Hummingbird Love

If there's one bird people are passionate about, it seems to be the hummingbird. These tiny creatures, with wings that beat about 50 times per second, almost defy imagination.

With a little imagination, Jackie Robinson used her Glorious Hummingbirds collection to create this bird lover's beauty, "Hummingbird Trail." The quilt, featured in Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting, features appliqued fussy-cut birds and Jackie's signature floral stripe border.

"Hummingbird Trail" designed by Jackie Robinson;
made by Marilyn Eider; machine quilted by Aimee Mahan

Jackie took a few minutes to talk to us about her design:

Are those fussy-cut hummingbirds and morning glories on the appliquéd blocks?

Yes. I designed that print on purpose so the birds and flowers could be fussy cut by putting space around them. The placement is varied in each block because somebody once told me I wasn't supposed to point the camera at the center. You're supposed to divide your camera view into three sections and get on one of the sidelines. So I did that with the appliqués. Plus if you're trying to hit the center and miss, it's noticeable. Don't aim for the center at all and you can't lose!

Talk about your fabric placement.

There are four fabrics used in the 6'' squares—three printed fabrics and then the cream with the applique on it. I arranged the fabric in the ninepatches so that the light nine-patch squares touching the 6'' squares are exactly the same fabric. You can do it with strip sets. The whole idea was to have the center block and the ninepatch side squares match.

 

And you used three different blues in the ninepatches?

I like the tonals in this line. I like a little bit of variety in the blocks, I think it's easier on the eye.

Tell us about fussy-cutting your floral stripe.

They've got the ¼'' bands/stripes that separate the two designs—those can become seam allowances or be part of the pattern—it offers a whole bundle of different cutting lines marked right on the fabric. That secondary stripe that it's in there (the blue)—sometimes I use it in the border, but we often use it as the binding (like in this quilt). It's an efficient use of fabric.

 

What do you like best about this quilt?

The offset appliqués on the cream blocks. I think they're interesting. They are certainly easy. You spend more time cutting them out than anything else. 

Click here to see the entire Glorious Hummingbirds collection.

Click here to order the lap-size kit for Hummingbird Trail.

Click here to learn more about Jackie, view other patterns featuring Glorious Hummingbirds, and find alternate quilt kit sizes.

Click here to find Love of Quilting.