Baby Bird Nursery Crib Quilt: Day 4

I'm back with Today's feature: My Baby Bird Crib Quilt.

Now, let me start by saying that I am no quilting expert...I have only made a couple of quilts in my lifetime and they are never perfect.  That being said, I could not find a quilt that fit what I was looking for so I decided to give a shot  at designing my own.

My finished quilt is 36"X52"

• Fabric: 100% Cotton


• 2.5 yds for backing and borders


• 1 yd each of 6 prints


• 1 crib size cotton batting


• Fabric for binding


• Thread


• Iron on adhesive (Heat and Bond)

I choose a fabric with a white background and birds in primary and secondary colors.  I wanted the quilt to be appropriate for either a boy or a girl, because we never find out the gender before the baby is born.

My other fabrics were patterns in the colors of the birds:

red, orange, yellow, blue, green & brown.

After the fabric is chosen, bring it home and wash it in baby detergent and iron it.  Cut as follows:

Bird Fabric:

(1) 35" X 52 "

(2) 4" X 29"

(2) 4" X 50"

(4) 6"X12.5"

(1) 6" X 45"

One of each color:

12.5" X 12.5"

Next I applied the adhesive to about a 12" X 12" portion of each colored fabric.  I then cut

1 body,  1 Wing and 1 triangle for a beak from each color.

This is the pattern I used to cut the body and wing.  I cut a small triangle for each beak.

I assembled each bird with one part in each color and another color for the base.  I  ironed each piece to it's base so now I had (6) 12.5" X 12.5" squares with the birds adhered.  I ran each through the sewing machine with the zigzag stitch set wide and short.  Having never done this before there may be a better way, or a better stitch but I was very happy with the results. I added little feet to each.

I then sewed the quilt front together:

(1) 6" X 12.5" to the bottom of four of the bird squares.

Sew a bird square on the bottom each of those rows.  Now you have 2 rows.

Join those rows in the center with the 6"X45" piece

Add a 4"X29" piece to the top and bottom, and then a 4"X50" to each side.

Next I built my quilt sandwich, layering the quilt top, the batting (I use the natural cotton as I like the feel and weight of it for a baby quilt), and the backing.

I pinned it and "stitched in the ditch around each square and around the large outer rectangle.  I created the binding with the orange fabric or you can use store bought binding.

I hand stitched the binding to the back.

The final product:

Thanks for checking out my tutorial!  I know it is not a technically correct quilt, but I was happy with the results and wanted to share!

Be sure to comment to enter to win a baby birdhouse at the end of our Baby Bird Nursery series!

 

 

Day Two: Baby Bird Dresser

Day Two of Baby Bird Nursery Theme Week: Baby Bird Dresser

This dresser was a polished wood finish before I decided to incorporate it in the baby bird nursery theme.  I sanded the dresser down to remove all of the previous finish.  I used high gloss furniture paint with a single coat of primer.  I took the drawers out and primed and painted them one at a time being careful to get in all the nooks and crannies!  During the drying time between coats (it took two coats of paint over the primer),  I painted the knobs.  I started with plain, UNFINISHED wooden knobs like those below.

I primed them and painted them white with the same paint I used for the dresser.  Again, two coats over the primer.  I used craft paint for the birds.

The birds were done free hand one step at a time, letting each dry before painting the next step.  I did not want the colors to run and smear.

You could apply a sealer to the knobs but the paint set very well and I did not feel it was necessary.

  This dresser was an adorable addition to the baby's nursery!

If you would like me to create some custom drawer knobs for you, send me a message on the Custom Craft Picks page!

Check out the first day of our Baby Bird Nursery Theme!

Subscribe or comment to my blog to be entered to win a miniature bird house at the end of our week long Baby Bird Nursery Theme!  Winner will be drawn 6/15/2012.  Good Luck!

Day one: Baby Bird Nursery

I have been thinking about the best way to organize my ideas and present them to my readers and decided that a weekly theme will do the trick!

Baby Bird Nursery!

Today begins my very first theme!! A Baby Birdie Nursery! I am VERY excited about this theme because it is something very close to my heart!  In February 2010 I found out I was pregnant with my fourth child.  We always keep the gender of our children a surprise so I needed a neutral nursery theme.  I had fallen in love with birdies that year but, unlike now when I see them all the time,  there were absolutely no nursery sets available...even if there were, I probably would have wanted to make my own anyway. It was a little tricky keeping the theme neutral but I decided on a bold primary/secondary color palette.   I found this amazing fabric by Heidi Grace at JoAnn Fabrics and that was my jump off point!

 I created a quilt, painted a mural, created wall hangings, a mobile, added baby bird details to the dresser, a cover for the crib railing (Anti-Chew!), and a little birdhouse for an accent.

Today, I will be showing you the mural I painted and how I added paper baby bird accents.

This is one on the two tree murals I painted.  I have to apologize that the pictures are not fabulous, but I am unable to take new pictures, as we have sadly left this beautiful tree behind when we moved from our home this past January.  There was another tree on the opposite wall right next to the window in this room.

As you can see it is a curly tree with baby bird and leaves throughout.  I penciled the tree free hand on the wall so that I could change anything I was not happy with before I began paining.  I would like to mention that I had never painted anything in my life so I was quite anxious about how it would come out....Be sure to lay out a drop cloth under your trees so you do not ruin the carpet below!  I used two coats of Interior wall paint in a gloss finish and several different types of brushes.  You can see a little bit of texture in the bark and that was just created by the paint below coming through.  You can paint another coat if you prefer a more solid look.  I also painted grass all the way around the room to give it a more finished and cohesive look.

I added clouds in the sky for a whimsical touch!

Now that I have shown you how to paint the tree, how about I show you how I added those cute little birdies!  I choose a range of papers and cardstock as seen below:

I took a thick piece of chipboard and drew a pattern for the birdie and its wing.

I traced about 30 of each piece on different papers and cut them out.  I also cut out 30 simple triangles for the beaks.  I used regular white glue to glue the wing and beak onto each bird.  I kept the body and wings different colors so the wing would stand out.  I then chose a button in another color and attached it with glue dots.  Voila, cute little birdies!

I also needed some leaves.  I free handed mine so there would be some variation in the leaves.  I used about ten different types of green paper to add a bit of interest to the trees.

Next, I had to find a way to attach them to the tree without ruining the wall behind them.  This took some thinking but, I decided to use flour and water!  It worked like a charm, and should be removable with steam or just water!  I mixed about a cup of flour with water until it resembled a thin paste.  I brushed it on the back of each bird and leaf than pressed it firmly to the wall, using my fingers to work out any air bubbles.   There you have it!

I was so pleased with how this mural came out and it really inspired me to create other items to complete the look.  Later this week I will show you how I created a quilt, a mobile, painted a dresser, made wall hangings, a crib bar cover and birdhouse!

Thanks for checking out my Baby Bird Nursery! Subscribe to my blog to get all the info on how to create the other components in this adorable nursery! Leave a comment if you have a question or something to share! Check back tomorrow for the next installment in our Baby Bird Nursery theme!