Pretty Birds

Cockatoos, Toucans, Cockatiels, Macaws, and Lorikeets! These feathered friends may not live together in the wild, but they make a happy, colorful (and probably pretty loud) family in this fat-quarter-friendly sampler quilt.

QUILT SIZES

SMALL QUILT

The 36” x 41” Small Quilt includes two of each block, and is made with 10 colorful fat quarters.

Pretty Birds Small Quilt

LARGE QUILT

The 69” x 79” Large Quilt includes eight of each block, and is made with 40 colorful fat quarters.

ABOUT THE PATTERN

This is a patchwork-pieced pattern. The blocks are made entirely of rotary-cut squares and rectangles, and everything is sewn together using conventional patchwork techniques. No templates or paper piecing!

This pattern includes a large number of pieces, many of which are small, but the same basic patchwork piecing techniques are used throughout. The pattern includes detailed cutting directions, including charts that show all of the pieces included in each block. The instructions for making each block include both written directions and full-color diagrams for each step.

Among my patterns, Pretty Birds is rated Skill Level 5 (of 5). You can read more about skill levels here.

ABOUT THE FABRIC

I made my sample quilt with Robert Kaufman fabrics, including 40 Kona Solids for the birds and a background of Essex Yarn-Dyed Army.

The 40 Kona Solids used are:

Group A: Petal, Ballerina, Candy Pink, Dragon Fruit, and Valentine
Group B: Bellini, Primrose, Melon, Punch, and Watermelon
Group C: Shell, Lt. Parfait, Peach, Creamsicle, and Nectarine
Group D: Daffodill, Mac and Cheese, School Bus, Clementine, and Marmalade
Group E: Lemon Ice, Bright Idea, Citrus, Banana Pepper, and Curry
Group F: Summer Pear, Cactus, Limelight, Lime, Grass Green
Group G: Honey Dew, Pear, Ferndale, Cypress, and Kale
Group H: Ice Frappe, Pond, Aloe, Sage, Jade Green

Robert Kaufman made a kit for this quilt which, as of Spring 2024, is available in stores. I don’t sell these kits directly, but a web search for “Elizabeth Hartman Pretty Birds kit” is a great way to find one.

ABOUT THE QUILTING

My sample quilt was free-motion quilted by me, on my Janome 1600p, using a pattern similar to Angela Walters’ Meandering Flowers design. For longarm quilting, any similarly-dense edge-to-edge design should look great!

THE SMALL PRINT

Pretty Birds pattern © 2019 and 2023 by Elizabeth Hartman. This pattern may not be used to make items for sale in any quantity or venue. No part of this pattern may be reproduced or distributed without the express written consent of the author.

WHERE TO BUY

Pretty Birds is available as a pdf download or a printed booklet pattern. Pdf patterns are available in my shop. My Stockists page can help you to find printed booklet patterns for sale.

ORIGINAL EDITION

Pretty Birds was originally released in Fall 2019, featuring a sample quilt made with my Library print fabric collection for Robert Kaufman, which is no longer available. A new sample and fabric guide featuring Kona Solids are the only substantive differences between the current and original pattern.

If you have the original pattern and want to make a quilt like the one in the updated pattern, you can download the fabric guide below.