What usually comes first - falling in love with a patchwork pattern or with a group of fabric? For me it varies so much that I don’t think I have a usual flow. This time it was perhaps both, if that’s possible. I am equally smitten by the pattern and the fabrics, and so excited to get to marry them together.

Over a year ago I welcomed my Dutch fabric store sponsor, Nanno Creative. She stocks a large assortment of quilting rulers and notions, including the special rulers created by Sew Kind of Wonderful. These rulers work with Sew Kind of Wonderful patterns to create cool curved patchwork without the usual precision required by curved piecing.

This pattern, Happy Together, has been lodged in my consciousness since I discovered it via Nanno Creative. The group of children is so adorably diverse. They remind me of Elora’s class at school - a group of mixed age and multicultural children, who are truly happy together, under the care of a very talented teacher.

Enter Forestburgh, an upcoming fabric collection from Heather Ross. This was certainly love at first sight. I MUST sew with these fabrics! For sure. Windham Fabrics graciously agreed to send sample fabric my way for a Happy Together quilt in Forestburgh/Heather Ross fabrics. Eeeee!

Usually I would wait to sew with this Forestburgh, since is not available for sale until November. But, it’s just too perfect to sew this as a year-end teacher gift.

You see, Elora has been with the same teacher now for 2 1/2 years. In July she will finish kindergarten and move on. I am so grateful to Alev for shepherding us through our transition into Dutch education and the uncertainty of Elora’s speech delay. Making her a goodbye quilt is fitting. Alev is someone who wears bright, happy clothes and has a young spirit. She is very much a Heather Ross kind of person, you know? I’m so looking forward to surprising her with this gift!

These are some of my very favorite Forestburgh prints. I adore the apples and the clovers in every colorway. Those are gems! This dark forest-y deer print is a 108” wide backing fabric. Isn’t it gorgeous?

Here are the rest of the Forestburgh prints, which I selected. I wasn’t greedy enough to ask for them all, lol. However, I did also pick out a few older Ross fabrics (on right) from her previous collections. Curious to see what ends up finding a place in the Happy Together quilt.

Plus, solids. These are intended for the backgrounds behind the children in the Happy Together quilt. They are all Ruby + Bee Solids, which I know and love. The colors are selected from the Housetop No. 6 quilt kit, a coordinating project that releases from Heather Ross/Windham along with Forestburgh.

I feel like a kid who has received the candy shop in the mail. Can’t wait to get started!

psst - - - you can preorder Forestburgh directly from Heather Ross. Ships in November.