Magic Forrest Quilt

This quilt started out with a piece of calico, an old woollen jumper, a ripped tea towel, an old sheet, a dress shirt beyond repair and a drawer full of scraps of fabric. It all got turned into a quilt for my little niece Vera, the second child for my sister Tineke.
Since my sister also runs a family daycare from home, I hoped to make it into something she could use once Vera outgrows her crib.

The old, red and honey jumper, felted in the washing machine, used as the top of the mushroom. The ripped tea towel makes a perfect home, with the old shirt just perfect for a door (and tree branch).

It opens up into the gnomes house, with a quilted chimney.

The sun, utilising little scraps, free motion quilting over it to keep it together.

A little soft pocket for hands and teddies to hide

Adam, the 2year old brother, with creative colour changing thread in brown (stones) and green (grass) giving the quilting a more natural look. Our kids love finding letters of their own name.

Using leftover bits from the backing of our picnic rug, turning them into stones. Inside there are ladybugs hiding (the lizard that I planned here was deemed too scary for babies by my oldest)

A pocket for little friends.
I’m planning on making a similar quilt for our own kids, turning it into a wallhanging where they can keep their favourite teddies in, once they outgrow them. Like this little mouse, that used to keep me company as a baby in my crib.

Flowers and a fairy for Vera. Using metallic thread for the flowers and her name. Which gives it a very subtle shimmer of magic.

The branch, with the leaves all moveable.

Hiding these little lovebirds.

A preloved flannel sheet for the backing, which worked out well with the colour scheme, but is also so very nice and soft.

This was my first go with free motion quilting. I’ve tried to use it not only to keep the top, wadding and back together, but also to bring the quilt alive. And string all the separate elements together as a whole. For in between these elements, my daughter gave me inspiration with her favourite song:

Somewhere over the rainbow

Blue birds fly

And the dreams that you dreamed of

Dreams really do come true

This quilt goes very well with the baby quilt I made for Adam, an other appliqué quilt: Owls In The Tree. I just love the freedom and creativity that goes with these types of quilts! And how I love my new sewing machine, it has made it so much more fun.