DON'T GO INTO THE FOREST!

...unless its my Halloween forest!
This pattern "Painted Forest" is designed by
Scott Hansen at Blue Nickels Studio

Today is Friday the 13th so its a perfect time
to show you a Halloween quilt!

It's full of fun Quirky and Spooky trees made with

Cotton and Steel Spellbound and BOO fabrics!

You will also find a bit of Grunge in the tree trunks.

I was planning my winter hiatus and I needed to cut 

and kit these tree blocks.

Now that is NOT an easy chore!

Look at all the pieces for each block.

There is a Left Side and a Right Side of each tree.

No two trees have the same sections...
The hardest part of this pattern, for me, 
was keeping it all organized
You see, the cutting, layout and sewing instructions are on 
several different pages.
Flipping back and forth to know where I was, or should be,
was insane and made me want to run into a forest
and never come out.

However...she persisted!

I tried everything I could to make it easier.

Sticky notes were everywhere!

Keep in mind...there are two rows of trees.

So the fabrics cannot be the same

SIDE BY SIDE

OR FIRST ROW OVER SECOND ROW

Get where I'm coming from?

I had finished 3 or 4 blocks before I left home.

I took pictures of everything and 

using my iPad "mark up" capability
I wrote numbers on the pictures to keep it all in order. 
and then grouped then with what might be
blocks on first row
blocks on second row

I used Black and white fabrics from my stash
 for the background because...

It's a Halloween quilt and a dark forest is a must!

As I built the blocks I soon realized I needed a place 
to measure them sew I can trim them all to the same size.
  Small condo, sew the kitchen counter had to be my work table

I had a plastic measuring tape and some scotch tape in my

mobile sewing box so I set up this measuring area.
By taping down the tape measure!

Many hours later and lots of patience...

I had the 14 blocks finished and on a design wall !

Looks pretty good!

But trees all in a row????
DO NOT work for me!

So I played and played until I was happy with

this asymmetrical design of the forest!

Now...fill in the background pieces

using the fabric I had with me....

PLEASE let it be enough!

Impromptu technique..building it out, one piece at a time.

BOTTOM Section is more complicated.

I have to build this out on the top and the bottom!

  

Finally the top is designed and sewn!

The Painted Forest quilt top finished at 57" x 69"

WOW...that's a big forest to get lost in

(or under)

This was the most challenging quilt top I have made

in a very long time.   It was worth every hour I spent on it!

Scott, the pattern designer, even likes it!

When I get home I will...

1) make the backing

2) a quilting design

3) will I quilt it?

4) make a scrappy binding.

Scrappy perhaps?

Stay tuned for a post full of fun pictures 
of My Spooky Painted Forest
in the wild...