Central Plateau, North Island

Central Plateau, North Island
View from a friend's farm

Saturday 22 July 2017

Come and Meet Ruru and His Parliament Day 9 , the 12 Days Of Christmas in July


12 Days Of Christmas in July Blog Hop banner

A Parliament member is “ a blowin’ in the wind” today, as the others wait inside  where it is cosy and warm.

Owl #1, a blowin' in the windOwl #1 out in the rain

The Morepork or Ruru is New Zealand’s only surviving native owl. He is a watchful guardian, a bird of the night, and flies silently, with soft fringes on the edges of the wing feathers. His haunting  melancholic call “ Morepork” is  signified by the Maori name of “ Ruru” But more commonly, an owl is a symbol of knowledge and wisdom. A group of owls is called a “ Parliament”.

Here is an adult owl with a juvenile, photo courtesy of NZ Birds Online.

Adult Owl with a  juvenile, photo courtesy of  NZ Birds Online

Today, Day 9, is the day I have my turn to show you something to brighten up a bag, a wall hanging, or even a placemat. The little owl with his knowledge can be anywhere.

Join  in the fun and create your own owl .

Gather some supplies ………………

Start with a cup of good coffee, or a glass or two of wine, some chocolates or other yummy treats, and enjoy.Continue with……..

A4 paper, non stick baking paper, fusible webbing  of your choice, lightweight iron on interfacing, and batting,( if you want it to be a little puffier)   scissors, and fabric scraps or pieces, threads to match, and lots of time, hopefully with no interruptions.

owl  reversed with one inch test square

Here is the template, save, then  re-size if necessary,  and print so the one inch test square is one inch in size. Please  let  me  know in your comment if there is any problem downloading and printing, and I will email you the original document.

Then trace the pattern onto the paper side of the fusible web, with the glue side down. Most  have paper on both sides , so be sure to trace on the paper  side that has the glue underneath it . I had Steam a Seam, and Visoflex. and if you have a light box, this makes it easy, otherwise tape the pattern to a window and do it that way. The eyes do not need  a large  extra margin  around them, just a tiny margin, but where parts overlap, leave extra so they fit, as they  will get tucked in and  ironed underneath the top piece .  These will be where I have marked them with lines.

Owl Tutorial #3

Remember to leave a good gap where the lines are when you trace the pieces.

Owl Tutorial #1

Gather some scraps, the only piece of any size is # 11 for his body, 5” x 4” is ample. I used the same fabric for  the wings on either side, and his eyes.  Scraps are so good, and I save every tiny piece of every batik!!!

Owl fabrics in scraps

Decide on the fabrics for the eyes first, peel off the backing paper  and iron onto the fabric, if you are using cotton,make sure it is the  back of the fabric.And use the reversed pattern.  I used batik, and  didn’t worry about front or back.

Continue for the other pieces, audition them with the eye fabrics and see that they have a good contrast, if that is what you want, or  a subtle difference if you would like a muted owl.

Owl #1

Here, I was deciding on fabrics for the pieces #14 and #5.

This shows  the eye piece with the fusible already in place, and the paper backing  getting peeled off.

owl with fusible web peeling off

The eyes are done, and ironed onto the non-stick baking paper that I have put on top of the template and held in place with paper clips. I do iron the eyes onto the baking paper, at this stage , and leave all the other pieces until every one is in the right place. All you need to do is press firmly, and they will hold temporarily. The eyes will lift up easily to tuck the other pieces underneath.

This is getting better, bright blue and yellow, #14 and #5,  the dark one was also discarded in favour of a deepish red for  #11.

Owl #1, with more auditioningOwl #1, decisions made


Place them in order, the wings on either side according to their number,  Cut carefully around each piece, on the line, BUT  remember to leave a wider part where there are a lot of  lines, indicating it will get placed under another piece.  it can always be trimmed later on.

Peel off the backing paper and press by hand only  carefully onto the baking paper, following the lines. This is the temporary step. You can lift each piece to tuck another underneath, and these can easily be moved, to make sure the edges fit under. Fiddle lots, to make sure it looks OK.!!! I did!!! Some pieces will need trimming,maybe if you added too much extra where the lines are. I did.!!!

