Messenger Bird

Buy the pattern for $7 in my pattern shop!

H👏 S👏 T👏 !  

H👏 S👏 T👏 !  

H👏 S👏 T👏  for👏  me👏 !  

(I'm hoping that catches on, what a great chant!)

I am such a fan of half square triangles!  I know they can be a pain, but they are so versatile and worth it because of the great designs they enable. In this pattern, I cover two ways of making HSTs and provide different cutting charts depending on your preferred method. It's great for beginners! In the pattern, I've provided directions and amounts needed for two sizes: baby (45" x 45") and twin (63" x 81").

There are so many options with this quilt. I feel like I say that all of the time. Maybe it's because I like to have options? But for reals this time: I'm not even sure the possibilities are calculable.  

Here are just a few options I created in EQ7 using this block.

Pretty diverse, right? It'd almost be difficult to make this quilt the same way twice.

The variety is all about how many colors you'd like to incorporate, whether to be intentional (or not) about placement of those colors within the blocks, the rotation of the blocks, laying out the blocks in an organized way or giving them a fun "random" appearance.

The negative spaces created in this quilt will also vary depending on your choices.  I tried to maximize the negative space, so I positioned the blocks in a way that clustered the areas of white. And then I picked a quilting motif (overlapping spirals - link to my video tutorial) that would stand out in those areas.

As an aside, one goal I keep in mind when deciding how I'm going to quilt a top is to incorporate a mix of straight lines and round, curvy shapes. The juxtaposition of the two types of quilting adds a lot of interest to a quilt, I think. 

As you may have also noticed from the photos above, I love using scraps! In fact, I have romantic notions about revisiting fabrics used in prior quilts. It reminds me of the loved ones for whom I made those quilts. It also gives me a satisfied feeling of getting my money's worth from my fabric "investment". The ROI's sky high, in other words! :)

Luckily for us both, scraps are absolutely perfect for this quilt! 

When I made this version, I went wild on my blue scraps. Blue because the quilt was for my son and that's the color he requested. In the time that elapsed between his request and when I actually made the quilt, his favorite color changed to orange. So I went ahead and made the backing orange. It's a good thing they look so good together! :)

I chose Messenger Bird as the name of this pattern for a few reasons. One, I love music and Messenger Bird's Song is a Bright Eyes song I've long-loved. I heard it recently after a long, long time and my affection for it was renewed. Two, the block this quilt is based upon is a traditional Birds in the Air block. Three, with all the options available, you'll send your own "message" through your design choices.

The 8-page PDF pattern includes cutting charts, two different ways to make half square triangles, ideas for several different layouts along with a diagram to construct a quilt top just as you've seen here.

Interactive coloring!

Save the image below, import in the Recolor app, and color your heart out! A full tutorial with video is available here, if you need any help.

*The diagrams below don't accurately reflect the piecing in the pattern, but it does allow for easier digital coloring. ;)

Interested in any of my other patterns? Check out my pattern shop!