Cottage Garden Wall Hanging

I was just looking back through my Instagram feed and realized I started this project in February 2016!?!  Wow.  Three and a half years from the time I started this project to the time I finished and blogged about it.  It was just one of those projects that was great to stuff in my purse and take on the go.  So I would take it on vacation or to soccer games so I could stitch during warm-ups.  I actually finished this several months ago though...just took a while for me to actually get some photos and sit down to blog about it!

Even though it took forEVER I actually really loved this project.  Wool applique is one of the easiest forms of applique out there and I have a tutorial for it saved in my Instagram Highlights for those of you interested in learning more about it.

I have quite the collection of wool scraps now.  Aren't they pretty?

This pattern is called Cottage Garden by Norma Whaley.  In her pattern, Norma suggested making scrappy 20-Patch blocks but I wanted a little bit more of a traditional look so I decided to switch things up a bit and go neutral.  I felt it kept the focus on the applique blocks.  But either way would be cute don't you think?

The pattern mixes cotton and wool so it's a great stash buster.  

Here are some close-ups of a few of the blocks.  

They're sweet, creative designs with a folk art flair.

I love how the pattern incorporates a traditional signature block in the bottom corner!

I asked Denae Hansen of Plain Jane Quilting in American Fork, Utah to quilt it for me and she did a fantastic job!  I love everything she did, from the cross hatch quilting in the 20-Patch blocks to outlining the applique to the leaves in the border.  It turned out so pretty! 

The only fabric I bought for this was the wool and the inner border fabric, which was purple, totally out of my comfort zone!  Are you a "purple person"?  I feel like you either love it or you hate it.  I normally am not a fan but felt like it complimented the blocks without overpowering them...so I went for it!

Now I just need to find a spot for it in my home.  I love it so much and originally planned to hang it somewhere in my house but if you've been around here for a while you know I don't really love to decorate with quilts anymore, for some reason.  So we'll see what I end up doing with it!

So, have you tried wool applique before?

If so, did you love it as much as I did?

If you haven't tried it yet, I hope I've inspired you to try it!  The possibilities with it are endless!

Have a great day friends!

Amber