This isn’t just about the Violet area. It is also about how I am organizing The Farmer’s Wife project, and where I will be headed in the near future with the project.

Here is what the Violet area looks like so far from the front. These blocks have been joined without removing any of the interior paper pieces. This set of blocks is getting heavy as a result. It is time to start removing papers. As a matter of interest I decided to time this procedure. Removing papers except those on the edge took me two hour and fourteen minutes.

This is what the Violet section looks like from the back without removing any papers.

It is time to talk a little bit about how I am staying organized. Spending about $250.00 for paper pieces for the full quilt is a big investment, and I intend to use these papers again rather than discard them. Therefore, organization is key.

Above you will see that each block has a baggie to hold the paper pieces associated with it. I create an index card with the name and number of each block to put in the bags. I separate the papers for each block as much as necessary, then place them into their bags. Once construction of a block begins I put the names of the fabrics being used on the index card. This makes it easy to refer to the card when posting to the Facebook group and doing my weekly block blog posts. I don’t want to have to be dragging out all of my fabrics to find a color name. As papers are removed from blocks they are placed back into the bags. Most blocks will have papers removed in stages as the blocks get sewn into the rows of a section. I have two quart size bags for each color area. One holds bags for blocks that have papers entirely removed. The other holds bags for blocks with papers partially removed. A gallon size bag holds these two smaller bags as well as finished blocks that have yet to be joined into rows.

The bag is labeled with a line drawing of the blocks included.

Here you can see a couple blocks that have not yet been added to a row. There are two more rows that need to be completed in the Violet section. These rows contain the colors of both Violet and Blue.

The block in the upper left belongs in one of these Violet/blue rows, yet it contains no blue. The Purple color in that block is actually quite a bit toward the blue side. The block in the lower right includes quite a bright blue and a dark blue that leans toward violet.

At the present time I have decided that I am not entirely happy with my selection of blue fabrics for these remaining two rows. Therefore, I am going to switch to working on my Yellow section and place an order for a few more Kona solid blues. Once they arrive I will complete my Violet section.

Another way I have been organizing, aside from using bags, is to create a box to hold the bags and also the work in process for each section. This allows me to set aside a large piece without fear that it will have things placed on top of it, and develop folds as a result. This method of storing sections in boxes uses bit of space, but I have the space available to me.

Here is the box with the Violet section in progress and the bag in view at the back of the box. More views follow.

Here we see the labeling of the box and the view of the contents through the handle is just cute.

Tomorrow is Farmer’s Wife Friday, and I will have at least three yellow blocks to show.