Bird Quilt

This is a quilt I made for my Mum earlier in the year. I took the opportunity to photograph it while we were visiting this weekend.

I started off making the bird squares with a mixture of raw edge applique and machine embroidery. They were all made on fabric from an old cream, linen jacket. When I had as many as I wanted I gathered the other squares - quite a lot of the fabric has at least a linen feel to it, but not all of it. Most of it came from old skirts, shirts and a pair of trousers but I ended up adding 2 new fat quarters of a linen blend as well to balance my colours. I struggled to get all the birds on the same size squares while still giving them a good level of detail and trying to have at least an element of scale to the whole thing - ie I wanted the magpies to look bigger and the nuthatch smaller! And this had a knock on effect with my corners when it came to piecing it all, but in true Wonky Patchwork spirit I didn't let this bother me too much. And I really like the end result despite its imperfections!

It's just backed with an old, woolly blanket which was in really good condition, it wasn't 100% wool but its acrylic content gives it a soft, fleecy feel perfect for this.

I'll show you a close up of the birds - with all their imperfections too!



Blackbird



Goldfinch

Swallow

Blue tit

Great tit

Bull finch

Nuthatch

Greenfinch

Robin

Wagtail - my Dad's favourite bird!

Thrush

And last of all the magpies - the only bird to be repeated. My Mum is not overly superstitious but for as long as I can remember she's always wanted to see two magpies rather than the one -'One for sorrow, two for joy...', so there had to be two together on the quilt!



Magpies, two for joy!

This quilt was very much inspired by a beautiful, old book I found in a Charity Shop:

It's full of the most amazing, full page illustrations of birds:



I think my book was published sometime around the mid 1930's but the illustrations themselves date back to 1910-13. It seems amazing that a collection of illustrations set me off making a quilt 100 years later!

Anyway, hope you liked this one and I'll be back tomorrow, Sally.