My art group challenged each other to make a quilt, 25 X 30, using an ocean or sea theme. I was really excited about this challenge, as well, as I love the water and water birds. I had been wanting to do pelicans with their beautiful colors, shown in the pictures I had taken at Dauphin Island. Even though they are called a brown pelican, up close their colors are amazing. I had started making two of my quilt designs. I started making one the size that could be entered in a show, because the challenges were usually smaller. Plus, I thought if both boys liked the same quilt, they could each have one. So I made 2 of each of the pelicans, in order to make 2 quilts.

I decided on the size I wanted the pelicans to be. The first step of making the pattern was to go to https://www.blockposters.com/ and download my photo. You get to choose whether to make it one, two, or three pages long. I decided where I wanted them on the quilt, and made the birds decreasing in size, so I could make it look like some were further away from us, giving the illusion of depth. Once I printed the enlarged photo, I taped it together and decided how much detail I wanted and where to change the lines and value to get the look I wanted. I made the pelican who was landing smaller, so that he could be placed farther out in the ocean.

I wanted to use a close up shot of an elder pelican with his white head, like an older eagle, velvet greens on his throat and the yellow on his head. So I increased him in size and placed him as though he were close to the viewer. When I increased the size of the quilt from the first quilt, the head was too small. I had to increase the size of the pelican head. So, I made a third larger pelican head. I used the second pelican head from the beginning to make a small "sample" quilt on which to try different glitzy fabrics, threads, and free-motion patterns.

I wanted to stagger them, so the third one with the close up of his feathers had to be between the other two, smaller than the close up pelican and larger than the one landing. To get him the "right height" for the perspective of the quilt giving the impression of depth, I had to build a rock for him to stand on to show him being father away. So then I drew my patterns. I drew more details in the two closest to the viewer, to make them appear closer. I just kind of sketched the lines I wanted, sometimes combining feathers, or changing their shape to make them "prettier", or easier to piece. For the pelican that was landing, I did not draw in tiny details. Since he's so far away, he would seem to the viewer, as though he were more of one color.

Once I have the patterns, I draw a slightly smaller outline of the bird on 830 Pellon, so that I can use wonder under or glue to hold the pieces in place for the subject matter, whatever it might be. That way I can lay them on background fabrics and audition which fabrics look best with the main "model"....bird, butterfly, frogs, whatever it might be. The fun part is picking the fabrics.

I made two of each piece at the same time, because it saves time since I'm deciding on which fabric to use, which piece goes under and which over. I draw the pattern on wonder under twice, rather than figuring it out again later.

Then I auditioned fabrics, to pick the best background. I actually like the strip pieced background best, but I wanted to be able to free-motion pieced fabrics don't lend themselves to that as well. Maybe do that for a quilt in my future.

Once the pelicans and palm tree were appliquéd and free-motioned down, it was time to free-motion the background. This was difficult. I wanted to quilt water and sky like images. The first problem to solve was which thread to use. I wanted the threads not to show, but to match the background. I ended up using a darker teal for the water and lighter for the sky.

I just take one area at a time and decide how I think the water or sky movements might go. I wanted to add glitz for fun and to simulate sun on water. Sometimes, as in this quilt, I know what motif I want to use. (Motifs are focal points which are meant to draw attention and catch the eye of the person looking at the quilt.) I start with that and then fill in around it.

For this one, I wanted to add pelicans flying in the sky. I found a couple of my photos of them in flight. I traced over them, trying to make it a one continuous line pattern. I needed to reverse the image, because I quilted from the back. So, I drew my pattern on tracing paper, attached it to the back with pins and followed the lines. I removed the paper. I practiced on a scrap piece of fabric, to make sure it worked. I used 12 wt. thread in the bobbin, so it's more noticeable from the front.

Then I filled in some clouds. Sometimes I will use tracing paper, draw a line around the area that I want to do next, doodle some lines I think will fit with the background, until I get what I like. Then I start quilting, then meandering around the quilt design to finish filling in the area.

I worked on the quilts from Feb. 20, 2018 to May, 2019.