Owl pieces partly assembled


Owl #1 on non stick baking paper

When all the pieces are in place, press carefully with an iron, ( press in one place, then in another,  keeping the iron flat )  I used steam, read the instructions for your own fusible web to see if a dry iron is required. This will fuse the pieces together, but the whole owl will not adhere to the backing paper.This is the first step to having a finished owl, those pieces are now ironed and stuck together, but not to the paper.

Lift the owl off carefully and place onto the  background fabric. You can see I used surgeon’s forceps, they grip quite nicely, and help make sure the pieces do not turn back and stick together!!! ( some doctors will donate these to quilters, after they have had  day surgery,  if the patient asks nicely. )!!!


Owl #6, peeling it back off baking paper

You now have an  OWL. Hooray!!!! Or maybe  one more.  These are ready for applique stitching.

Owl #2 on fabric

Owl #3 on lemon fabric

This one is on fabric, the applique is done, but I have not echo quilted, and there is no batting behind him.

Owl with fabric, applique, no batting or top stitching around him

I audition several colours, for the background,  bright green, pale lemon, pale blue,  and found a plain fabric was better than a  patterned one. Marble batik, plain cotton, or shaded cotton all work well. I ironed on some lightweight interfacing, onto the reverse of the background fabric,  this gives a better finish for those applique stitches to sew onto, rather than 2 fine fabrics.

Find your owl ,place him on the background fabric, line him up to the centre, and press with the iron. Do not move the iron, hold in one place to set the sticky fusible webbing. This time it will be permanent.

The actual applique stitching can begin. I used an open toe foot, it makes it so much easier to see the edge.  You can use a buttonhole stitch, as I did, or even do it all by hand.. My Bernina has them at  #23, this is a slanted stitch, ( I used this )  or #45, a plain buttonhole ( I  also used this one ) or  #46, a double buttonhole.Or you could straight stitch, if that is what you prefer.

owl #7, using an open toe foot

This owl has the slanted applique stitch .

owlwith slanted applique stitch

This one has the straight buttonhole stitch. The  width was 2.0 and the length was 1.6 on my Bernina  QE 440. When I almost reached the pointed ends of ears and  wings, I reduced the width slowly to zero, stopped at the very tip, then turned the owl around to continue up the other side, slowly increasing the width as needed until it was at 2.0 again.

Owl with blanket stitching

I used Guterman Skala 200, a grey  100% polyester fine thread in the bobbin for  everything , but did thread it though the bobbin finger, this seems to give a  better tension.

The top threads, a huge variety, and again I auditioned them, pulling off a metre or so,and dropping it in a coil onto the fabric, this seemed to give me a good  idea  of which depth of shade to use. I had some  King Tut, this gave a nice sheen,  Madeira, Guterman cotton, Guterman Sulky,  Mettler, Molnycke,  and a Polyneon in deep blue( shiny and slippery).  34 in total, but these were used on 5 owls!! With a variety of blues, I did all the blues first, then the teals, then the purples, and so on, making more than one is a lot easier as it saves changing the top thread often.

owl #8 threads

I echo quilted around one owl, with some batting behind, to give it some puffiness, the others have fusible batting in a  lighter  weight at the back, and will be pockets on bags.

Owl #12 with echo quilting

This one has a flange binding and triangles holders on the back, for a wall hanging. He is in very subdued colours.

Owl #10  with flange binding

this one was meant to fly away North, but I thought his eyes were too dark,He is saved for another bag. Here he is before the final applique stitching.

Owl #2 on fabric

And here is the one that started my sewing this week, a little fellow that will be flying North, as a pocket on a pale blue bag.

He is appliqued onto pale blue, but it doesn’t show so well here.  The bag is a secret, my  friend knows, but her friend has no idea, so a surprise will be off to Utah next week. Purple is the favourite colour there, so I  made  sure some purple was included.

Owl #11, for a bag to fly away

This one went to my  very long time friend Jeanette for her 70th Birthday, she named him “ Hootie” . We know that 1940 was a VERY favourable year.!!! We became friends in 1954!!!

Hootie  owl for Jeanette's 70th

This one went back to Australia with Pat, for a grand-daughter.Owl by Pat

And this one went to Auckland, a bag for Felicity, daughter of a dear friend.

