There's a huge quilt store in Le Claire, Iowa right next to the Mississippi River. Le Claire is also the home of American Pickers and it's a fun riverfront town. I found some white fabric with a pattern that reminded me of feathers so I grabbed that. I've never done any machine applique before and my old Kenmore really isn't suitable for the task so I enlisted help from my dear friend and master quilter, Diana Jenks. The first step was to iron the bodies on each of the squares and add some feet.
Next was sewing down all those beaks. Diana was actually preparing to move and there were a few of us frantically finishing up projects. I raced through those beaks as fast as I could and was so relieved to get them done and get out of Diana's hair.
I was so happy to find this fabric for the backing. The colors were exactly what was in the quilt and the fact they are eggs was just so perfect. I didn't intend to make this an Easter quilt, but it turns out that's the kind of quilt these chicks wanted to be. It was kismet.
I received some reprieve when I mailed everything off to Sarah, a friend of mine in Iowa City, to be quilted. I was really, really, really ready to slap the binding on it and just be done. Around this time, Katrina suggested doing a double binding and I looked long and hard at some fabric she had included that I hadn't used. It was so perfect, the birds on a wire were exactly the same shape as the chicks in the quilt. The color was the same color as the beaks. It just needed to happen. However, I have never done a double binding and figuring it out and sewing it on took me a solid day. The light was growing dim and the girls were begging for dinner when I finally hand-stitched the last details of the last corner.
Sarah clearly enjoyed working on this quilt. She gave the chicks a variety of backgrounds and varied the stitching on their wings, which I love. She struggled a bit with the button eyes- but those had to be sewn on before it was quilted or the stitching would show through the back. The buttons I used for eyes were another debacle of epic proportions. I made returns to the quilt store twice and the woman made no bones about her irritation at me for doing so. The original ones I purchased were just way too big and I was about to settle for ones that didn't match when I discovered some that were perfectly-sized and uniform.
I'm so very happy with this quilt even though it ended up being a much bigger project that I anticipated! I'm glad I was able to finish it in time for Easter and I was practically giddy as I put the sewing machine away.
More importantly, the girls love it too and this will be yet another heirloom that can be passed down for generations to come.
Then I stitched down the bodies with this T-stitch that made them look really quaint. Having a similar thread also helped to give a little cohesiveness to those blocks with colors just a little off.
Next was sewing down all those beaks. Diana was actually preparing to move and there were a few of us frantically finishing up projects. I raced through those beaks as fast as I could and was so relieved to get them done and get out of Diana's hair.
I'm really going to miss her. She's one of the sweetest ladies I know.
The next part took ridiculously long- deciding where to place which chick. The pattern came with a chart showing where dark, medium and light chicks should be placed, but that didn't always work out with the colors. The chicks alternate which way they face row by row, and I even had to make a few extra blocks from scraps because I just wasn't happy with how it was turning out with the ready-made options. I sent many pictures to Katrina and since she happened to be at a quilt retreat, there was a lot of feedback from her quilting friends. After staring at it for days, I decided on this as the layout. There is one rebel chick that faces the wrong direction and I rather like that one. My absolute favorite is the yellow chick in the bottom right corner. The checked fabric just makes me happy and of course, I love the deep yellow color. It's so cheerful! Each of my sisters have since claimed a favorite as their own.
I was so happy to find this fabric for the backing. The colors were exactly what was in the quilt and the fact they are eggs was just so perfect. I didn't intend to make this an Easter quilt, but it turns out that's the kind of quilt these chicks wanted to be. It was kismet.
I received some reprieve when I mailed everything off to Sarah, a friend of mine in Iowa City, to be quilted. I was really, really, really ready to slap the binding on it and just be done. Around this time, Katrina suggested doing a double binding and I looked long and hard at some fabric she had included that I hadn't used. It was so perfect, the birds on a wire were exactly the same shape as the chicks in the quilt. The color was the same color as the beaks. It just needed to happen. However, I have never done a double binding and figuring it out and sewing it on took me a solid day. The light was growing dim and the girls were begging for dinner when I finally hand-stitched the last details of the last corner.
Sarah clearly enjoyed working on this quilt. She gave the chicks a variety of backgrounds and varied the stitching on their wings, which I love. She struggled a bit with the button eyes- but those had to be sewn on before it was quilted or the stitching would show through the back. The buttons I used for eyes were another debacle of epic proportions. I made returns to the quilt store twice and the woman made no bones about her irritation at me for doing so. The original ones I purchased were just way too big and I was about to settle for ones that didn't match when I discovered some that were perfectly-sized and uniform.
I'm so very happy with this quilt even though it ended up being a much bigger project that I anticipated! I'm glad I was able to finish it in time for Easter and I was practically giddy as I put the sewing machine away.
More importantly, the girls love it too and this will be yet another heirloom that can be passed down for generations to come.
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