Quilt Along Block #8, Birdhouse

I've really rushed to get this block finished up ahead of schedule. I don't want anyone to run out of work to do on this quilt while I'm otherwise occupied.

I'm afraid that I won't be doing much sewing in June as our son is having major surgery next week. I'll be spending a lot of time in the hospital at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, where he'll be kept for a week or more. He's a bachelor, so when he's released he'll be coming home to our house for his recuperation.

I'll  be taking books and crochet along to keep me busy through long hours of waiting. I'll also have my computer and pencils and paper with me so I can sit quietly and work on new pattern designs whenever the mood arises. I hope that I get enough designing done that I can make up for lost sewing time in July, but such things are terribly unpredictable.

Working on the birdhouse block

What is it about birdhouses that makes people happy and makes quilters want to depict them on quilts?  Is it the reminder of cheery twitters early on a summer morning or something more? There are hundreds of birdhouse quilts out there, and somehow birdhouses fit right in with our theme of "home".

I considered putting many other items in this block, but they simply weren't going to fit unless I made the birdhouse and the bird pretty miniscule. So the resulting block is quite simple - a birdhouse, a bird, the branch of a tree. After making the block I've been thinking that I should add a real birdhouse to the tree in my front yard, the one that I now see from my sewing room window. Goodness knows there are enough birds in that tree! Someone should take residence.

A mistake in my block? Absolutely!

There was an unintended lapse in my thinking. When I first ironed the applique pieces onto the block, I had it just right. Then, I looked at it again and thought that the branch looked bare above the birdhouse. I had totally forgotten that a string to hang the birdhouse from the branch would fill that spot.

So I added another leaf. I didn't realize my mistake until everything was stitched and I was getting ready to sew the string.

Oops! The extra leaf was in the way! Nothing to do but let the leaf float behind the string. It works, but I would have preferred it the other way. Some quilters add an intentional mistake to every quilt, but I truly have no need to make any mistakes on purpose. I unintentionally make more than enough! Sigh...



Wishing all of you a wonderful and productive June! May all of your quilts be at least almost perfect.

Happy stitching!!