Fancy Forest QAL 2018 - Frances Firefly blocks

Welcome to my blog and to my latest update on my Fancy Forest quilt.  Goodness me, these were not easy blocks!  Even the cutting out was a fairly laborious task - 43 pieces per block...344 if you are making 8 fireflies like me!!  Once again, organisation is key.  I lay out all my piles (with the fabrics in the correct order in each pile), cut, label them up and then chain piece them as leaders and enders between more exciting sewing.  

As the pieces start getting bigger, then I tend to focus on just making my blocks, but I find the leaders and enders approach  makes the beginning sewing less tedious.  I also like to keep my fabric chart handy so that I can check that I am sewing matching sections of the correct firefly together.  

You really have to keep your wits about you for this block.  You'll notice that on the upper wing unit you line up one edge for the top two strips and then the other edge for the bottom strip.  Let's just say that my seam ripper came in handy for the first wing that I sewed! 

Despite using my 1/4" foot and trying to stick to a scant seam, I'm pretty sure that all of my blocks are going to measure slightly shorter than they should do.  With 7 horizontal rows sewn together, all those tiny imperfections quickly add up.  They will also probably need a good squaring up before I attempt to assemble the quilt top.  And don't get me started on the antenna...you'll see that I have settled on the 'slightly mutated, nature isn't always perfectly symmetrical' look!  I really tried to get my antenna to be the same width all the way down/symmetrical on both sides etc but, despite my care that just didn't happen.  I briefly considered redoing them but, because I am working with Essex linen, decided to leave them as they are.  I find that the linen frays quite a bit as I work with it, particularly with a block like this with so many small pieces, and I don't want to mess around with the small corner triangles more than I have to.  

Even though I found these fiddly blocks to make, I am still pleased with the end result.  They are so striking and I just love the combination of Tilda and Essex yarn dyed linen.  We just have the owl blocks to go now and then it is assembly time.  I am determined to stay on track with this quilt and stay up to date all the way to completion (my Liberty Fancy Foxes quilt that I started in January 2017 and finished assembling earlier this year is still sitting on my quilt ladder waiting to be quilted).  


If you are considering joining in with the Fancy Forest QAL, make sure that you pop over to Fiona, Sharon and Abigail on Instagram to see details of each month's block and prizes and to gather inspiration from the blocks that they are making.  Saira at Olive and Flo Handcraft still has copies of the pattern in stock too.  

Thanks for visiting my blog.  As soon as the weather improves I'm hoping to photograph my Sewcial Bee Sampler quilt which is finally finished after several months of hand quilting it each evening.  Pop back soon to see all the photos.