Farmer's Fields Quilt Block

     I found this Farmer's Fields quilt block in 5,500 Quilt Block Designs by Maggie Malone.  Each of the blocks is drawn on a grid (think graph paper), so you can draft them to the size you want.  I made mine 8" square.  
     In this diary entry, Hattie's week-end party with friends from Emporia is over.  Mrs. Hile is a neighbor who helps with housework (before quitting).  Ted is Hattie's 14-year-old brother.  Orv is a hired man about Hattie's age.  The rest of the people mentioned are Hattie's friends from Emporia, Kansas, where she graduated from high school in 1914.  Fan Tan is a card game, also known as Sevens, Domino, or Parliament.     http://www.pagat.com/domino/sevens.html

Monday, May 15, 1916 -
"Well, the house party is all over.  I just got back from taking Hen and Bing to the train, and I think I'll go to bed right away for I am dead tired.  It is perfectly beautiful out - such a 'dear' night - and has been lovely all day so that we have been able to get out a little.  Charlie insisted on leaving this A.M., so after much deliberation and discussion, we decided the whole bunch of us would walk across the pastures and see him off.  We had lots of fun and spent a while in the village.  Bing tore his socks in crawling over a fence, and so we had to go into Stubbs and buy a new pair.  We also visited school about five minutes.

"Upon reaching home about 11 o'clock, I found out, much to my surprise, that Mrs. Hile had come and got her 'duds' and left a piece of her mind!  In a way, I'm sure glad she has gone, but, of course, we need someone to help us.

"We took some very 'artistic' pictures of Bing and Hen and myself boxing, played Fan Tan a while, then went horseback riding.  Hen rode Luke, Bing rode Duke, and I rode Rag.  I let Hen use the little saddle and, as a result, I am rather tender about sitting much.  But we had a fine ride - we went up north past Bill McCracken's and back past George Mann's and Mr. Edmans.  The scenery is certainly lovely from some of those hills.  Orv got home about five and took some more pictures.  Then I came up to help Mother with supper, and Hen and Bing went on with Papa and Ted after the cows.  Bing rode Ruby bareback!"

You might also enjoy reading my previous blog post:
http://starwoodquilter.blogspot.com/2011/12/hill-and-valley-quilt-block.html