Felicity's Owl bag

I hope you have enjoyed the stitching today, and I will wait to see how many owls will be in your parliament.  He can be on a bag pocket, become a wall hanging,or a placemat, or a table runner, or become a block in a quilt.Endless possibilities for the little owl, with all his knowledge.

Joyce has chosen one, I gave her a”Gift Voucher” for her birthday yesterday, with the words “ This entitles the bearer to a member of parliament of her choice, colour and style”. Her one will be on the front of a cushion cover. He is undergoing some alterations, with the deep teal removed, and  dusky pink  borders all round instead, there will be batting, echo quilting, and a back with a zipper opening.All in good time!!!

Owl with fabric, applique, no batting or top stitching around him

I hope you have enjoyed the stroll through Parliament with company, and soon will have one of your own .

The other blogs to visit today are

Devoted Quilter

Here you will meet Leanne. I have had a peep at her blog, and am waiting in huge anticipation to see what will be there today.

Next is

Kathy's Kwilts and More

Make sure you hop in to meet Kathy, and see some thing neat.

Then pop back to Sarah     HERE  and scroll down to see her latest post.

Very soon  a recess is planned , after  the  next 3 days  of the hop. Some wonderful projects have been saved for stitching later on, I hope you have visited every blog, hopped onto the next one, and left a comment.Remember there will be giveaways at the end of this fabulous event, see Sarah’s blog for all the info!!!

Quotation of the day, author unknown

“ Start your day with determination,

and finish it with satisfaction”

Greetings from Jean.

152 comments:

Razzle Dazzle Quilter said...

Good morning

What a fantastic tutorial! I can tell that took hours of work.
I hereby nominate you for the Best Tutorial Award!
You are a winner!

Paige said...

Jean, excellent tutorial! Each owl has a different personality! Their eyes and feet are so darn cute!

Jenny said...

Your Parliament of Owls look fabulous - well done, Jean!!!

Susan Heather said...

I love all your owls. I have only seen a Morepork once and it was a juvenile sitting on the handle of my wheelbarrow in the carport. So cute.

jrquilts said...

LOVE IT WILL ADD IT TO MY PILLOW COLLECTION .
hjrogers@sympativo.ca

Tu-Na Quilts said...

You are a hoot! Love this parliament of owls. Great tutorial. kthurn@bektel.com

Nancy J said...

Thanks so much Susan, for some reason I couldn't find your email address, Hope all is well with you up North, no flooding, and gardening going well.

Kate @ Smiles From Kate said...

Love your owls, and it is so versatile too. Great tutorial.

Maximumcreations said...

What an awesome tutorial! I have two different family members this would be perfect for and I love the fabric choices you used on each and everyone.

pajtr said...

*Thank you!", Jean, for a great tutorial and gift ideas!
Not only is your owl so cute (!), but your description is SO clear... Your process can be used with another creative design!
Thank you, again!
(This blog hop has certainly been fun!!)
Pat T.
(Hoping that all will be well with Sarah and her family...)

helenjean@midgetgemquilts said...

Good morning Jean. Too early here for wine, but i am reading this in bed with my early morning coffee! I love your owl, thank you. And i had forgotten a group of owls is a parliament. That makes sense!

Delissa said...

What a great tutorial and a beautiful explanation about the Parliament of Owls and the Maori beliefs. Thanks for being part of the blog hop. I have subscribed and look forward to reading your future blogs. delissac@hotmail.com

Judy said...

Thanks for sharing. Will be great gift for daughter-in-law as she collects owls.

Allison said...

Thank you for the excellent tutorial. I have a friend who loves owls and now I have a great gift idea!

annemarie said...

I love owls so this is perfect - thanks for sharing.

Stitchin At Home said...

Adorable parliament! I like how you showed your progress.

Linda Williamson said...

Your owls are amazing. Thanks for the tutorial. grinnie1961 @ gmail dot com

Karen said...

What a fun “parliament" you ended up with! I can see an owl quilt in my future. Thank you!

Out To Pasture said...

I'm inspired! Just bookmarked your post and will have a go at this exceptionally cute project myself. Perfectly clear tutorial. Thank you!

drquilter said...

He certainly is a cute little fellow! I love owls and usually hear barred owls in the woods behind my house in early autumn. I look forward to making some of these. Thanks for sharing!

jann said...

such well travelled owls! What a clear tutorial...thank you

kt said...

