I thought of all sorts of things that depict migration, but I finally decided on hummingbirds since they, and Carolina Wrens, are my favorite birds. May and June are the months that hummers make it to our area of North Texas on their journey back North.
I first viewed photos of all of the different species of hummers, and found to my delight that they come in a multitude of colors – everything from hot pink to green to purple, variegated and even a deep blue. And so my journey began into the fascinating world of hummingbirds.
Hummers are the smallest of birds. One species, which is only 3 inches long, makes the longest migratory journey of any other bird in the entire world. These tiny birds fly all the way from Alaska to South America on their Winter journey, and then migrate back again the next Spring.
My colorful hummingbird is made of various colors of hand-dyed silk fabrics. The flowers and leaves are from a Kaffe Fassett cotton. The bird was designed by fusing all of the various colorful components on top of each other one piece at a time with Wonder Under 805. Then all of the components were fused onto a hand-dyed 100% cotton background, and finally stitched with a variety of threads by Ricky Tims and Aurifil.
And best of all to my delight, I had my very first hummingbird visit to my feeder today!
How beautiful, Carolyn! I love the bird, the flowers, everything. And how fitting that you were visited today by your first hummingbird!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Quilt. We enjoy hummingbirds in Northern Vermont in the summer. It is amazing how far they travel. Your use of silks for the humming bird is fabulous. You created wonderful flowers with Kaffe fabrics.
ReplyDeleteI bet the hummingbird shimmers and shines beautifully on your quilt just like in real life since you used silk. The quilting you did on the background is perfect to give the movement of wind. I love all the feathers you quilted on the hummingbird. Of course the Kaffe fabric is perfect for the scene and the quilting to define the flowers and leaves makes me want to reach out and touch them.
ReplyDeleteCarolyn ... What a Stunning quilt ! I've long been fascinated with Hummingbirds - Just watching them hover, and knowing the tremendous distances they're able to cover is beyond anything I could ever imagine.
ReplyDeleteYour depiction of the Hummingbird and the flowers absolutely gorgeous and beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing with us !
Just beautiful Carolyn. Simple, colorful and beautifully crafted silk hummingbird of silk. Background and quilting is perfect. Another of my faves of yours!!! Love it!!
ReplyDeleteJust stunning Carolyn! Your silk fabric choices for the hummer are perfect as is your Kaffe flowers.
ReplyDeleteI never expected to see a hummer in my garden until I saw a "giant bug" fly by as I was reading on my front porch last summer. I then saw it briefly and realized it was a hummingbird and was thrilled! I'm now planning on putting in some plants to attract them.