Farmer's Wife Block 58: My Mother Dreams of Dragons

Hello and happy Saturday!  We are all in high spirits at my house this morning because Son the Younger, a.k.a. Anders, is returning from Confirmation Camp this afternoon and we have all missed him.  Yay!  Even Lars tells me that he keeps walking into Anders' bedroom to tell him something, and then remembers that he isn't there.

I finished another 6" sampler block yesterday, Block 58 "Mother's Dream" from the Farmer's Wife book. 

Farmer's Wife Block 58, Mother's Dream

Isn't it CUTE?!  I think these simpler blocks with larger center squares are perfect for fussy-cutting random novelty prints that live in my stash, like this dragon print.  And so, apparently, MY mother dreams of dragons...  I am having so much fun with these little 6" blocks.

I also started another one of those huge 17 3/4" pineapple log cabin blocks yesterday, and I plan to finish that up within the next hour or two.  That will be block 24 of 36, if I'm not mistaken.

And yet, new projects keep bubbling up in dark corners of my mind.  These 6" blocks are so much fun that I'm thinking about starting a few of those 4" Dear Jane blocks.  I have seen so many Dear Jane quilts that I love, and what I love about them is the variety of intricate, tiny blocks and the unique scalloped triangle border.  This is my favorite Dear Jane quilt, pieced and appliqued by a quilter named Gwen and quilted by LAQ Judi Madsen:

Gwen's Gorgeous "Dear Jane" Quilt

Gwen's Quilt, Judi's Quilting, completed in 2011

What I do NOT like about making a Dear Jane quilt is that thousands of other quilters have made their own version of this quilt already, and I am not sure I have anything unique to add to that tradition.  I mean, I love everything about Gwen's DJ quilt, from the crisp white background fabric to the bright, splashy Kaffe Fassett prints (I have a lot of these exact same fabrics in my stash), right down to Judi's spectacular custom quilting.  I don't want to copy someone else's quilt, do I?  But my Farmer's Wife blocks aren't coming out looking the same as everyone else's, so maybe my Dear Jane would come out with its own personality, too.   I could always start making some blocks for fun and see where it goes.  It's not like I don't have enough fabric or anything...  Ahem!

Another project I'm tempted to begin is the Amish Baby Storm at Sea quilt that I designed in EQ7 back in 2014:

Amish Baby Storm at Sea, Coming Soon to a Studio Near Me

At the time, I was worried about whether my skill level was up to piecing these Storm at Sea blocks, so I opted to go with my other baby quilt design using 54-40 or Fight blocks instead.  But after paper piecing all these itty bitty 6" sampler blocks, I feel like the big Storm at Sea blocks will be a piece of cake.  I already have the fabric for this quilt, so why not, right?  It never hurts to have a baby quilt on hand, especially since it takes me longer to finish a baby quilt than it takes to actually gestate a baby from conception to delivery!

Anyway, I've got to go hop in the shower and get ready.  My mom is picking me up to take me to see the musical If/Then at the Belk this afternoon, and although matinees are more casual than evening performances I'm pretty sure that my nightgown won't pass for a sundress.  Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

I'm linking up with Esther's WIPs on Wednesday.  Which reminds me of even MORE projects on my Wanna Do list, like Hazel and Love Entwined...