Fancy Forest QAL 2018 - finished quilt top!
I finally have a completed Fancy Forest quilt top!
I have to say, it has been a bit of a labour of love - all those tiny tiny pieces, all those diagonal lines and trimming corners, the antennae .... I'm not sure I would have persevered at the same rate had it not been for the Fancy Forest QAL, so thank you ladies (Fiona, Abigail and Sharon) for hosting the sew along and keeping me motivated. Not to mention the other talented ladies who have been posting their fabulous blocks on Instagram over the last 6 months.
Pop back to my previous blog posts if you would like to see each set of finished blocks - foxes/thistles/rabbits, hedgehogs, fireflies, and owls.
The thought of assembling all the blocks to make this massive quilt was initially a daunting prospect. Fifty six blocks (of varying sizes, particularly my butterflies which were wonky at best), lots of block sashing and long sashing strips for the end. Plus I used Essex yarn dyed linen for my background, which I love, but seems to fray every time look at my blocks let along handle them! But fear not, the pattern calls for assembly of four quadrants - very manageable and quick to piece. I decided to stick to the layout that Elizabeth Hartman suggests; it made sense to me to do so because I had followed my colour chart that was largely based on the one in the pattern. I used an Aurifil 50wt grey thread (colour 2605) that blended really nicely into the grey/blue linen.
This is the top left quarter, full of lovely blues and greys...
... and the top right quarter...
The jury is still out about whether I like the bottom half or not! I like the gradation from pink to purple at the bottom edge and the aqua from the top half blending to the greens. What I hadn't appreciated at the start when I was choosing my fabric pull was that the colours and blocks are sort of sub-grouped into pairs and then arranged to create the colour blending look - so my pale blue and grey groups blend seamlessly, as do my darker red-pinks blending to purple. But I chose greens for my group 5 and pink for my group 6 colours - which then look a bit jumbled up in my finished top I think. I think it'll grow on me though, I'm certainly not going to be doing any unpicking or new block making! Perhaps I should have started with greens at the top which could have then flowed to aquas, blues, purples and then pinks. But then hindsight is a wonderful thing...
I think that I will be putting this on my quilt ladder for a while now, as I consider my options for backing fabric and quilting. The quilt is huge, so I might investigate sheets and duvet covers as options to keep the cost down. I think I am leaning towards straight line quilting this - although whether I have the patience to straight line quilt this beast at 3/4" intervals is another matter.
Thanks for visiting my blog. I've just finished another commission (a rather gorgeous new Elizabeth Hartman pattern) so pop by soon to see the finished result.
I have to say, it has been a bit of a labour of love - all those tiny tiny pieces, all those diagonal lines and trimming corners, the antennae .... I'm not sure I would have persevered at the same rate had it not been for the Fancy Forest QAL, so thank you ladies (Fiona, Abigail and Sharon) for hosting the sew along and keeping me motivated. Not to mention the other talented ladies who have been posting their fabulous blocks on Instagram over the last 6 months.
Pop back to my previous blog posts if you would like to see each set of finished blocks - foxes/thistles/rabbits, hedgehogs, fireflies, and owls.
The thought of assembling all the blocks to make this massive quilt was initially a daunting prospect. Fifty six blocks (of varying sizes, particularly my butterflies which were wonky at best), lots of block sashing and long sashing strips for the end. Plus I used Essex yarn dyed linen for my background, which I love, but seems to fray every time look at my blocks let along handle them! But fear not, the pattern calls for assembly of four quadrants - very manageable and quick to piece. I decided to stick to the layout that Elizabeth Hartman suggests; it made sense to me to do so because I had followed my colour chart that was largely based on the one in the pattern. I used an Aurifil 50wt grey thread (colour 2605) that blended really nicely into the grey/blue linen.
... and the top right quarter...
In hindsight, that blue-grey speckled Tilda wasn't a good choice for the thistles leaves (not much contrast with the Essex yarn dyed linen) but not to worry. Perhaps a lesson for me to step back from my fabric pull once in a while and check what it looks like from a distance.
I am so pleased with the top half of the quilt. All my favourite colours and I love the way the colours flow from left to right and top to bottom.
The jury is still out about whether I like the bottom half or not! I like the gradation from pink to purple at the bottom edge and the aqua from the top half blending to the greens. What I hadn't appreciated at the start when I was choosing my fabric pull was that the colours and blocks are sort of sub-grouped into pairs and then arranged to create the colour blending look - so my pale blue and grey groups blend seamlessly, as do my darker red-pinks blending to purple. But I chose greens for my group 5 and pink for my group 6 colours - which then look a bit jumbled up in my finished top I think. I think it'll grow on me though, I'm certainly not going to be doing any unpicking or new block making! Perhaps I should have started with greens at the top which could have then flowed to aquas, blues, purples and then pinks. But then hindsight is a wonderful thing...
I think that I will be putting this on my quilt ladder for a while now, as I consider my options for backing fabric and quilting. The quilt is huge, so I might investigate sheets and duvet covers as options to keep the cost down. I think I am leaning towards straight line quilting this - although whether I have the patience to straight line quilt this beast at 3/4" intervals is another matter.
Thanks for visiting my blog. I've just finished another commission (a rather gorgeous new Elizabeth Hartman pattern) so pop by soon to see the finished result.
I really love your soft colors. I think your blending from top toottom is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Dawn, I think it is growing on me too!
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