Variations on a theme of Modern Maples: Nature Walk

The chilly mornings and evenings tell me it's Fall, even if the warm afternoons tell me otherwise.  My family typically do a lot of hiking in the fall.  We've been lazy so far, choosing instead to watch football and soccer on the weekends.  But I'm starting to get antsy- time to get out and commune with nature!

I must have had communing with nature on the brain when I was working on Modern Maples. 

In this quilt top are a couple of elements that my family and I frequently see on our hikes around the Bay Area.  There are feathers (re-sized from Anna Maria Horner's pattern) and mushrooms (which I drafted and paper-pieced).  One of my children suggested that I represent banana slugs.  Sorry kid, no dice.

Heavily inspired (and I do mean heavily) by this version, I used a mix of low-volume prints for the background.  I re-sized the blocks to 10.5" (finished) to allow for the addition of sashing.

I've chosen to back this quilt with a Valori Wells Urban Flannel print.  These green roses have been a favorite for so long and I'm happy to have found a project for them.  I'm not quite sure how to quilt this yet, but it will most probably be straight lines. 

Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.