The story begins last October at Fall Quilt Market in Houston. Like everyone else I was awed by Elizabeth Hartman’s Fancy Forest Quilt and wanted to make it. So I proposed that we make it with some Hoffman/Me+You batiks and sell bundles, teach the class, make everyone happy. It worked and over ten weeks, starting in late February, I taught (with the stalwart assistance of the amazing Paula Chipman) 42 students to make the Fancy Forest quilt. I’m proud to say that a good number of them actually finished: 6 of them with the full quilt and a dozen more finished the small version.
It was amazing to see them all complete the myriad animals, struggling at times and cheering with their own success at others. The class was all I had imagined and more, with it becoming a support group of sorts, students encouraging each other as much (or more) than I was encouraging them. Paula helped me out every Sunday class, keeping me in check when needed and getting me back on track when my rambling wandered off. I could not have done it without her.
On our final day, I felt a bit misty-eyed watching everyone still working so diligently on their quilt tops. Then Eileen handed me a bag and said it was for us. I looked at her quizzically, then peered inside to find these beauties. She’d painted us our very own Fancy Forest quilts! I nearly lost it, gave her a huge (maybe awkward) hug and thanked her one million times. 
We’ve filled up the Fabric Depot class again and the next session (with “only” 24 this time) starts Sunday after this. I can hardly wait to get in the classroom again and see what this crew makes.
