A New Twist on the Trip Around the World Quilt: Pacific Flyway
Hello Quilty Friends!
Most of you already know that I’m a quilter and fabric hoarder, but did you know I’m also a huge bird nerd? You know that lady standing on the side of the road or in a park with a big hat, staring through binoculars at something up in a tree? Probably fumbling with a guide book and phone at the same time? Yes, that’s me. It’s one of my many obsessions.
Every few years I have the great fortune to make a trek out West to see my home and family in the Pacific Northwest. This usually means a whole lot of birding. There are a lot of bird species that migrate along the West Coast in the early spring and fall – some go as far as Alaska to Patagonia. They follow various routes that are collectively called the Pacific Flyway. This migration means that the local pond which is normally home to a few usual suspects becomes a startling treasure hunt of seemingly exotic birds like brilliant white swans, tall elegant Sandhill Cranes, and various funky ducks. The trees can have all sorts of tweety birds either passing through or staying for the summer – like a tiny yellow tree fairy known as the Wilson’s Warbler.
Last time I was out, I had the inspiration to design a quilt that reminded me of this birding paradise. I found some bird themed fabric and went to work. The result was a new variation on the classic Trip Around the World quilt. You’ve probably seen or even made one of these classics. It typically starts with a center square and then has diamond shaped rings of squares around it going all the way out to the edges. Each round is often a different color.
My version was meant to tell a story – a story of migrating birds. Plain squares are replaced with simple blocks. The center is a compass of flying geese that give the quilt dynamic movement. It looks complicated, but as with all my Flabby Tabby Designs, it’s actually beginner friendly and simple. Assembly for this queen-sized quilt is done in four sections plus pieced sashing. This way you don’t need to lay out every block at once. You will piece together just one section at a time and then put the sections together. Easy peasy.
You, of course, don’t need to use the same colors that I have on the front. Included in the pattern is a Color Choice Guide. It breaks down how to pick your favorite colors and fabrics for the quilt. There’s a lot of fabrics! You say, looking at the cover sample. There are, but they are just different shades of two main colors and two accents. You can do it – yes, Ma’am! You can!
Dive in, because once you are done, you will have a big snuggly quilt – excellent for seeking refuge from the cold and watching the skies for traveling birds!
Your quilty friend,
Victoria Hansel-Kuehn
Flabby Tabby Designs by Victoria Hansel-Kuehn
Victoria Hansel-Kuehn, a talented local quilter and pattern designer from Princeton, West Virginia, has created some exciting new designs that we’re thrilled to showcase. Discover more about Victoria and her creative journey on our blog. Shop Flabby Tabby Designs in-store or online (click here).
