have and adding in a few pieces where I might need something with a bit more pizzaz than what is in my stash.
The Schedule
Here’s the schedule. If you want to pick a block and co-host with me on a particular week, I would be thrilled, please email me if you are interested.
| Date | Block |
|---|---|
| Monday, April 3, 2023 | Fabric Selection |
| Monday, April 24, 2023 | Block 1 Strawberry |
| Monday, May 1, 2023 | Block 2 Horse |
| Monday, May 8, 2023 | Block 3 Goat |
| Monday, May 15, 2023 | Block 4 Cow |
| Monday, May 22, 2023 | Block 5 Chicken Wendy @ Pieceful Thoughts co-host |
| Monday, May 29, 2023 | Block 6 Bee |
| Monday, June 5, 2023 | Block 7 Pig |
| Monday, June 12, 2023 | Block 8 Sheep |
| Monday, June 19, 2023 | Block 9 Short Sunflower |
| Monday, June 26, 2023 | Block 10 Tall Sunflower |
| Monday, July 17, 2023 | Parade of Quilts |
Pattern and Kits Available
I am listing some links for patterns and kits. They are affiliate links, so a little comes to me (no additional cost to you) to support the costs of running the blog.
- Amazon: Fab Farm pattern
- Annie’s: Fab Farm Pattern
- Fat Quarter Shop: Fab Farm Pattern
- Fat Quarter Shop: Fab Farm Quilt Kit (currently scheduled for July)
Coming Up on My Blog
I am looking forward to sharing Diatom Row 2 and My Strippy Stars quilt. I was happing to have it done before the end of the month, but I will early in May as it just awaits binding! I will also show you how I helped a friend with a quilt (not well made by someone I don’t know, if you ask me) so that it could be the remembrance she needed.
Diatom Row 2
Fixing a T-Shirt Quilt
Ships Ahoy
Linking Up
Fabrics Stash
Fabric in this month: 12.26
Fabric out this month: 4.00
Fabric in this year: 36.25
Fabric out this year: 31.75
NET Fabric: +4.5 yards!
Love the horse fur fabric you used, Kathleen!!