French Hens blockCalling Birds blockTie off the thread securely before
pressing the shape well on both
sides using spray starch. Snip one
of the stitches to loosen the edge
and remove the template before
appliquéing the shape in place.
Repeat for all the berries.17
Following Step 9, prepare
the appliqué shapes for the
leaves, bird bodies, wings and tails.18
Appliqué the shapes in
place on the design as
described in Step 10.19
When the appliqué is
complete, use dark brown
embroidery thread to backstitch the
berry stems and stamen clusters
and satin stitch the birds’ beaks.20
Sew two beads in place
for the birds’ eyes.21
Repeat Step 13 to trim
the block to size.French Hens block
22
Appliqué the short green
angled stem, followed by
the longer one so that it covers
the bottom end of the short one.
The other raw ends will be
covered by appliqué shapes.
Refer to Step 8 for the methods.23
Repeat Steps 9-10 and 15-
16 to prepare the appliqué
shapes for this block and stitch
them in place, beginning with
the ones that lie under others.24
Backstitch the fl ower
stamens in mustard and
the leaf stems and bird legs in
dark brown embroidery thread.
Work closely spaced French
knots to fi ll the areas of the
birds’ combs using red thread.25
Sew red seed beads to
the ends of the fl ower
stamens and three beads in
place for the birds’ eyes.26
Trim the block as
described in Step 13.Calling Birds block
27
Begin by appliquéing the
two brown overlapping
stems in place as described in
Step 8. The raw ends will be
covered by other shapes.28
Prepare and appliqué the
shapes as described in
Steps 9-10.29
Backstitch the stamens in
mustard thread and work
a cluster of French knots over the
V area of the fl owers in the same
colour. Backstitch the birds’ legs
in dark brown and satin stitch the
open beaks in red thread.30
Repeat Step 25 and then
repeat Step 13 to complete
the fi nal block.Assembly
31
Lay out the four blocks in
the correct order. Join the
left two blocks with a 2 x 11^1 ⁄ 4 in
aqua horizontal sashing strip
between them to make one
column. Repeat this step to
sew the right column of blocks
together. Press all the seams
towards the sashing.32
Matching the ends and
centre points, sew a 2 x
25in vertical aqua sashing strip
between the two columns to join
them, then sew the other 2 x 25in
strips to the left and right edges
of the columns to complete the
vertical sashing.33
Sew the 2 x 26^1 ⁄ 2 in aqua
horizontal sashing strips to
the top and bottom edges in the
same manner to complete the
sashing. Your wallhanging should
now measure 28in x 26^1 ⁄ 2 in.34
Sew the 3^3 ⁄ 4 x 28in fl oral
print border strips to the
left and right edges of the
wallhanging, then sew the 3^3 ⁄ 4
x 33in strips to the top and
bottom edges to complete the
wallhanging top. Press it well.35
Appliqué the fi ve red
hearts on the aqua sashing
strips, referring to the photograph
for guidance.Finishing
36
The wallhanging top,
backing fabric and batting
are ready to take to a long-arm
quilter as they are. If you’re doing
the quilting yourself, smooth out
the backing fabric on the fl oor
with right side down and secure
it with masking tape. Lay the
batting on top, ensuring it is free
of wrinkles. Lay the wallhanging
top, right side up, on top of theLINDA’S APPLIQUÉ
TIP When you are doing needleturn
appliqué, a toothpick works really well
to turn the edges under.LINDA’S VARIATION
TIPS You could make just one of the
blocks and turn it into a cushion for
Christmas. If you prefer, you could use tiny
pieces of wool felt for the birds’ beaks.LINDA’S CIRCLE TIP
Instead of using cardboard and freezer
paper for the circle templates, you can
use Mylar, which is heat resistant. Its
transparency makes it easy to fussy cut
the fabric and you can press the circles- something you can’t do with normal
template plastic.