Jungle Elephant UFO catch-up w/Updates

Clear back in March I started the blocks for this UFO while my quilting studio was under construction.  Actually, 'we' started planning this quilt more than a year ago when we first learned of the impending arrival of the bundle of joy ;-)  With everything going on over the past year, this quilt got put onto the back burner until my youngest daughter reminded me the bundle of joy was turning 1-year old this December - Oh MY!  Has it REALLY been that long?!  Time to get back to it... So in between Bonnie Hunter's annual Mystery Quilt, I got busy:

Playing around w/lay-out options

I settled on a fence rail design for alternate blocks to keep with the animal/barnyard/fence idea I'm trying to blend into this unique quilt for such a special one.  

Sewing the fence rail blocks

These colorful fabrics are some of my very favorite hand-dyed batiks w/wonderful tropical prints which complement these adorable elephant embroideries:

Elephant embroidery blocks

Corner Block w/side borders                     

 

Close-up of one of the embroidered blocks 

w/crazy quilt piecing and embroidery top-stitching...

this was soooo much FUN to do ;-)

And now to get back to it - this MUST be pieced AND quilted AND bound by Monday the 17th...YIKES!  (Luckily, I was granted a much needed extension ;-)

UPDATE 12/14/2012:  It got BIGGER:

This one should be lots of FUN to quilt, don't you think?

The outside green border fabric is called 'Jungle Picnic' ;-)

And now I'm off to load this big boy onto my quilting frame.  I'll post quilting pics when I can.

UPDATE 1/1/2013:  Just got this quilt off the frame, here's the previous corner quilted:

          McTavish quilted w/Rainbows

Center borders quilted out

Purple batik border w/ruler work        .

Embroidered crazy batik quilt blocks

Close-up of embroidered block w/McTavishing

Back of quilt w/McTavishing and ruler work          

Just off the frame - ready for binding and label...

A little trivia about this quilt.  6 different hand-dyed Batik fabrics were employed in the construction, in addition to white kona for the borders, back, and interior embroidery block bases. It took 46.7 hours to quilt, 8 different colors/types of thread including the following:

1) Superior's clear monopoly thread for SID, outline and stipple quilting of the embroidery blocks
3) Superior's Rainbows for McTavishing and stipple quilting - Brasilia Blue (blue batik), Northern lights (green leopard batik - inside green border), Turning leaves (yellow batik), Victorian Choice (purple batik)
4) C&C Trilobal - Plains Green (Jungle Picnic green outside border)
5) C&C Twister Tweed Rayon - Pinata (red batik)
6) Maxi-lock white in bobbin and for all white areas of quilt top, including borders and embroidered blocks

...and required 27 bobbins to complete!  I thoroughly enjoyed the entire process of designing, constructing and quilting this special quilt and learned a whole lot in the process.  My only wish - the intended will enjoy it half as much as I have during the creating process ;-)

Happy New Year,

~Deb

PS...for the 'rest of the story' and the grand binding finale, check out this post with even more pics:
'Jungle Elephant Quilt DONE!'