Our Beautiful Native Birds

An easy finish this week – completing my New Zealand Native Bird Wall-hanging.  I soon got the machine quilting done, then applied the binding.  That’s quite a satisfying end to making a quilt or wall-hanging, I always feel.  Sitting down comfortably, folding the binding over to back of the quilt, adding plenty of pins, and hand stitching it down. I still haven’t got around to purchasing any of those plastic quilt clips yet, no doubt that would save me from sticking the occasional pin in my finger.

Adding the hanging sleeve didn’t take too long either – and there, all done.  No, not quite, mustn’t forget the label.  The top row is the fantail (piwakawaka), followed by the tui, known as the parson bird by the early settlers because of the white feathers at the throat.  Row number three features the stitchbird (hihi), a rare honeyeater now only found in bird sanctuaries.  Followed by the intelligent and inquisitive kea, the world’s only alpine parrot.

And on the back are some New Zealand pigeon (or kereru) which I decided I wouldn’t use after all.  Kereru live in tracts of native forest, or are at home in rural and urban habitats.  This large bird always seems to be a rather clumsy flier, and the distinctive sound of its wing beats in flight draws attention to it’s presence in the trees.

The back of the wall-hanging showing a row of Kereru

This is quite a small wall-hanging, made especially for a particular place just inside our front door.  At the moment my Winter Welcome is hanging there, but come Spring, there will be a change and the birds will be in pride of place.

Winter Welcome

And to finish with,  the birds taking part in an arty outside shot amongst the passion fruit vine.  With the warmer weather, the vine will burst forth with lots more leaves, the tendrils will curl all around the frame, and hopefully, we will get a good crop of delicious passion fruit.

An arty shot taken outside