A Colorful Story: Farmhouse Tales and Tails

I introduced a bright splash of color to my modern farmhouse when I completed the Postcard from Sweden quilt. Doesn’t my husband’s shop complement the clean lines of the quilt? And this is as close as I’ll get to hang a barn quilt on his building.

Here’s the scoop on this flashy quilt. Kelly Liddle bought a set of postcards designed by Tom Frazier for IKEA. Then she interpreted his art into a quilt and created this pattern, which she dubbed Postcard from Sweden, as a nod to the design’s origin at IKEA. Sandra at mmm quilts hosted a sew along and will have a parade of completed quilts later in March. I’ll add a link because you’ll want to see some of the uniquely wonderful interpretations of this pattern!

Bright primary colors in geometric quilt
Postcard from Sweden: A Cheerful Quilt for a Modern Farmhouse

Modern Farmhouse Quilt’s Nitty Gritty

I shared my process in this post, and here are the quilt’s details:

  • I purchased a kit from Cali Quilt Co. that includes the pattern and labels for the 36 colors of Kona cotton fabric. I starched all the fabric before cutting it.
  • I used Happy Cloud 50/50 bamboo + cotton batting for the first time and love it! The weight is wonderful and it drapes beautifully.
  • I bought a duvet cover from IKEA (per my friend Nancy’s recommendation), washed it, and cut off the seams for backing fabric. Not only is it a price performer, but the fabric also coordinates perfectly with the colors in the quilt. (I thought it was fitting for the original design and backing to both come from IKEA.)
  • The binding is Moda Grunge Ocean.
  • I used Aurifil 2140 Orange Mustard 50-weight thread for quilting.
  • My completed quilt measured 60 inches wide and 74.5 inches long. After washing and drying the quilt, it measures 57 inches by 72 inches. I used Tide detergent, cool water, and one Color Catcher, and there was only a hint of pink left on the Color Catcher. None of the fabric bled. Hooray!

Here are a few close-up photos of the quilt. I used a Hera marker to make a crease at the midpoint of each block. Then I stitched the straight lines on my Juki TL-18QVP using a walking foot.

And here are a few photos of the backing. I love the folk art vibe!

Finally, a swirl of color:

geometric quilt swirled

Where the Wild Things Are: Animal Antics

As many of you know, we live on a small farm. We don’t raise any livestock but rather supply a lovely habitat for the native Minnesota wildlife. One day in December, my husband’s trail camera captured a brief video of a pair of bobcats playing in the meadow behind his shop. These two also appeared on a different trail camera by our ponds. Anyway, we haven’t seen them in the flesh – yet. However, our neighbor says they see these cats frequently!

Now for a strange tale about a little red squirrel we refer to as Twitchy. Besides our house and shop, we have a woodshed where my hubby stacked about ten cords of wood to heat our buildings. While he was gathering a load of wood to burn, he discovered a cozy little bed, complete with a pillow, tucked inside the logs. I circled the pillow and bed of wood shavings so you can spot it.

Here’s a closeup of Twitchy’s cozy little bed. Do you think he’d like a quilt to go with the doll pillow that he nabbed from who knows where?!

First Location
Second Location

My husband left Twitchy’s nest intact so I could see it. Later in the day, Twitchy moved his cozy quarters farther back in the shed. As we continued to remove more wood, once again we discovered his bed neatly made with the treasured pillow. Should I bring him a scrap of fabric and see what he does with it? What would you do?

Next time Twitchy climbs up our deck and looks in the window, I’ll try to capture a photo of this brilliant little guy who appreciates the finer things in life.

Thanks for reading my farmhouse tales, including tails of the furry kind. For more fun finishes, be sure to visit Sandra’s Postcard from Sweden Quilt Parade and Wendy’s Thank Goodness It’s Finished Friday.

Joyfully,

Tracie

Worldwide Quilting Day

P.S.: Don’t miss the special announcement at the Fat Quarter Shop (affiliate link) about Worldwide Quilting Day on March 19. Kimberly is providing a layer cake challenge (Layer Cake Lotto), a YouTube tutorial, and a special deal of 20% off layer cakes. (The blog post and video will probably go “live” at 9:00 a.m. on March 11.) The layer cake (10″ squares of fabric) is my favorite precut. Have fun sewing!