Let's Go To The Birds With Jamie Fingal's New Fabric Line from Hoffman Fabrics!

I was delighted when my dear friend and "Dinner At Eight" partner-in-crime told me she was designing a fabric line with a "bird" theme.  I looked forward to see it and I am not disappointed!  I am a life-long "bird geek".  I grew up in a house where there were feeders outside each window & binoculars placed in strategic locations in the house for optimum viewing of birds.
I still have this habit.  Few things give me as much joy as observing birds and cultivating a habitat for them in my garden.

Jamie's new line of fabric from Hoffman is a delight for the senses.  The deep, rich colors suggest a bit of fall might be in the air, but it is not simply a fall-themed palette.  I love the addition of a few stripes, a bird journal, the bird houses, and her fun bunting in the mix.

For my project I decided to be quite free-wheeling:  I cut pieces of fabric "freehand" with my rotary cutter.  In other words, no measuring and straight edges from a ruler.  Why?  Just because!  I love the look of the more organic appearance that comes as a result of this method of cutting.

First, I cut squares from many of the fabrics, and then some strips.  The strips were pieced around the square(ish) shapes.

Using Mistyfuse I fused some small pieces, then cut bird and leaf shapes with my Sizzix  dies.  I like how they add some additional depth and movement to the blocks!

cutting the "squares"

Pre-fused fabric is run through the Sizzix Big Shot die-cutter.

the results:  two bird forms and several sizes of leaves.

The "branches" were free-cut with scissors

Since it is close to Valentine's Day I thought adding a heart was in order...

But I wanted it to look a bit like an apple...

I love the wonderful shapes and colors in the fabric.

I like that I can see the shapes of Jamie's sketch-doodles in the fabric!

It is such fun to free-motion quilt using the shapes as a guide.

I used the dual-feed feature on my Bernina 750 QE to do some of the straight quilting.

I like the wonky feel of these free-cut blocks!

I am using a double-layer of wool-blend felt from National Nonwovens as my batting.

It is great for wall-hangings because it holds a nice flat shape.

To finish the (somewhat uneven) edges I opted for a border of black and white ribbon trim.

It looks a bit like film negative edge, which seems perfect for this study in birds!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and please leave a comment here to become eligible for prizes.  We are going to do a give away for a bundle of the 'Autumn is for Birds' fabric.  Hoffman Fabrics has been very generous in providing the prize!  Don't forget to check out the other stops on this multi-day hop.  

Jamie shares a link to her Twisted Sister blog talking about how the 'Autumn is for Birds' fabric line was made:  http://www.jamiefingaldesigns.com/2015/01/autumn-is-for-birds.html

Hoffman Fabrics link http://www.hoffmanfabrics.com/

The giveaway is for a bundle of the 'Autumn is for Birds' fabric.   Hoffman Fabrics has been very generous in providing the fabrics!

Feb 16 - You. Are. Here.

Feb 17 - Lisa Chin

Feb 18 - Cheryl Sleboda

Feb 19 - Stacy Hurt

Feb 20 - Candy Glendening 

Feb 21 - Sue Bleiweiss

Feb 22 - Jamie Fingal