Cute owls--thanks for the tutorial! I loved seeing what you did with all the members of your parliament as well.

rosemaryschild said...

What wonderful owls-each one tells a story-each one different from the other-parliament-what great name! I love owls-and this pattern is now my favorite-will definitely be making some soon! Thank you for sharing, Susan

Kathy H said...

Thanks for the great tutorial. I enjoyed seeing the eyes peek out from so many of the pictures. They all turned out great. Quite the parliament.

Robin said...

I enjoyed learning about ruru. Your tutorial is very good. The easiest to follow that I have ever read. Thank you for the education and the pattern. Owls are definitely on my list to make as gifts now!

Charlene S said...

Your parliament of owls would be a fun project.

eileeninmd said...

Hello, I love the cute owls. Both the real owl photo and your adorable creations. The wall hangings and bags are beautiful. Thanks for sharing the tutorial. Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend.

Liz Horgan said...

"What big eyes you have"! Such a cute little guy!
Thanks for sharing!
eahorgan@gmail.com

Jan Snell said...

What a great idea! Thanks janice.snell@gmail.com

Gene Black said...

The owl is simply delightful. I would love for you to email me the original document.

Leslie K. said...

Wow...your tutorial is absolutely awesome! Thanks so much for taking the time to detail all that work so well. I love owls and love how all your owls have such different personalities. Hope my version is just as cute!

allthingzsewn said...

Ruru is a sweetheart of an owl. Amazing how the different fabrics give them different personalities. I have an owl lover in the family and thinking maybe a mini for christmas. Thanks

ThreadCatcher said...

Wonderful tutorial. Love all the pictures and detailed instructions. Thanks for sharing.

Sandi1100 said...

I love all your owls! Thanks for the great tutorial!

Vicki in MN said...

Cute as can be! I was drawn to him since we had real live owls visiting our backyard this week.

Tonya said...

Your owl is so cute!!! Thank you for the tutorial.

Anita Jackson @ Domestic Felicity said...

Too cute for words!

mangozz said...

Thanks for the great tutorial!

Susan said...

I really like your owls and enjoyed learning a little bit about the Ruru.

Grandma said...

He is so cute! Thank you.
patsystitch@gvtc.com

chrisknits said...

I love the different expressions! Adorable.

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

The whole parliament is is adorable! Great job! Even adding glasses (I wear glasses, too). Hoot! Hoot!

Material Girl said...

Wow,only one owl in NZ? We have lots I'd different ones where I live. Some call back and forth at night, hoo,hoo,hoohoo and another one screams.........don't enjoy that one so much

Quiltsmiles said...

Whooo da have thought those Rurus would be so lovely. I'm imagining a queen size quilt with these watchful birds. Thanks for the owl info and wonderful tutorial.
ejaneemerson@yahoo.com

Christi said...

Really cute project.

MonaR said...

Beautiful photos, beautiful owls!! Love the quote at the end.

Renea said...

Very cute owls. thanks for sharing

Shelley E said...

I just love owls and your pattern is so sweet. Thanks for sharing. I also like your choice of fabrics-those batiks are pretty.

maggie fellow said...

whooo would have expected such a cute, cute owl - wonderful

Ashley said...

A very nice tutorial...thank you! I really like your owl on the pale blue background. The color combination on that one is gorgeous!

Jean said...

Cute and glad that you shared

Carol C. said...

The owls are delightful, and a great tutorial. They look like so much fun to make!! Thanks for sharing with us!!

sewlost said...

I loved how your choice of fabric changed the expressions on the owls faces. Thank you can't wait to make one
Swoot@att.net

Debbie Darlington said...

This is a GREAT tutorial. The "choosing of the colors" was educational!
Thank you for sharing!
Debbie
ollieami@aol.com

Nancy L said...

Love your owls and a great tutorial. Thanks for sharing!!

Loris said...

How fun to learn about these owls and parliament! This owl makes for such a cute pattern and sweet gifts. Thank you for the great tutorial! Happy Christmas in July!

Nancy @ Grace and Peace Quilting said...

Love the eyes on those owls. Merry Christmas in July!

cjmont said...

i have a friend who will love this owl. thanks for sharing.

Barb said...

