My Very Own "Girl on a Tree Swing"

Sometimes you stumble across something on a craft blog that stays with you for a long time.  I can't even remember when exactly I found the Aneela Hoey- 'Girl on a tree swing' - mini quilt tutorial, but I haven't forgotten it since!  I've just been waiting to get brave enough to give it a go.  I was maybe also waiting to decide what colors to launch off from.  The biggest commitment on this project is deciding what color to make the background.

I recently purchased some Heather Ross-Far Far Away II fabric as a Christmas present (I'm still waiting to find the perfect project to use it on).  The shop I purchased it from included a little charm square of another one of her fabrics: 

Funny how a little tiny 5 inch square of fabric ends up being your jumping off point for a project like this.  I knew I wanted to include it in the background, so then I just started pulling anything that would coordinate with it. 

Close up of my swinging girl

Aneela's tutorial is so much fun!  It was intimidating to me at first because it involves a lot of free motion quilting with your machine.  I have done this with my machine, but never in the way that this project suggests. She does it as a form of drawing or outlining.  I was totally scared about messing up.  But how can you ever get better if you just don't risk it sometimes?!  Obviously, mine is not as awesome as the originals, bur for a first go-round it's not too bad.  I hope. 

I should be too embarrased to post a whole picture of my mantle because of the lame hole that we never fix.  But you know how you have something like that in your house, and over time you quit seeing it anymore.  Then I take a picture, and I think, "Um, we should fix that hole in our wall".  Anyway, I'm unabashedly posting the picture because I am charmed with the over all whimsical effect of adding the little swinging "Pip" to the mantle display.

Have you been following the hype about Aneela's new fabric line coming out this April, called Sherbet Pips?  I say April can't get here soon enough!  I'm considering even pre-ordering just to make sure I get some.

Anyway, let me recommend that you make yourself a little "Girl on a Tree Swing" mini quilt.  It was a most delightful project!