People always ask me how much time a quilt takes to make. So, on this one, I documented all the time spent because I have no idea. I made a chart with the date, the procedure for that time, beginning log in time and log out time, then number of hours. (As I said, I made two of each bird at the same time. It doesn't take much time for the second one because all decisions have been made on the first one, and planning takes time - sometimes more than the actual physical work.)

It took 17 hours to plan the quilt: sorting through my photos to pick the ones I wanted, thinking and deciding on designs, deciding on techniques to use, picking fabrics that might work. I spent 8 1/4 hrs. designing the three birds, and numbering the patterns. It took me 25.5 hours start to finish on the pelican flying in. I had to draw and cut out patterns for each piece, decide on the fabric, iron it on, cut it out and lay it in place on the fabric I had cut out in the outside shape. Next I worked on the whole pelican with his back to us. This took 62.25 hours to complete. The next character was the pelican's head closest to us. This bird took 41.5 hours to complete. However, I didn't use the 2nd one for the quilt. I had to add 44.5 hours to design and sew that larger one. So far, I'd spent 199 hours. Then I spent 15 1/2 hours deciding and working on background. Next I spent 105.75 hours gluing down the birds, appliquéing them, stitching the appliqué down, stitching all the feathers down, and free-motioning anywhere needed on the birds. Free-motion quilting on the background was 37 hours, and hand stitching the facing and sleeve was 10 hours for a total of 367.25 hours. That's an equivalent of 45 days at an average of 8 hours a day.

Shows

"I'm Not Just An Ugly Brown Bird", juried into The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show, Sept. 7-9, 2023. 

"I'm Not Just An Ugly Brown Bird", juried into AQS, Des Moines, IA Sept.14-17, 2022.

"I'm Not Just An Ugly Brown Bird", selected for Martha Sielman's book about bird quilts,  “Stitched Journeys with Birds”, published in 2023.

" I'm Not Just An Ugly Brown Bird", entered into AQS, Charleston SC, Sept.30 - Oct. 2, 2020 Contest was canceled due to Covid-19 virus.

"I'm Not Just An Ugly Brown Bird", entered into AQS, Grand Rapids, MI, Aug.19-22, 2020 Canceled due to Covid-19 virus.

"I'm Not Just An Ugly Brown Bird", juried into AQS, Lancaster the Nook PN, Aug. 5-7, 2020 Show was canceled due to the Covid-19 Virus

"I'm Not Just An Ugly Brown Bird", juried into AQS, Paducah, KY, Apr. 22-25, 2020 canceled due to the Covid-19 Virus

"I'm Not Just An Ugly Brown Bird", juried into AQS, Lancaster Downtown PN, Mar. 25-28, 2020 This show was CANCELED due to the Covid-19 Virus

"I'm Not Just An Ugly Brown Bird juried into AQS, Daytona, FL ", Feb.26 - 29, 2020

"I'm Not Just An Ugly Brown Bird", juried into IQA, Houston, TX, Oct.31 - Nov.3, 2019

Awards

"I'm Not Just An Ugly Brown Bird", juried into The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show, Sept. 7-9, 2023.  Honorable Mention in Wall Quilts – Machine Quilted- Pictorial

Second Quilt Shows

"Who Says I'm An Ugly Brown Bird," juried into Mancuso Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival Online, Visuals #3 due to Covid. Feb.24-27, 2021

"Who says I'm an Ugly Brown Bird", Special Exhibition "ARTrageous Sea", Pacific International Quilt Festival, Santa Clara, CA Oct.17 - 20 , 2019

"Who says I'm an Ugly Brown Bird", Special Exhibition "ARTrageous Sea", Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza, Oaks, PA Sept. 12-15, 2019

"Who says I'm an Ugly Brown Bird", Special Exhibition "ARTrageous Sea", World Quilt New England, Springfield MA Aug. 15 -17, 2019

"Who says I'm an Ugly Brown Bird", Special Exhibition "ARTrageous Sea" , Quiltfest Lancaster,  Lancaster, PA May 9 - 11, 2019