BIRD BLOCKS
In past issues of Today’s Quilter, we have looked at picture or pictorial blocks and how to make them, including baskets, trees, flowers, houses and ships. This month I offer some sweet bird blocks. You should be able to find bird images in patchwork block directory books – however, I found many of them to be rather abstract, so I’ve created four (4) of my own, shown in Fig 1. I say ‘created’, but to be honest, these blocks are an amalgam of bird blocks I have seen online, which I’ve adapted to make them easy to sew. The techniques used are simple ones. I also wanted bird images that looked fairly realistic. I’ve given the blocks names based on the colours I’ve chosen, but they would also look good made in more contemporary fabrics for a fun look. Many of the previous picture blocks described have been 9in square (finished), so I’ve chosen this size again. My plan is that, in the future, we will be able to make a sampler quilt showing a whole range of pictorial blocks. The fourth block, which I’ve called a budgie, has more of a cartoon look. I haven’t given sizes for this one (although I could for a 9in block if anyone wants the details). I think if it was scaled up to, say 12in or 14in, it would make a fun cushion or bag for a child.
So, in this article, we will look in detail at making three (3) of the bird blocks shown in Fig 1, giving sizes and describing the methods in full.
I made three (3) of the bird blocks and incorporated them into a long wall hanging (or a table runner if you prefer). Three (3) different fabrics were chosen for the block backgrounds, but a single colour could be used instead. A bold fabric, from the new Tilda Bloomsville collection (Flowertangle blue), was chosen for the sashing and border and these strips were cut 1½in wide, finishing at 1in. It would be easy to have the birds facing the opposite way if desired by scanning the diagram into a drawing programme and creating a reflected (flipped) image.
GENERAL TECHNIQUES USED
For these bird blocks, some common techniques have been used and are described below. These techniques include creating corner triangles units from squares, making half-square triangle units and using templates. When needed, refer back to this page as a reminder of the methods.
CREATING CORNER TRIANGLE UNITS
These units create the angles and sharp points needed to make the birds look more
