Sew Fresh Quilts: Black Birds

Showing posts with label Black Birds. Show all posts

7 November 2017

Let's Bee Social #202

Welcome to the Let's Bee Social!

I have been away at Quilt Market and haven't been doing any sewing lately, so I have nothing to share of my own. I did take a few photos with my phone while away and hope to share an update soon!

Thankfully, there are other busy quilters out there who are willing to send me emails and photos of what they have created. And that they have allowed me to share them with you!

This fun Black Birds quilt was made by Ann who wrote, "Thank you for making such a fabulous pattern. I haven’t been inspired to quilt for a few years but a good friend was having her first baby so I hunted around looking for a pattern that would inspire me. Thanks to you I have my quilting mojo back!"

Erica also allowed me to share her quilt and wrote, "My Dog Gone Cute quilt won an Honorable Mention in the Washington State Quilters Annual Spokane Quilt Show. I quilted each Doggy face individually to enhance their features. I added your extra borders and also quilted bones and paw prints in the outer border."

Thank you Ann and Erica!
Both of these finishes make me so happy!
And it is so fun to be able to share them here on my blog!

If you are interested, the Black Birds pattern can be found here.
And the Dog Gone Cute pattern can be found here.

Let's Bee Social!

Click to visit the Tablerunner Bliss bloggers who are quilting along this week:

Melisssa (Happy Quilting)
Kim (Persimon Dreams)

Want to quilt along?

Tablerunners a great for a quick make for gift giving... Even if you end up wanting to keep it for yourself! Tablerunner Bliss by Sherri Falls is the perfect book for inspiring you to create.

You can order your own copy of this super cute book here at Fat Quarter Shop.

Now... It's your turn for Show and Tell!!!

What have you been working on?

Sew Fresh Quilts

An InLinkz Link-up

Keep On Quilting On!

To follow Sew Fresh Quilts by email....

Fat Quarter Shop Quilting Fabric, Kits, Notions and Patterns

8 September 2017

Black Birds - {redo x3}

Those crazy birds are at it again!

This is the fourth time I have made the Black Birds baby quilt. I went back over my old posts to chose what I liked best from each one. For this one I chose a very light background. It's kind of a smokey white with silver flecks.

I wanted the birds to have more of a variation in the mix - with lots of birds that were grey rather than black. All of the greys and blacks are pieces from Northcott Fabrics Artisan Spirit collection. Then I chose a cheery red for the "love bird".

The backing is Ampersand Typography in white. I bought a lot of it and it has been used for a couple of the other Black Birds quilts and for this Zany ZebraZ quilt. I love the brightness this print adds to the quilt!

When it came time for the quilting, I was tempted to use a plain white thread, and even thought of using grey. But in the end I went with this variegated King Tut in Rosetta Stone thread from Superior Threads.

The binding fabric is a sporty leopard spot that has been in my stash since the beginning of time. When I was finished the quilt, I briefly regretted this choice and wished I had gone with a solid black like I used for the birds' legs and eyes. But it has grown on me since then and I think it adds a touch of playfulness to this sweet finish.

This fourth "Black Birds" quilt finished at 40" x 46"

and was the 47th use of my 2nd edition of 100 labels

ordered from Ikaprint.

This was the fourth time I have made the Black Birds quilt. If you would like to see my previous posts, please click on these links to see the others: Black Birds, Black Birds in Blue {redo} and Black Birds {redo x2}

I just LOVE it when people use their imaginations when they take one of my designs and make it their own! Rebecca took the Black Birds pattern and used her treasured Liberty fabrics to make this gorgeous quilt.

Rebecca wrote, "Thank you for your beautiful quilt design. Finally after 3 months of work I've finished it. I made it for a friend who is about to have a baby and swapped the blackbirds for liberty birds. I wanted to show you the finished result as I'm so pleased with it. Thank so much."

