Friday, December 5, 2014

Birds on High - for Claudia

A wall-hanging, 20"square, and one of my Littlest Thistle Finish Along 4th Quarter challenge projects:  made from various pink and green-toned fabrics bought on sale from Kitz'n'Thingz or Spotlight...with my cousin's little girl about to turn 4, I wanted to do something with applique and saw a similar design (as a pillow I think) on Pinterest...the birds are ironed on and then I stitched in black around them to give it a 'sketched' look...

I used a 16.5' square for the background, and each border has 16-22 strips of 1.5" x 4".
The birds range between 8-12 cm in height. 

I used an embroidery stitch on my machine to add a little detail to the border, which is quilted with various widths of straight lines, while the centre background is filled with swirls...
Here is 4 year old Claudia, my cousin's youngest child (and sister to three older brothers), with her wall-hanging...she's a real character! I really enjoyed my weekend in Central Otago to deliver this gift and another quilt gift for another gorgeous girl...

Linking up with: Amanda Jean's (Crazy Mom Quilts) Finish It Up Friday;
Shannon's Modern Tradition Quilts KISMIF party      and      Lorna's Sew Fresh Quilts Let's Bee Social

Our four-six weeks of Spring rain has battered the garden somewhat (I considered building an ark about two weeks ago as we'd had so much rain), and the paddocks everywhere are totally soaked, but the flowers are still blooming...rose 'Alison', such a gorgeous deep pink...
 With a close-up of 'Iceberg'...

32 comments:

  1. Oh I really like this Jen! The birds are adorable with just the right amount of black outline stitching. The recipient is going to love it.

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    1. Cheers! I do admit I was quite self-satisfied with the way they turned out and oohed and ahhed the black outlines for the entire time I was quilting and binding LOL!

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  2. Oh my, Jen, how cute are your birds? Clever lady :)

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    1. Thanks Glinda! It was fun to do a quick, small project!

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  3. Oh my this is so awesome! Was the black free motion quilted?

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    1. Hi Heather, yes I free motioned the black outlines, going at least twice around each bird (with some parts getting three lines as I back-tracked to the start of each section of wire). I didn't aim to be too precise on the edges of the birds as I wanted it to look 'loose/sketched'. Glad you like it!

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  4. Love your birds on the wire! and the swirly background adds some extra interest... wish I could fmq like that! Linda

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    1. Thanks Linda, I've discovered fmq is all about practice and having a go!

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  5. So pretty - love the nice soft colours!!

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    1. The wee girl's room has a lot of pink, so I knew they would be good choices!

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  6. Oh wow! So pretty. I love the design.

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    1. Thank you! I enjoyed putting it together.

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  7. This is lovely! The "sketching" is perfect!
    I am off to take the Austen Character Quiz!

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    1. Cheers Karen! let me know which character you connect to!

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  8. I'm jealous of your roses! This quilt is beautiful. I don't think I would have thought to outline the birds in black, but it really works. Veryg nice swirl quilting.

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    1. Thanks for the lovely feedback. I thought a hint of black would be a nice highlight, and make a nice link with the black and white bird that I added in as well as a point of difference to the pinks and greens.

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  9. That's so pretty! I love the sketched outline and the way it makes the birds stand out.

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    1. Thanks Michelle! It all came together really well once I got started.

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  10. Nice quilt and the black outline is perfect. Good job. Debbie

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    1. Thanks Debbie, have a lovely Christmas!

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  11. The birds are really sweet. And so is their new owner! You did an amazing job of the applique and the quilting looks great!

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    1. Cheers Lorna! It was a nice, quick, weekend project! Have a fantastic Christmas!

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  12. What a beautiful project. I agree, the black thread gives it a sketched look. How creative, I never would have thought of it, such a great idea. Thank you for sharing at my linky party, Keep It Simple & Make It Fun. I would like to feature your project next week and as such, you get a free PDF of one of my quilt patterns from me. Simply reply to this with your email & favorite pattern (which can be viewed on my Craftsy/Etsy store links on the blog) and it will come to your inbox. Thanks!--Shannon

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    1. Oh thanks Shannon! I am thrilled that you want to feature my project (I love being able to share with other quilters, I only have males at my house and they make the right noises but I know they aren't as appreciative as fellow-quilters are!) and it is cool to think it will be seen all around the world! As for which pattern I choose, I love your Diamond Jubilee layer Cake quilt pattern, thank you so much! Have a good week and a lovely Christmas!

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  13. Jen, this is simply beautiful. Such a happy piece!

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    1. Thanks Gretchen, I needed a 'pink-fix' and this met my needs totally! Have a Merry Christmas!

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  14. Your birds are lovely and your work inspiring. I haven't done applique in many months, and seeing this project gets my creative juices flowing. Thanks for sharing. : )

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    1. Thanks Michelle! I, too, hadn't had a go at applique for a while so it was nice to do something that wasn't just piecing. Happy 2015!

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  15. This little quilt is amazing. I love the birds, and the quilting really makes this quilt special!

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    1. Thanks for the lovely comments Angela! Happy New Year!

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  16. I love this quilt! Beautiful colors, neat birds, the quilting is excellent.

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    1. Cheers! I might have to make another one fairly soon; every time I look at these photos I sigh...

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