"Down on the Farm" top finished

Rachael has this amazing bundle of fabric called Down on the Farm.

Now I happen to like farm-themed fabrics so it’s not a difficult thing for me to want to make something with it.

Since this bundle includes not 1, but 2 panels, I wanted to use as much of it as I could to try to make a nice quilt from this.

I wanted to use up most of that second panel.

My problem with this one was one - I didn’t have any boards fabric that exactly coordinated with what I had included with the kit.

So, what to do?

I ended up cutting off the background of the panel blocks and substituting it with the red planks.

So here’s what I came up with.

This top finishes at 85”x93”.

This fabric was a joy to work with. It had a great hand and was just delicious, if I may use that term to describe it.

If you are looking for something like that planks fabric, you can get it here.

Anyway - I did add the red planks and a bit of navy blue. All the rest was included in the bundle pack. I did not use a couple of the pictures in the block panel but managed to work all the rest in. I just couldn’t figure it out - but plan on making up a couple of pillows with the remaining two blocks I didn’t use - they were odd sized.

If you are wondering about the two panels - well, one was the center part of this top and the other was a panel made up of blocks - what I used out the outside - surrounded with navy and that white and blue and red.

I don’t mind making up patterns for my sis’s packs, but it is hard for me to do it “quickly”. What I mean by that is— I don’t have access to the packs ahead of time. I know that many people have asked us to make up patterns to go with the packs that Rachael makes up. The problem, naturally is that every one is different and most of them are not the official pack. All that means is that the original line of fabric had more than 9, 10 or 11 pieces. But, that final number that Rachael puts together is what she ended up with.

Anyway, so it does take time for me to come up with something. Sometimes the whole thing has to just sit and gel.

This top was mostly finished for more than a month - but I was stumped as to how to use up that panel of blocks. When I finally decided that I would use the navy - then everything worked out just fine.


Overall, I like farming packs and western and country. I have a harder time with abstract things or just wild designs - though I may like them as well individually. It’s just that they don’t really resonate with me on a personal level.

Anyway, I didn’t grow up on a farm - but Mike’s dad had a farm in Alaska and my dad certainly had his tractors (usually John Deere) and even had 2 or maybe 3 there in Florida. My dad grew up on a ranch in Montana - growing wheat and we always had a big garden when I was a child. That’s my closest contact with a farm. :)

This bundle pack is called Down on the Farm and is by Lisa Sparling/Henry Glass.

If you are wondering how I come up with these ideas - well, I start by looking on line to find out what the designer had in mind when they came up with the bundle. I search on google to see what I can find - often they have a pattern or two that they designed to work with their collection.

Of course, the caveat there is that they aren’t limited to 1/2 yard pieces with a relatively small number of them. Often they use many different colors with maybe 1/4 yard of each.

But that’s how I start.

With a panel quilt, I do generally want to put the panel in the middle. So far I’ve not tried to do a panel on the edge or at the corner. Maybe I should try it once. :) I then take a look at what fabrics I have and if they need to be kept whole or can be cut into small pieces. That’s where I start anyway.

For example, in the top below, I wanted to keep that scenery piece whole and the pieces beside the panel in the center I wanted to be kept in large pieces as well. If I started cutting them up small, I would lose the interest they provided. So, there’s that. Anyway - that’s where I start with these types of bundles.

I will be writing this one up - but haven’t done it yet.

Thanks so much for coming along with me on this journey!

Have a great day wherever you are reading!

Oh - and don’t forget - if you are local in store - tomorrow is the Pieces Blow-Out starting at 9 am in Dade City!

Becky Petersen2 Comments