Jun 17

Jun 17 The Farmers Wife 1930's Sampler Quilt Project

About the Magazine

The beginning of the 1930s was not a great period of time to be in; in 1929 the stock market crashed causing the beginning of the Great Depression throughout the world, although it started in America. Unemployment was at an all-time high and people faced the heartbreaking prospect of losing their livelihoods, homes and farms. It was a very difficult time that only went on to be more emotionally draining - although the Great Depression-era ended in the late 1930s, World War II came hot on its heels.

Throughout all this strife there was a magazine in America called The Farmers Wife that gave the women of the time a way to reach out to each other and tell their stories. It also offered everything from health advice to housekeeping tips along with recipes, sewing patterns and gardening tips. As the magazine was very cheap it gained subscribers very quickly to the point it had over 1.1 million subscribers by the late 1930s at which point it was sold to the Farm Journal, which you can still buy today.

The Farmers Wife 1930s Sampler Quilt

Taking inspiration from the letters written to the editor of the magazine at the time, author and quilter Laurie Aaron Hird has written and published 2 books that showcase classic quilt blocks based on the letters written by unknown farm women. The letters rarely hinted at who might have written them, only an initial was used alongside the state the woman lived in, however, names were sometimes referred to within those letters and those went on to become the block name.

Making the quilt

I originally started this quilt about two years ago with the intention of hand piecing each one however I soon learned that method was not going to work - too many pieces of paper! This year, however, I have been working on building my foundation paper piecing skill and joyously discovered the Farmer’s Wife templates were also in that method, so last week I added yet another project to my slightly large collection of WIP’s.

My intention is to quietly work away on this project throughout the year by making them in alphabetical order. Every month, depending on the number of blocks to make, I will finish one letter; last night I finished the A’s and I’m now onto the B’s so I suspect I might get through this a lot quicker than just once a month. I am also trying to use fabrics that are more traditional in colour and design rather than newer fabrics, although there are plenty in my stash that are close enough to be able to use.

Another bonus to this project is that I am being forced to use my collection of fat quarters that have been sitting in a see-through storage bin for about 2 years! I have a bad habit of collecting beautiful fabric and then not wanting to use it so I am trying to teach myself to be better and use the fabric for its intended purpose. (Besides, this will probably stay with me so it’s not like I would never see the fabric again.)

The Farmers Wife 1930s Quilt Sample book can be found on Amazon and other notable book stores. You can also find the first book, The Farmers Wife Sampler Quilt which is based off a question put to the readers by its editor: ‘if you had a daughter of marriageable age, would you, in light of your own experience, have her marry a farmer?’