A Little Birdie Told Me

This next quilt is the one that first got me really into quilting.  One of my favorite things about quilting is all the cute fabrics and I love the way the fabrics star in a simple strip quilt like this.  

I love that this blanket showcases the fabrics and then dresses them up a little bit with the bird applique.

I made this quilt about 4 years ago when I was expecting my first baby.  And here she is, all grown up!  She has her first day of preschool tomorrow and she is supposed to bring her favorite item.  When I asked her what she wanted to bring she quickly responded, "My bird blankie!"  Melt my heart.  Glad she appreciates something I made for her.

For the applique on this quilt I used wonder under/heat 'n bond and then used my Bernina to blanket stitch around each piece using invisible thread.  I liked that I didn't have to change thread colors for each piece of applique and that the stitching blended in with the fabrics.  While it was a quick and easy way to applique  I wouldn't necessarily recommend the invisible thread.  It stretches and breaks and the end result isn't soft and touchable.  In the bird strip I also sewed the ric rac, embroidered french knots for the birds' eyes and added buttons to the leaves.

This quilt has my first pieced back.  I had seen a pattern with a pieced back at the fabric store and thought it was so cute so I decided to copy.  Because I wanted the blanket to be soft and cuddly I used minky for the top panel and two different flannels for the bottom.

The minky is a white paisley and I still love it.

I remember while sewing the back together that I didn't quite have enough fabric for some reason.  I probably cut it wrong or something, but instead of getting more fabric I tried to make this work.  I remember the seam pictured above being less than 1/4" at some points which I thought would be fine.  And it might have been, had this blanket not been so loved.  If you look closely you will see that the seam started to come apart and I had to repair it by giving this blanket it's first little scar.  Luckily it blends right in on both the front and back so it's no big deal.  Adds a little personality to the quilt, don't you think?

No matter how many quilts I make, sewing for my kids is always my favorite!  There is something about seeing my sweet babies wrapped up or tucked in with one of my quilts that makes me feel like a good mom and heaven knows we all need help to feel like that more often.