Windham Wednesdays and Forest Buddies

Well, the name of the fabric collection is Forest Parade, but they all look like they could be buddies with any little child! And, yes: I was sent fat quarters and the challenge was on! First, let's see the fabrics . . .

Forest Parade by Petit Collage for Windham Fabrics

What did I decide to make with these sweet fabrics? Hmmm. I think I will rummage in my quilt vault and pull out a tried and true pattern that I've made twice before. Once for my first book Bold, Black and Beautiful Quilts. The quilt was stolen back in 2005 (I've told this story before). Here's a picture:

98 Dancing Squares

Windham asked me to make a quilt using their Bright Basics Collection (2009). And it was patterned and you can have the pattern at the end of this post. Here is the remake of my Happy Squares quilt:

Happy Squares for Windham Fabrics

So, let's see how I used the Forest Parade fat quarters to make this quilt for the third time. First, I cut two 6-1/2" and two 3-1/2" squares from each of the 11 fat quarters (and a few extra). My plan was to make a quilt with 25 blocks, so I needed 25 small AND large squares total.

Two 6-1/2" and two 3-1/2" squares of each print

Wait! What are those white squares? Fusible interfacing for the 3-1/2" squares. I will NOT use fusible webbing so I can clip away the background fabric after I applique. Applique? What am I talking about? Look closely at the first quilt. See the gold stitching around each centered square? I placed a small square in the center of each big square: some on point, others straight. Then I used a satin stitch with gold thread. The same thing is happening with the second quilt, only this time I changed the threads to match the center squares.

Let's see my steps for this quilt:

Fuse a 3-1/2" square of interfacing to wrong side of each 3-1/2" Forest Parade square

Pair each small square with a companion large square. I divided the squares into two piles: 12 large squares of "solid" reading fabrics. 13 large squares of animal prints.

 Fold half the large "solid" squares along both diagonals (as shown) and use the lines to align the small square. Pin in place.

Aligning the small square with a companion large square

And the other half of the squares? Fold the center of each large square along horizontal and vertical. Align the companion small square as shown. Pin.

Aligning the small square with a companion large square

Now it's time to stitch! I pulled out several spools of Coats variegated thread and auditioned them.

Fabrics and threads

Audition your stitches using scrap fabric before you commit to your blocks!

Block stitched

And then, because I used interfacing, I can clip away the background fabric to reduce bulk.

Carefully cut into background fabric and remove, leaving 1/4" seams

Oh, no! What about those little squares! Did you throw then away? Of course, not! I'll show you in a minute.

Here's a closeup of the quilt squares as they seem to tilt back and forth:

Forest Parade quilt center

Here's the quilt top, all gotten from those fat quarters. I had to get creative with my borders. Do you like what I did?

Forest Parade Dancing Squares

Here is the pattern for making the quilt center with a traditional border: Happy Squares

I trimmed each of the 25 cutaways down to 2-3/4" and sewed them together into a little companion quilt for my granddaughter. I quilted it simply using my Bernina walking foot. It's only about 11" square, perfect for covering little dollies. Isn't this the cutest?

Cutaway squares sewn into a little dolly blanket

You can visit the Windham Fabrics Forest Parade web page and see all the other quilt shops that carry this collection! I think that's a neat service. The contact information is included in the list and you may find a shop near you so you can make your own Forest Parade quilt!