260. Paint by Number Birds

I have been in love with this print for the longest time. It might be one of my most favorites ever. I never bought any when it was first released. And then price for it kept going up. It came in four colorways--this beautiful red, along with pink, aqua and green. 

When I turned 60 and my parents asked what I wanted, I told them I would like 1/2 yard of each of the colors. By then it was $15 for half a yard, which at the time, 2012, was very pricy. But in keeping with the age I was celebrating, I guess they thought $60 for two yards of fabric was okay.

Then it sat on a shelf for years because I never knew really how to best show it off. I had made two quilts from the pattern Hidden Agenda by Angela Pingel. It's a good one, with all different sizes of blocks. By then, the designer had released a few other lines of paint-by-number fabric--roses, wildlife, cats, etc. I never bought any of the cats, but I did had some of the other prints. This was the perfect pattern to spotlight my precious fabric, and use a lot of the other paint-by-number prints.

I loved adding the feather print (shown below in the top middle block)--the colors were just right, and the feathers were perfect for the theme.

I had an idea of photographing it with the birds at our local zoo. It seemed like a good idea in theory, but it turned out to be quite difficult to get a good photo. If you look closely, there are a couple of white birds in the top right corner.

When the print was released again, it included the birds on a cream background--perfect for the backing.

I enjoyed every moment of  making this quilt. I'm glad I waited to make it as I was able to include a lot of other fun paint-by-number fabrics that make it even more special.

Quilt: Paint by Number Birds

Quilt Pattern:  Hidden Agenda by Angela Pingel

Made by: Cindy Wiens

Quilted by: Darby Myers

Completed: May 2024

Size: 57" x 72"

Gifted to: Liz Gunther