My Big brother is a bit of a clever clogs who has recently been in the international news because he discovered a new species of owl.
I wanted to use my talents to make something to recognise his, so I searched for the best photo of the owl that I could find and then designed a paper pieced pattern.
I wanted to use my talents to make something to recognise his, so I searched for the best photo of the owl that I could find and then designed a paper pieced pattern.
It was a really difficult pattern to design for several reasons.
I think that I put a lot of pressure on myself to get this one right, and to get the pattern as life-like and accurate as possible. As a result, it was incredibly difficult deciding which features to highlight and which to ignore- there was just so much that I wanted to include, but in the end of the day, the pattern had to be sewable (is that a word?!), so hard decisions had to be made.
I compromised a bit- this block is 14 inch rather than my normal 12 inch bird blocks and as such I squeezed in as much detail as I possibly could without it becoming too ridiculous!
I am really pleased with many of the fabric choices for this block, but my favourite part is the musical rock that the owl is standing on. This is a reference to the fact that my brother is a musician and that he found the bird when he was recording birdsong.
As with the bird Robin and the Puffin, I still need to turn this block into something, but I won't be showing the finished results on my blog until after Christmas (sorry!)
I WAS feeling pretty proud of myself for almost finishing the presents for the adults of my family, but then I remembered that I need to make some presents for the in-laws too- ah well more paper piecing for me! If you want to track my progress, just have a look on my instagram feed.
I WAS feeling pretty proud of myself for almost finishing the presents for the adults of my family, but then I remembered that I need to make some presents for the in-laws too- ah well more paper piecing for me! If you want to track my progress, just have a look on my instagram feed.
To be honest, at the moment I'm not really planning to put this new owl pattern in my shop (it was designed purely for personal reasons and I've already got a Morepork owl pattern for sale), but if anybody really wants this pattern, just give me a shout. I'm more than happy to make it available if people want it.
I'm sharing over at WIP Wednesday.
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I would love to have it!
ReplyDeleteIt is stunning Juliet - I am sure he is going to be over the moon! and love the music incorporated into it. What a lovely lovely thought xx
ReplyDeleteit's gorgeous! and looks exactly like the original, stunning! :)
ReplyDeleteI would love to have him too, he's a gorgeous owl both IRL and in fabric.
ReplyDeleteI love the thought you put into choosing the fabric! Very sweet and makes it that bit more special!
ReplyDelete--Jo
Visiting from WIP Wed. Your owl is fantastic. Really nice job!
ReplyDeleteJaneen@Quilt Art Designs.
Naw - such a lovely way to show your brother the love! x
ReplyDeleteWow! That is a beautiful and fitting tribute - cleverness runs in your family clearly! :o) xx
ReplyDeleteBeautiful tribute to your brother. As a fellow musician and bird watcher, I would like to have the pattern.
ReplyDeleteSunning is right! It's just like the photo!
ReplyDeleteOh it turned out brilliant! I worked at a wildlife park for 8 years with a barn owl and two great horned owls (among many other cool beasts) and think you did a fantastic job!
ReplyDeleteThis is impressive! It looks amazing! Nice work!
ReplyDeleteYour owl is stunning! Love him!
ReplyDeleteKim @ TiesThatBindQuilting
This is so cute! I would love to make it, but the tiny pieces would probably kill me!
ReplyDeleteyou are amazing. And congrats to your brother...how cool!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE your paper piecing birds
ReplyDeleteYou are amazingly clever
Big love xxx
You should feel proud of yourself - it's awesome. And, congrats to your brother! Stopping by from WIP Wednesday.
ReplyDeleteWow, that's fabulous! You did an excellent job. So cool that your brother discovered that!
ReplyDeleteJust stumbled across your block and blog on Pinterest and as a birder in North America (and a quilter), it caught my eye. We are having a wonderful winter "invasion" of Snowy Owl from the Artic! Great job on translating the owl into a paper pieced block!
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