Tuesday, 14 May 2013

Birds on a wire quilt

Have you checked out Le Challenge yet?  It is the brainchild of Lucy at Charm About You and Nat at Made in Home, and is a monthly challenge and link-up.  The challenge for May was "wings".

I had a lot of half-rectangle triangle scraps left over from making my Paper Petals quilt, and I used them to make up this little baby quilt top.  It was very simple - I sorted the triangles into warm/cold pairs, and then stitched them together before trimming the resulting rectangles to a uniform width (I think about 9").  I then laid the rectangles out in random order, stitched them into columns and sewed the columns together so that I had a quilt top about 27" by 30".

soft blue and orange quilt

The picture about isn't great anyway, but I think you will be able to tell why I thought it needed something extra before I added the appliqué.  One of my favourite prints in the Noteworthy collection by Sweetwater for Moda features birds on a wire. Appliqué wasn't really part of the original plan, but when the idea of little appliqué birds on a wire popped into my head, I knew I had to do it (and, it happened to fit perfectly with the theme for Le Challenge!).

baby quilt applique 

I couldn't get my sewing machine to co-operate when sewing on the birds (I was using polyester thread, and the tension needed to be different depending on how many layers I was sewing through), so I stitched the birds on by hand using blanket stitch.

baby quilt noteworthy sweetwater moda 

Simple serpentine quilting and a crisp grey backing (DS Quilts from Spotlight) finish it off.

blue orange baby quilt

This quilt is about 27" square, and I donated it to the neonatal unit at Wellington Hospital.  I think it will be perfect for a little baby boy or girl.

Linking up with:

Better Off Thread

Le Challenge


and finish it up friday at crazy mom quilts.

30 comments:

1. Marit said...

What a transformation! Those birds on a wire are so cute and make your little quilt just perfect. I love how the cool blue birds pop against that warm yellow!

2. crazyquilter said...

Amazing! I do believe we used a similar stitch for our quilts.

Love the birds on yours. Very effective.

3. Susan said...

What a beautiful interpretation of the 'wings' theme! And the quilt will be cherished by its lucky recipient, I'm sure!

4. Janine @ Rainbow Hare said...

This is beautiful! I love those colours and the quilting is perfect :)

5. Annabella said...

Perfect for Le Challenge!

6. Fran said...

Stunning quilt! Don't think I could have given it away!

7. Teje Karjalainen said...

That's so beautiful! I love raw edge applique and your birds are so cute!

8. Leanne M said...

This quilt is really gorgeous, the birds really do add something extra special to the overall design - well done!

9. Unknown said...

świetne te ptaszki!
Pozdrawiam!

10. Nat at Made in Home said...

Amazing le challenge entry! Thanks for linking up!

11. Jessica said...

This is adorable!! Great job :)

12. Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

I love your birds!

13. Sewing Mom said...

It's really beautiful...I love the colors and the birds are just great!

14. DeborahGun said...

This is beautiful - the applique is so effective - I love it!

15. AmandaK@whatthebobbin said...

This is sooooo adorable! Nice work.
Amandak@whatthebobbin

16. AmandaK@whatthebobbin said...

and I'm a huge fan of blue and orange :)

17. Erica said...

I love it! And how wonderful that you donated it, it will definitely help some people out.

18. Made by Mrs Jones x said...

I think the addition of the birds is a genius idea. A really lovely quilt.

19. Henry's Shed said...

Oh it's beautiful! And how very sweet of you to donate it :)

20. Kirsten said...

Beautiful quilt - the two blue birdies are so sweet!

21. Kristy @ Quiet Play said...

I love the addition of the birds! perfect!!

22. Renee said...

I love the idea of this and your execution! Really cute little quilt and birdies!

23. Mara said...

Simple Serpentine quilting, looks awesome, is this a stitch on your machine or do you do it yourself? Love the birds on a wire, so cute.

24. Chris Dodsley @made by ChrissieD said...

Fabulous, loving that blue and orange and a great cause :)

25. Sarah said...

Oh I love your take on the bird on a wire fabric. What a cute little neonatal gift.

26. mkonieczki said...

Great idea! Love the way the birds stand-out against the background.

27. Rachel said...

I like this quilt. The blue birds are very striking on the background.

28. Lucy | Charm About You said...

That is so beautiful!! lovely that you're donating it too :)

29. Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

Delightful in design and colours!

30. SewingSophia said...

Love it so much!! The birds on the wire are cutest thing I have ever seen! Just perfect for a coming baby!