After replying to her email, and asking for permission to share her beautiful quilt here with the rest of you, Rebecca wrote again, "Hi Lorna. Thank you for your kind comments. It was dream to make as your instructions were brilliant - they worked perfectly. I hand quilted it so I could get the definition round the birds and give me a more 'home made' feel. Don't look too closely as one bird is the wrong way round compared to the pattern! Of course you can use it on your blog - I'd be honoured. Thanks again and hope you carry on making more gorgeous patterns. Best Wishes, Rebecca."

Thank you for sharing your beautiful finish with us, Rebecca!!!

You can find the Black Birds pdf pattern here in my shop.

Linking up to Finish it up Friday with

Amanda Jean of Crazy Mom Quilts

For those of you who seen this last week in your email at the bottom of the Mermaid post.....
I apologize! It was a case of poor scheduling. Ooops!

Keep On Quilting On!

To follow Sew Fresh Quilts by email....

24 December 2016

Best 5 of 2016 and Plans for 2017

2016 has come and gone. Another year of finishes and a year of firsts. Looking back through my gallery of finishes for this year has prompted me to reflect on all the changes that have been a part of things here at Sew Fresh Quilts during the last 12 months. And all of the things that I am so thankful for.

Today I am sharing my Best 5 makes of 2016....

And my plans for 2017.

Modernitional Bear Paw

In last year's Best 5 of 2015 and Plans for 2016 post, I announced that this would be the Year of the Quilt Along! There were two quilt alongs this year. One was the Ugly Christmas Sweaters. And the other was the MOD Bear Paw. I made the largest version of the MOD Bear Paw first. And then I made the baby size during the quilt along.

But that great big Bear Paw quilt was my proudest finish of this year. It took a lot of patience to get through the making (and trimming) of all those little hst's. Step one took a long time to accomplish, but was so worth it in the end! I do love my great big Bear Paw!

Each of these quilt alongs were a wonderful opportunity to make so many new friends from all over the world. It was such a great pleasure to see the projects everyone was sharing and read about how much fun they were having. And this was the most fun I had all year!

Black Birds
Black Birds in Blue {redo}
Black Birds {redo x2}

Another finish from this past year was my Black Birds. Actually.... I made three. Each one a little different. I loved making each one of them. And would gladly make another!

I have read so many times on the comments and blog posts over the years, that most of us does not desire to make the same quilt more than once. I used to think so too. But not anymore!

Rural Squirrel in Cotton Couture
Rural Squirrel in Northcott ColourWorks Concepts
Rural Squirrel in Brown Neutrals

Another example of that compelling desire to make a quilt again. And again. The Rural Squirrel design. I made the first for the Northcott Fabrics booth. But had to make it again using solids. And yet again, using neutrals found in my stash. This design really goes to show you that a quilt can look so different, depending on your fabric choices.

Flowers

When it comes to just what makes me happy.... I have to think of the Flowers quilt! This quilt makes me very happy! I love the bright colours, the big pieces used to make the flowers and the butterflies, and that simple 9 patch and strips that make up a cloudy sky.

Canada 150 - Lap

My final finishes for this year are the Canada150 quilts. You can see the baby quilt in this post. And now you can see the Lap sized version was also finished, but the post will be shared with all the details this coming Friday. These designs are in anticipation of Canada's upcoming great big birthday! The sesquicentennial celebration!

I don't normally enter my quilts in shows, but I am hoping this one will be accepted into the Ailsa Craig Quilt Festival this coming May. We shall see!

Reflecting Back and Looking Forward.....

2016 has been a pivotal year for me. A year of finishes and a year of firsts.

But also a year of refining my FOCUS.

In the first couple of years, I concentrated on learning new techniques, sharing tutorials and quilting tips, and developing my own artistic style. 2015 was the year I discovered that my true passion lies in designing modern minimalist pictorial quilts using the STOP (stitch-trim-openseams-press) method. That discovery has become my focus. This is my niche. My happy place!

So this past year, I challenged myself to concentrate on design. And I did just that. I have had the most wonderful year, drawing, designing and developing quilting patterns, quilt alongs and tutorials.

