Cake Anyone?

See this yummy pile? Betty is stitching up another beauty, this time one that will use up many of her scraps. It's The Farmer's Wife and it is going to be spectacular. All of the blocks are finished and when piled together they look like a fabulous layer cake, don't they?

She's pretty pumped about it, as is her little sidekick, Lena, who I am convinced is a quilter-in-waiting. Lena spends every Thursday with Nanny and it's apparent that some of that creativity is rubbing off on her.

I mean, is that not the face of a quilter lucky enough to play in someone else's stash??? 

There's lots of time spent planning the final layout. So. Many. Possibilities! She's a natural.

Betty's collection of scraps, regardless of how tiny, are being worked into a real masterpiece and, as usual, it is all hand pieced.

There's a few sentimental blocks included too, like this one. A number of years ago, our friend Ann brought both of us terrific little Liberty scrap bags from a trip to England and several have found their way into this block. I believe the pieces finish off at 1" in size. It's part of the charm of this gentle art that we can weave in those little messages, isn't it? 

The dreamy rose taupe floral that you see bordering two sides of the block will be the sashing, keeping everything wonderfully muted. 

So how about a little block parade?

This is my favourite. I shared it with you when I posted about winning the book and am still determined to find a way to work it into a quilt. Such a beauty!

This one is almost lacey.

Another pretty basket. The combinations are beautiful - it is going to feel like a tapestry.

A little zig zag...

Makes your head spin, doesn't it? 

When Betty showed it to our friend Linda a few months back, Linda methodically worked through the stack of blocks one by one, just wanting to take it all in. So looking forward to seeing everything together!....M