Tweet Tweet!

[This post is now linked to TGIFF hosted by the lovely Rhonda at Quilter in the Gap!]


Inspired by Susan's recent posts about her birdy quilt I thought it about time to finish my own....

I first thought about making this quilt in 2010 inspired by all the great birdy fabric I kept seeing on the internet.  I bought the fabric mainly off ebay and started making my Birds in the Attic Window blocks in May 2011.

I thought it was going to be hard to mitre those frames but it turned out easier than I thought and the top was soon finished....

Then I was thinking how the back should look and still had birdy fabric to spare...My answer was found on Cindy's blog @ Hyacinth Quilt Designs  with her birdbath blocks quilt!  

I thought how cute to use this block and put birds in the bath!?

I thought just one or two would be great on the back of this quilt but got carried away and ended up with another quilt top ful!  My layout is a bit different as I added those pink squares in there just to brighten it up a tad you understand and tie it in with the skinny border on the front!

At this point I asked my readers which top should be the front? 

They all seemed to say they should be two different quilts! 




I was still thinking about putting the two together - yes I am obstinate but that could well be down to my Capricorn tendencies - and was stumped as to how to quilt it as the patterns did not match up.  That's when I shelved it for a while!

Since then I have learnt about Free Motion Quilting and all over patterns and a light bulb went off in my head and I saw that was my way forward!  My idea was birdy free motion quilting of course!


Well here is the finished quilt - now called Tweet Tweet!

Not as sunny now is it??  Birds in the Beech tree!

 Have to say that the quilting is probably my least favourite part of the quilt and this is my second attempt - don't ask!  But for someone who does not unpick, I unpicked a whole lot of bird's nest quilting in too heavy a thread and replaced it with some not great quilting...can't unpick it all again so will need to learn to love it!

I do love the label though - fed up of sewing a label onto my quilts at the end of the process I made sure I pieced a block ready to be my label.  Thinking I would hand embroider it I left it until now and then I just FM quilted that thing and that is probably the best quilting because the thread matches the background and doesn't really show! 

Ok it is not awful but I am getting more picky and I have done better I feel.  Don't tell Lucy as she will call me a hypocrite and you know what she would be right.

Parcel arrived from the US!

No it's not a mugrug and goodie come early as I wouldn't be able to show you that!


I bought this little package online here! as I had seen someone make the cutest little labels to add to their gifts and goodies by stamping these cute motifs on some twill tape and stitching them in!  

Needless to say I had to have them!


I also loved this.....  

How could I resist as my youngest was ' le petit chaperon rouge ' (Lil' Red Riding Hood to you and me!) in a play at her old school in French!  She loved it, so this will serve me as a reminder!  

I made the costume of course - I had given it to her for Christmas some years back but capes fit for a long time don't they!

So playing around with some fabric scraps I have made this version of not so little Red!

Didn't quite get the writing in the right place as you can see by my pencil marks, but I guess that will wash out.


Now where did I see some gorgeous LRRH Japanese fabric - may have to get some now...if only to finish this off appropriately. 




Maybe this could be the first of the fairy tale series - which is your favourite fairy tale and why?  


We loved telling our children about the three billy goats Gruff, but mine was possibly Hansel & Gretel (loved the idea of the gingerbread house) or for the chill factor it would have to be Bluebeard!

Fairy tales are one of my favourite things I have realised this week and so I am linking this post and my wee picture of Little Red to Favourite Things Friday at Quilting in My Pyjamas!

Label for Galaxy Quilt

Ok not a very exciting title but we all know that we should label our quilts and my Galaxy quilt is my most recent finish but can I honestly say it is finished without adding a label?  Why no of course not...

To put things right I have quickly done this

Normally I would put my label on the back of my quilt but this cheeky little bit of stitching is up on the front in one of the stars I have quilted there!  It is a bit wonky and the letters are not even or particularly beautiful but it is an example of my neater style of writing so it is my connection with the future generations - I hope.




I need to add my name as the maker in another star - just not enough room in one!  Now do I stitch it in the next door star or put it on the other side of the Galaxy?  What do you think?




Nicky

  

Quilt labels!

I am not good at labelling my quilts - it is usually an afterthought, with one exception....


The front of this quilt has the name of quilt embroidered on the border using stem stitch - or my attempt at it

Label on back again in stem stitch, directly onto quilt back

I have also stem stitched a label, and blanket stitched it onto the back of my quilt

And finally this is a wallhanging so I used the computer to print onto one of those transfer print films that you iron onto fabric.  But you have to remember to reverse your image otherwise it's like Alice through the Looking Glass!  I know I've done it!  Not sure I'd try this on a quilt that needs more washing...


  

I just wondered what other people did?  Do you have a special way of labelling your quilts?


Any tutorials you know of with easy, and quick, or exciting and beautiful ways to label a quilt?  


To be honest as I have finished very few quilts I haven't needed to make many labels but it is something I'd like to explore.

This is a post where I am looking to you for help and feel free to use the ideas that come up.  If I get enough ideas I may post about it or make a permanent page dedicated to the art of labelling.


So over to you out there.  Please give me your thoughts....


Nicky