The year 2017 will be.... The YEAR OF CONTINUING TO FOCUS ON DESIGN!

2016 has been a pivotal year for me. A year of finishes and a year of firsts.

But also a year of branching out into the REAL WORLD.

In the first couple of years, I read about quilters who banded together. Those who enjoyed the company of others. Those who met with quilty friends or were members of real life groups and guilds. Although I have developed a lot of close friends through the internet and enjoyed meeting other like minded quilty peeps through the Let's Bee Social - I remained alone in real life - shut up in my own little sewing room.

During the past year I have branched out of my safe zone and ventured out into the real world. I had begun to reach out to groups and guilds in my area and my events page quickly filled up with a list workshops and trunk shows that took me all over Ontario!!! What a wonderful year of travelling and meeting so many new people and places.

I am thankful for the friendships that have been formed through my interactions with followers of this blog and the participants of the Let's Bee Social. Your support and your kind comments left on my post each week are appreciated more than you know. And I want to thank you all for providing me with the courage to reach out beyond the borders of the internet and for inspiring me to connect with people in my area who I otherwise would never have met.

The year 2017 will be.... The YEAR OF Sew Fresh Quilts might spend more time at home!

2016 has been a pivotal year for me. A year of finishes and a year of firsts.

But also a year of hosting fun QUILT ALONGS.

Hosting the Elephant Parade and then the Dog Gone Cute quilt along in 2015 had been so much fun that I decided to host a few more quilt alongs in 2016. All of these quilt alongs can be found by clicking on the Quilt Alongs page tab at the top of my blog, just below the header. And these quilt alongs will always be there, so you can join in at any time.

New to Sew Fresh Quilts is a virtual quilting bee - the Sew Fresh Quilt Bee. In commemoration of Canada's upcoming 150th anniversary in 2017, Sew Fresh Quilts will be hosting a quilt bee. This SEW FRESH QUILT BEE will be our way of taking part in "Canada's Big Quilt Bee". Our quilt blocks will be made into quilts for donation to the Ronald McDonald House charity. You can read all about this fun way to help our cause here.

The year 2017 will be.... The YEAR OF the Sew Fresh Quilt Bee!

Linking up with Yvonne of Quilting Jet Girl for her 2017 Planning Party. It's not to late to join in the FUN! Write your own post for your Plans for 2017 and come join the party!

Also Linking up with Cheryl of Meadow Mist Designs.

It's not to late to join in the FUN! Write your own post for your Best of 2016 and come join the party!

What are your plans for the coming year?

Looking forward to quilting along with you in 2017!!!

Wishing you a Merry Christmas...
a Happy New Year!

And....

Keep On Quilting On!

To follow Sew Fresh Quilts by email....

25 November 2016

Black Birds {Redo x2}

This is the third time I have made this Black Bird quilt design. You can read about the first quilt here and the second quilt here. I had listed my first Black Bird baby quilt in my Etsy shop and it sold at the end of June. I made the second Black Bird quilt to help promote the pattern. Although I did not list it for sale, I did have someone make a request to purchase the quilt. So I now had the pleasure of making this quilt once again!

Here below you can see that the second quilt had a nice variety of blacks and grays for the crows and this one featured a blue bird....

This time I chose a lot of darker fabrics - no grays - and then found a nice red plaid for the interloper....

It is really fun to make the same quilt more than once because it gives me a chance to change things up. And to try out some ideas that I passed on during the first making. For this one I added more red to match that plaid love bird. The backing is a geometric print in red. And the red plaid was used in the making of the flanged binding.

Just like in the original Black Birds quilt, for the quilting, I used a variegated King Tut in Rosetta Stone thread from Superior Threads, used previously on those American Eagle and Canadian Beaver cushions. And then chose a black polyester thread for the backing.

Here you can see the details of the backing and flanged binding. If you are looking to add a little pop of colour to your next binding, you can find the tutorial here.

The Black Birds pattern is listed for sale in my pattern shop here.