Those owls are really cute--I like the bag idea--owls are really popular now!
barbkaup(at)(yahoo)(dot)(com)

Rebecca said...

I bet this Parliament is better behaved then most.

DebbieM said...

Great tutorial on your Parliment of Owls! Have a friend who collects them and I see a gift for her coming. Thank you!

MissPat said...

What a cute little fellow. I'm forwarding your post on to a quilting friend who loves owls. Thanks for the info about the NZ owl. Hope you are staying warm down there.
Pat

somethingrosemade14@blogspot.com said...

Such cute Owls, I couldn't decide which one is my favorite. I definitely will be saving this pattern, I do like Owls. Thanks for sharing.

Melanie said...

I so enjoyed your tutorial and loved the owls, each and every one has a different personality. I have a long time friend (45 years) that deserves one of these owls. I'm going to do my best for her. Thanks again.

Vicki H said...

Love your owls. You have done a fantastic tutorial, thanks.

Chiska said...

I love your parliament! Thanks so much for the tutorial and pattern.

kathy slaughter cummings said...

Thank you! Your owl is beautiful!!
kcummings71@gmail.com

Suze said...

RuRu and you are a delight. I had fun reading through the tutorial and learning not only your method for making the project, but lots of interesting facts. I scrolled on down and looked at other posts and they are a delight, also. I'm a gal from now from the Tulsa, Oklahoma area where it is hot, hot, hot this summer. When I saw the picture of the calf, I jumped with delight. I had my own "cow." Not really, I learned to milk Pansy and even had my own little milk bucket. I could milk her or old Blackie until Dad got ready to put the electric milker on one of them. Of course, I was just a little thing, not strong, and probably eight at the most. I never got much in my bucket and I thought I was a big thing. I've lost all my pictures growing up and all my pictures afterward. My pictures got scattered when my mother died. My first husband divorced me and put things he wanted in the garage instead of marking them. The upstairs air conditioner malfunctioned and leaked on things in the garage and ruined the pictures. Therefore, I lost all the wedding pictures, children's pictures, everything. That's ok I have pictures in my head that I wish I could get rid of, too. It's been twenty years and they haven't left. So, I'm making new memories and new quilts. Again, thanks for pleasant thoughts today.

Diantha said...

These owls are so cute!

Pamela Arbour said...

Thanks for the pattern and inspiration. This little fellow has a lot of possibilities!

BeachQuilter said...

Your owls are wonderful! I've loved owls for years and I still make wall hangings of them!

Danice G said...

Very cute. Definitely want to make some owls. Thank you for the tutorial. 'Did not know that a group of owls is called a parliament :)

piecefulwendy said...

I love all the different owls and their expressions! What a fun project! Thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

I love your owls! Nancy A: rangerer@sbcglobal.net

Carol Mattingly said...

Oh my what a gorgeous quilt. I went slowly through the post so I could see how you did it. Boy was that complex. Take care over there in the weather. Carol

Myra @ Busy Hands Quilts said...

Adorable owl!

JANET said...

Cute owl, great tutorial! ndfromsdATgmailDOTcom

Rochelle aka Bella Quilts said...

This is a charming owl and I appreciate the history lesson about these owls. I couldn't quite figure how to print the pattern. I love all the information you provided in the tutorial. It seems daunting to make so many at once but when you talked about doing all the sewing by color, I can see it would be faster. Thank you.

Jayne said...

The owls are really cute. Thank you for sharing your ideas

Brenda said...

My granddaughter loves owls! She even took a class on Super Saturdays on owls!

Heather said...

Your ruru parliament is fabulous! Thank you for the tutorial. I'm not much of an appliquer, but I think I would like to make a little hootie owl!

Ilana said...

I love your parliament of owls. I did not know that a group of owls is called a parliament but I am going to try to use that info whenever possible. Your owls really are lovely and it's a wonderful idea to attach a large applique to a bag pocket.

hijoffeATgmailDOTcom

Anonymous said...

Your owls are so cute! Love each one of them!
nikilsend(at)outlook(dot)com

Laura said...

Your owls are fabulous. I was very interested in the owl information. I love the expressive eyes that owls have. Thanks for the applique pattern and the great tutorial.

Tirzah said...

