Fancy Forest Friends

My critters are all done! Last year 2016 I saw this quilt at one of the shops. I loved the pattern. It is by Elisabeth Hartman, you can get your own copy of the pattern with the link. 

I got the quilt finished in time to put it in the Leduc quilt show but had not taken the time to get my nice outdoor shots. This week we have had warmer weather and nice clean snow. So I got the hang it on the fence this week. 

I love all the colours. I used mainly the Kaffe Fassett collection and then some light hand dyed fabrics by me. I love how they play well together. The background fabric is a linen type cotton, so it is a little heaver then quilting cotton. 

I know some of the royal blue blends but I think the background is grey enough for the blue to show. 

I quilted it with a free motion wood grain that I just did. I got better the more I did. 

Snow photos 

I have added this post to Crazy Mom Quilts, and Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

So far Behind

I have done so much sewing I forgot to post it all. I got my fancy forest quilt done. Here is the last blocks on the design wall. 

This is the lay out of the top half. 

The lay out of the bottom half. 

I also got it quilted at the beginning of Oct. MORE soon promise!

Hazel The Hedgehog

This week a got out my Fancy Forest pattern and got to work on the hedge hogs. I started this quilt last year at spring retreat. I did not go to spring retreat this year but thought I might try to have a little sew retreat at home last weekend. Well shopping and family kept me from the machine most of the weekend. I did dig out the hogs. 

I also made some little design boards to layout the many pieces of fabric. I can move the partly done block to the sewing machine or to the ironing board and not mix it all up. 

They are perfect. 

Love this red hedge hog!

Flaming red hair. 

So I also got started on the thistle blocks, only 2 but it is a start. I hope this weekend I can get lots of sewing done. The weather is not going to be good, snow, wet wild, yuck, good to stay in and sew, 

Quilt Goals for 2017

Fancy Forest, I have about half the blocks done but I would love to finish it this year. 

 I have a large list of UFO's, about 56 projects. I have been keeping track of them for a few years now and review them every couple of months. Sometimes I am adding in new project and sometimes I get to mark a project as done. The finished projects get moved to a list of completed projects for the year. Then I know when I finished it too. 

Grand Illusion Mystery quilt, top is now done and waiting to be quilted. Not sure I have a photo of the finished top. 

Needs Quilting

1. Bad to the Bone – quilting and binding
2. Grand Illusions – Bonnie Hunter mystery from 2014 – Need to piece a backing and machine quilt ( started Nov 2014, top complete April 2015)
3. Christmas Tree Shirt – mom did the piecing and I need to Quilt
4. I am sure I have a charity quilt in a bin that needs quilting

Christmas Postage Stamp Quilt, I hope to have this quilt completed in time for a Quilt show this year. 

My Goal to finish this year, in light of there being 2 local quilt shows. I need to enter some finished work. One quilt show is in June, Edmonton Guild then in October is the Leduc Quilt show. 

What goals I have to finish for 2017

1.      Truffet for me but I should start it
2.      Christmas tree skirt needs quilting
3.      Christmas Postal Stamp quilt 76” sq, finish top, make backing, quilt it
4.      Bad to the Bone quilt it
5.       Fancy Forest  more blocks to complete 
6.      Grand Illusions make a backing then quilt it
7.      Hawaii quilt finish quilt top and quilt it
8.      Misty Day (small) quilt it 
9.      Get a rainbow quilt top done and quilt it too
10.      Eye project - baby quilt, start it
11.      Slab blocks with Canadian fabric in it. 

Alletaire Mystery quilt is in this state now. I would like to get the top complete soon but I may not finish the quilting too quickly as other are on the list first.

Piecing UFO - not planning to finish in time for quilt shows but needs work

1. KFC log cabin started in a swap, all blocks done, needs design wall work.
2. Red brown log cabin more then 1/2 blocks done, many more still to do
3. Pineapple log cabin with white, more blocks need piecing 
4. Adam's plaid quilt, lots of piecing needed
5. Celtic Solstice mystery blocks done needs work
6. Garden Party
7. Dear Jane in KFC many more blocks needs work, some applique
8. Pizza box exchange still going around
9. Scrappy Trips Around the world in KFC Reds blocks done needs to be put together.
10. Nov 2016 Bonnie Hunter mystery En Provence 
11. Gemma improve piecing in purple

KFC Hexagons 1" with bubble gum Kona

Hand stitching to work on

1. Baltimore applique
2. KFC Hexagons with bubble gum pink Kona
3. The New Hexagons or Glorious Hexagons
4. 3/4" hexagons started in the RSC what to do next?
5. Leaves and daises stitched in latter stitch  

My list of UFOs still has another 35 quilts listed but not listed here today.  Some will get worked on and a few I may not go back to. I am not ready to give up on them yet. Someday I might give away or sell some of the partly done quilts.

Owls

I got my Owls done. They were a lot of work but so worth it. I put some of my sewing a side to work on quilts for Fort Mac. So those quilts are almost done I can work on my patchwork again. I have the all the bunnies cut out and ready to start sewing them. 

Look at how many piecing are in the owls. many tiny triangles. 

Here is one of the Fort Mac quilts just coming off the quilt frame. It is now at my mom's as she is doing the binding. I have a teacher from Fort Mac that will be getting this quilt. I hope it bring her and her husband joy and the feeling of hope. Many of the blocks were from some internet block exchanges. I will get a better photo soon. 

It is raining here again. It looks like a weekend of cleaning out the tack room. What a messy job but I have been putting it off for months. 

Owl Eyes

I have owl eyes done. 

Retreat Report

We all had a great time at retreat again. Who would not have fun? We were at the Gull Lake retreat center with the Leduc Black Gold Quilt Patch Guild.

I started a new quilt and was playing around with my new Bunny ears. 

Here are all the fabrics I picked out. I am making Fancy Forest by Elizabeth Hartmen. I really loved the fox pattern she made a while back and thought the hedge hog was also super cute. Now she has a pattern with so many more animal, how could I not make it.  I have a lot of Kaffe Fassett Collection fabric, I have also added many hand dyed fabrics. I know all my lightest fabrics are hand dyed and a few others too. 

My first 2 foxes in orange. I got a pale blue linen to use for the background. So Cute!

My first owl. I love him!

The bunny I finished at retreat. The light pink is a hand dyed fabric. 

I was able to finish the 16 foxes that were required for the quilt. I had a great time making them. They went together well and quick when I did some chain piecing. 

One of the other quilters had her fox pattern with her. She watched me do a fox and then dug out her fabric to make a fox. All of her fox fabric is haring bone.