Finally a Finish: Fancy Forest Thistles by Elizabeth Hartman

I can't stand thistles. Well, specifically, I can't stand Scotch thistles, stickery, noxious, non-native weeds, that take over grazing areas if a rancher isn't diligent. Every spring and early summer Tom, and I, sometimes, are out and about on the Polaris, hoes at the ready.  An aside: I still remember when I taught The Good Earth how the line in the book about Wang Lung grabbing a hoe and going outside would get a good laugh from the Beavis and Butthead types in my class.

Chopping thistles is hard work, and Tom tries hard to get the Scotch thistle population under control while sparing native thistles which provide nesting material for our local birdies.

So let me say not all thistles are bad, but those Scotch thistles are.

A while back I made a Fancy Forest quilt designed by Elizabeth Hartman, and I loved making the thistle blocks. Fancy Forest doesn't have its binding on, so I will let you see that one another day.

But those thistle blocks seemed fun, so I used some random fabric here and there, with a  Moda Grunge Basics Olive Branch Green background, to make a kid-sized quilt. It's embarrassing to say that the top was completed over a year ago, but other projects were calling, so it waited. And waited, patiently. If they were real thistles, they would have proliferated one hundred fold!

Anyway, here's Fancy Thistles and thanks to Tom for holding it up. I like these thistles.

If you click to make the photo bigger you can see the quilting by Michael Siewert of ThreadBear in Las Vegas, NM. Love the leaves and vines pattern, so apt for the piecing.

Icing on the cake: This quilt won Second Place at the Colfax County Fair's quilt show for the small quilts, two makers, division.


Cheers!