A PARLIAMENT OF THESE WOULD LOOK VERY SMART ON MY SOFA CUSHIONS THANKS FOR THE WELL DRAWN OUT PATTERN. READINGTIRZAH AT YAHOO.COM

Nancy J said...

Thank you ALL so much for the wonderful words with each comment. When I have had a restorative coffee, or TWO, will reply to everyone, And thanks for leaving your email as well, this has been a very different blog post for me, the first time I have written a tutorial, and I am really happy it went so well. Enjoy your Saturday or Sunday wherever you live.

Dawn F said...

That is so darling! Owls are so "in" right now, so that was a great choice.

Patty said...

Thank you for the great tutorial. Love the owls.

Sewgirl said...

Such a cute design! Thanks for sharing!!

Patty said...

Owls have always fascinated me. I see this as a full quilt for nights spent star gazing at the cabin. Great tutorial Jean, thank you.

Carol W said...

Your owl is delightful!

Beth said...

I am crazy about your choice of fabrics! Isn't it interesting how the owl's personality changes depending upon their color/contrasts? Such fun.

Meloney said...

Fabulous!! My daughter LOVES Owls and she is turning 18 in late August. I think I might be able to get a couple of these made.
thank you

swooze said...

Your owls are adorable

wendy said...

Love your owls! No matter what fabrics are used they all are so different and seem to have their own personality. Thank you!

Lesley Gilbert said...

I loved your owls - one of my favourite birds - what a well explained tutorial- many thanks :)

Pam said...

Oh My!! Your owls are soooooo cute!!! Love them! Thanks for sharing all of this. :)

Anonymous said...

Your owls are so cute. Thanks for sharing how you make them. A parliament of these would be adorable! dezertsuz at gmail

Anonymous said...

Such a neat post! Thanks for sharing!
msstitcher1214@gmail.com

Hilachas said...

You just gotta love those crazy birds. Thanks for an excellent tutorial.

Bonnie said...

I have a granddaughter who loves owls like I do. Hope we can make a couple of these together. Thanks so much for sharing.

Anna brown said...

Lol just like kids they have a diffrent look about them to cute ty for sharing... happyness04431@yahoo.com

Lisa England said...

Your owls are just adorable! I got a chuckle out of your comment about surgeons donating forceps to quilters. Enjoyed your post, thanks for sharing.

CyndyK said...

The owls are adorable. Thank you for the tutorial! cknapp3626(at)sbcglobal(dot)net

The Joyful Quilter said...

SEW cute! He's a hoot. Thanks for participating in the 12 Days of Christmas in July Blog Hop!!

Emily said...

So cute! I love how different each of your owls look. My son (age 3) is a big fan of owls right now, perhaps a pillow for him for birthday or Christmas!

Lori said...

these are so sweet. I love the fabrics you used. those eyes oh my are wonderful. thanks for sharing.
quilting dash lady at Comcast dot net

Kathy E. said...

I have two friends who are owl lovers, so I know what I can gift them with for their birthdays now! Your owls are adorable and each is so different. Thank you tons for the template and tutorial!

Darlene said...

Wow are these cute. Darlene dhoctor@sbcglobal.net

Darlene said...

Wow are these cute.

Unknown said...

I just love your collection of owls. I definitely have to try making one. Thanks for sharing your idea.

GranChris said...

Thanks for the Owl and the story.

Nona said...

Cute as can be. My grands would love one of these. Thanks for sharing.

Janice Holton said...

So fun watching your "parliament" come together! Very cute!

Kay said...

Love these owls, and how they are all different depending on your fabric choice. x

Michele said...

Your owls are adorable.

Donette said...

Those owls are so cute, (the real ones and the fabric ones).
beimborn@charter.net

Anonymous said...

I love these owls! They would make excellent Christmas gifts. Thanks!

Please click on the delaineelliott above for my email link.

Diane Beavers said...

Jean, Thank you for the Morepork (Ruru) tutorial and history lesson:)
I can't wait for a day off to stitch up my own Ruru:)
Batik scraps lookout!

schimmel(dot)db(at)gmail(dot)com

Kathy said...

How cute. Yes, the owl would look great on a throw pillow. I just may have to make one, two or a few. Thanks for a fun idea.

Kathy said...

How cute. Yes, the owl would look great on a throw pillow. I just may have to make one, two or a few. Thanks for a fun idea.

