Fly Fishing Quilt - Q1 Finish

This quilt is going to be given to my fly-fishing father.  Fly fishing was my dad's number one hobby growing up.  He loved it, and still does.  Even at the age of 78, he ventures out once in a while to fish.  He even braves the frigid Idaho winter weather to ice fish.

Ice Fishing with Grandpa (Dad, Anna, and Rebecca)

I saw this fabric for 75% off one day at a local quilt shop and I could not pass it up!  I didn't really think much about it, just bought some of each of the fabrics from the line.   Turns out, I really don't like a few of the fabrics much.  And as I put this quilt together it dawned on me that I should have just bought the fabrics that I liked, and then found some others to go with them.  Luckily, I am pleased with the finished product.  It is simple and masculine and will look nice in my parent's cabin. 

The fly fabric is the one that really caught my eye.  I have vivid memories of my dad tying flies -- He always had a bright lamp on so he could tie those little buggers.  And there was a particular smell.   Was it some sort of glue he used?  Or the feathers and materials?  And the amazing thing to me now is that he never seemed bothered when I came and watched/bothered him. :)  As one of 7 kids he probably often had someone looking over his shoulder.  Being a parent myself now, I recognize how patient my parents were.  

I usually prefer basics fabrics with small designs.  But I do like the scenery fabric in this line with the fishermen out on the river.  And the canoes are fun too -- my dad didn't fish from a canoe, but we do take them out on the lake once in a while.  (Well, I should say "others" take canoes out on the water.  Brian and I tried once and our steering abilities were ridiculous.)  My dad fished in those big waiter boots or in a float tube.  Totally cool.

The pattern is from a book called "Big Blocks, Big Style" by Gudrun Erla.  Fabrics are from Little Rivers by Henry Glass.  And I did quilt it myself.  The Free Motion Quilting experience is getting better every time.  Yay!

Things I learned:

1.  Buy the fabric you like...not the whole line...even if it is 75% off.  :)

2.  Pick the right pattern.  Go with your gut.  This pattern was the first I chose, but then I saw another one that I thought would be really fast.  I started with the fast pattern -- good thing it was not very time-consuming.  I think the pattern is just so simple that it made the fabric that I don't love stand out too much.  This pattern, my first choice, was just better.   

I am linking up to the 2016 Finish-A-Long Party.

You can see my list of goals for 2016 - Quarter 1 here.

Finish-Along Goals 2016

2016.  Here it is.  And here are a few quilting goals for me:

1.  I was SO close to finishing this one up.  I took it home to hand quilt it with my mom, and we ran out of thread!  She lives in a smaller town and the one craft store there didn't have the right color.  Arg!  So this quarter for sure...I will finish my shot cotton quilt!

2.  Again, this one is so close!  The top and back is actually finished now.  I need to send it to the quilter, then bind it.  I am really excited to see this one quilted.

3.  This top is finished.  I have to finish the backing, quilt it (doing this one myself), and bind.

4.  I actually had enough fabric to make two quilts from the above fishing fabric.  The top for the second one is almost finished.  I also plan on quilting this one, or maybe even tying it.  That would be appropriate for this Fly Fishing quilt (you know, tying flies, tying quilts :))

5.  Cross Quilt -- on design wall now.  Still have a ways to go.

6.  Christmas Snowflake Quilt-Along Quilt.  Colored pieces are cut, need to cut background, plus piece it.  Honestly, this probably won't get done this quarter...but it is a WIP so I'm putting it on the list.

That's it.  I am linking up to the 2016 Finish-A-Long at A Quilter's Table.