My youngest granddaughter helping me photograph “Garden Party.”

This is a pattern from Emily Taylor of Collage Quilter. This was a sew along. We got a new pattern each week for 12 weeks. I chose to only make nine of them. It probably won’t surprise you that I didn’t keep up each week. Emily designed this pattern to quilt each block, then put the blocks together. In fact, Emily has a video on YouTube showing you how to join those quilted blocks to make the quilt. That being said, I didn’t make it that way. I wanted my backgrounds to be made from the same fabrics, then I’d quilt it after the top was done. So I started with the Ladybug on my silicone mat.

I tried out a bunch of different fabrics for backgrounds. Here’s one that I thought she blended into too much. With all the work of each collage, I wanted them to stand out.

I decided I’d just wait until I had made all the collages to decide on a background. After I’d get one done, I’d iron them together on the mat. Then I’d peel it off the mat a put it on a piece of parchment paper. Since I did not want the glue to dry out I put them in ziploc bags.

By the time I got the pansy done, I had picked a fabric for the background.

I loved the butterfly within the flowers, but I thought the butterfly needed to be outlined. Hmm. Maybe my indecision was why it was taking me so long to make this quilt.

Finally I decided each of the bugs would be in the middle of a churn dash block. Each of the flowers would be outlined and put on a solid block of the flowery fabrics I had found at my local quilt shop when in Gaylord, Delphines Quilt Shop.

Now to lay out the blocks. Then sew the blocks together and add borders. Ready to make the quilt sandwich.

Now to head for the Simply Sixteen and start quilting.

I cannot tell you how many times I changed thread colors, but it was a bunch. As I plan to use this quilt as a quilt I made sure to securely stitch each collage. I absolutely love the wings on the dragonfly.

Here’s just the top hanging on the clothesline at the lake. Same little helper.