Patti said...

I love your owls! Just as you made owls to suit various people I think I'd like to make an owl for each person in our family and stitch them up into a fun quilt! Now to find the time! Thanks for the inspiration!

suzanprincess said...

The parliament of owls is so interesting with all the different batiks. I can see using one of the owls as the focal point in a scrappy, pieced surround for one of my Project Linus quilts for kids. I like to keep them relatively quick to make, but attractive for the youngster who gets to have it. Thanks for the pattern and tutorial! susanprincess at att dot net

Carole @ From My Carolina Home said...

That is so cute, and a bit of a stash buster too.

Beth B said...

You just have to love these owls! They are so expressive and cute. Thank you for the tutorial.

tink's mom said...

What a wonderful parliament of owls. I hope I got that right. Anyway, one is sweeter than the next. Your tutorial is terrific, really easy to follow with great tips thrown in along the way. Thanks

Donna W said...

These are adorable. Thanks for sharing.

Barb Neiwert said...

So many colorful owls! Such fun, and they'd be wonderful as gifts. Thanks for sharing!

Janet said...

Fantastic tutorial Jean! I'm afraid I missed this blog hop, being away boating, but I'll try to go back and look at some of the other posts. I do love your owl pattern and I must make one on a bag like yours!

Dondi M said...

This owl is the cutest ever! I loved seeing how he could look so sad and so very in need to love. You have many talents.

HeatherK @ A Reformed Heath'n said...

So cute! Amazing how you break it down to make it work.

Anonymous said...

An added bonus of the hop is to find blogs that you want to return to often, like yours. The owl is too cute and I have a dear friend that loves owls, gift solved. Thank you.

Kathy S. said...

Way to use those batiks. Fun.
Shahann@yahoo.com

Quiltsmiles said...

Thanks so much for that kind thought and action. You are really sweet!

Briarose said...

love love love owls, thank you for the pattern. I know what I will be working on tonight. :)

Tami Von Zalez said...

I so love owls and yours are so colorful!
tvonzalez at gmail dot com

Jeanna said...

I was a bit intimidated at your owl, at first glance. However, you tutorial is so detailed that the step-by-step instructions make me want to give this a try. Thanks so much for sharing.

Moira said...

I love this pattern and the ideas for it! I have a niece who loves owls so I'll definitely be saving this to make her something in the future. Thank you!

Christine said...

The final color around the eyes really determine the personality of the bird. The 2 with bright blue bands look alert, focused, maybe even spotting a tiny mouse. The 1 with the darker brown band looks a little sleepy, like maybe he just woke up. Thank you for the tutorial and participating in the blog hop. momoftana at yahoo dot com

Amy said...

An adorable batch of owls that you have created. They are all so very cute.

Jennifer Fulton Inquiring Quilter said...

These are the cutest owls ever! Each one has it's own personality.

Home Sewn By Us said...

Hi Jean,
What a creative use of fabric scraps, into an adorable owl. Thank you for sharing your process with us. ~smile~ Roseanne

Aby Dolinger said...

Your Parliament of owls is adorable! I love all the commentary about the 12 days of Christmas as well as glimpses into your family life!

Needled Mom said...

Your colorful owls are all wonderful - hard to choose a favorite.

Jocelyn said...

How cute is that! Thanks.

Sandra Walker said...

I did not know a group of owls was called a parliament! Think their parliament is a lot wiser than some human ones, just sayin'... I love love your owls! The batiks are so perfect for them. And yes, great as a wallhanging, a cushion, a pocket...Thank you for the tutorial and pattern, which I am going to download now.

Sarah J said...

He looks like a great way to use up favorite scraps-- so cute!

Karen in Breezy Point said...

Adorable owls---thanks for sharing!

Leanne Parsons said...

I love your owls!! They have so much personality and could be made to fit anyone's tastes. Great job on your tutorial too :)

Christina said...

I love the owls! They are darling and would be perfect for some people in my life. Thank you for sharing!

Jenn Jilks said...

This really IS inspiring!

Fundy Blue said...

Good grief! I can't imagine the work that went into this parliament of owls, not to mention this post! Fascinating, Jean! Both my dentist and periodontist have given me dental tools in the past to use in the fossil lab. Asking nicely is the key, but do ask!