Hive 4 - September Tutorial - Block Lotto Birds for Pennie

I hope this month’s block will bring a smile to you just as it has to me. I saw the tutorial on the Missouri Star Quilt YouTube channel and I’ve loved it ever since. I even made myself a block at the time, which hangs on my “design wall” (the curtain behind my cutting table), but I haven’t made more. I would love you all to make a bird (or two) to help me create a cheerful throw.

The tutorial from Jenny is here.

The Block Lotto Birds pattern is here.

For my version I only have 2 requirements. Please make the background fabric a sky-like blue. Not too dark and not too light. I want it to read as blue - not white with a sheen of blue. Use what ever you have for sky blue (solids, prints, tone on tone) just make sure it reads blue.

Also, I would like the birds to have black legs. Solids, prints, tone on tone; it just needs to read black.

It doesn’t matter to me which way your bird is facing.  The 1st one I made faced the opposite of what I thought it was going to. Not sure how that happened, but this one faces to the right. 

Embrace your joy of color. I’m going for bright, cheery and fanciful. In other words, your bird color combo does not have to exist in nature.

1. Here are the fabrics I’m using. Changes to cutting instructions are minimal: I cut the 4 7/8” squares at 5”. Cut the beak square at 2”. Cut the 3” by 8” sky rectangle at 4” by 8”. Jenny uses 3/4” strips for the legs but the written instructions call for 1” strips. I used 1” strips this time, but I find the legs a little chubby. Either works. For the beak I used orange/gold, but feel free to use black (or any other color) you want. 
   
2. Place the wing (purple half square) in the orientation you want the bird to face (the vertical straight line). Add the 1.5” (green) squares to the wing. Sew the bottom square diagonally across the wing bottom corner. Fold to the corner, press and trim. Sew the other 1.5” square across the top of the wing. I came down about 1” from the top corner and lined it up on long straight side to sew. Fold up and trim.
   

   
   
3. Attach the sky blue half square to the wing along the diagonal to make a square.
   
   
   
4. Attach the 1.5” sky square to the bottom of the 1.5” by 4.5” body. Sew diagonally from top to bottom in the same direction you sewed the square of the body to the bottom of the wing. Press and trim.
   
   
   
5. Attach the body rectangle to the wing block. Press.
   
   
   
6. Attach the beak square diagonally to the top of the sky 1.5” by 4.5” rectangle. (Having a 2” square for the beak made this a little easier. Press and trim.
   
   
   
   

   
   
   
7. Attach the beak/sky rectangle to the body/wing/sky block. Press.
   
   
   
8. Attach the 3” x 6.5” sky rectangle to the top. Press.
   
   
   
9. Place your 2 black legs about an inch apart on top of the 4” by 8” rectangle. Decide the angle you want them to be. Cut 2 diagonal lines where the legs will go. 
10. Attach the left most leg to the left third of the rectangle. Press. Add the middle third of the rectangle to the right side of the left leg. Press. Add the right leg to the right of the 2 thirds of rectangle. Press. Add the last third of the rectangle to the right side of the right leg. Press.
    
    

    
    

    
    
    

    
    

    

    
    

    
    
    
    
    
11. You will end up with a lop-side rectangle (unless you know the magic of inserting a skinny rectangle into a diagonal cut and having the bottom and tops line up - I do not know this magic). Trim the rectangle to 3” by 8”.
    
    
    
12. Line up the leg rectangle with the body block, situating the legs under the body in a way that seems pleasing to you. Trim the rectangle to 3” by 6.5”. Attach to the body and now you have a complete bird!

Do a final trim and press and voila! Don’t worry if the block is a little short or narrow.  I will work around that with the sashing. Enjoy the final project and make yourself one just to smile at when you glimpse it hanging somewhere.

Pennie