Thursday, June 24, 2010

For the Birds

As I mentioned in the last post, I was determined to finish this little quilt for my niece's graduation party this Saturday. Mission accomplished! Got the binding hand-stitched down and was all ready to package it up when I remembered one little thing.

The label.

And then I got a little bogged down thinking about the label, as I was trying to come up with a clever name for the quilt and ... *crickets* ... nothin'. You know how that goes?

The pattern is called, The Early Bird, but hello? I don't really get it. I think they probably heard the chorus of crickets too, the one who came up with that. Click the link if you're interested in the free PDF pattern download from the Michael Miller site. But buy more backing fabric than it calls for, if you do make this.

I still love that Lantern Bloom fabric.

So, the label. Birds in cages...empty cages...freedom...or the lack thereof...graduation from high school = a sense of freedom...flying the coop...spreading your wings...flying high...just say no...those darn cages...yada, yada, yada.

Well. After burning through the gears on those mental gyrations, I'm thinking of calling it, "Free Birdie!" You know, as in releasing captive creatures to the wild, a la Free Willy. Although I can't help but visualize throngs of Bic lighter-waving fans at a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert circa 1976. 'Cause I'm as free as a bird now, and this bird will never cha-ange...whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa...

Lord help me...


But hey, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments if you've got a better idea to consider. I probably won't get around to sewing on the label until Saturday morning.

Be sure to see what's happening over at amylouwho on Sew & Tell Friday. Thanks for visiting, and have a great weekend, all!

20 comments:

GaAm said...

No real suggestions. I'm suggestion-less right now. I did notice, the outer panels look kind of like ladders. Does that help? Probably not. I'm help-less, too.

Very pretty. I love those mosaic fabrics.

Larri said...

How about combining the bird and ladder theme and calling it "Pecking Order"? LOL! Whatever you decide, it's a beautiful quilt. Happy Sewing! :)

Sarah Craig said...

How about "The Caged Bird Sings"? From Maya Angelou's poem: "The caged bird sings with a fearful trill of things unknown but longed for still and his tune is heard on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom." Gorgeous quilt, by the way- your niece is a lucky girl, no matter what you call it!

Jane said...

That is a gorgeous quilt. Your niece is one lucky girl to receive that beautiful gift. I love the fabric, especially the birdcage fabric. Since she is graduating and moving on to other things I loved your idea of naming it Free Birdie or Flying the Coop....kind of signifies her moving off to college or other endeavors.
You do such beautiful work.
Jane

Vicki @ DottyJane said...

I like Free Birdie! My thoughts immediately went to Synryd, too:) It's a great quilt!

Heather said...

Love this quilt! GOOD JOB!

Tori said...

I love it!

Elizabeth said...

Wow! That is a beautiful quilt. I love the fabrics and the quilting is awesome. I'm total rubbish at naming quilts, but here are a couple of suggestions: Free Bird (shorter version of yours), Flew the Coop (already suggested) or Independence Day.

Kristen said...

Love it! This is a beautiful quilt. Isn't it quirky that the caged birds are on trees/sticks?

Michelle said...

I'm terrible at names--which is why a lot of my quilts don't have them. However, whatever you choose to call it, it's gorgeous! Love the color combinations. So fresh!

Okay, how about "gorgeous quilt for my gorgeous niece"? Yep, I know it sucks--but it's true isn't it? ;-)

Miri said...

Lovely quilt! Lucky niece!

I'm terrible at names...I can hardly name my blog posts let alone my quilts!

"Can't put Baby in the cage"???

Shay said...

I never name my quilts ...(or even label them - I know- Gasp - shock -horror)

So glad you got it finished in time, and it really is a beauty.I'm sure it will be well loved and well used.

Jan M said...

Lucky niece and talented aunt! Even if nameless, she will love it!

HRH Gigi said...

What about going a different way and just calling it Bloom. After Lantern Bloom, and the new beginning after graduation.
And it is beautiful.

Carla said...

Great singing P! :o) The fabric line is perfect for a graduate. Your niece will love it. I also have the same problem naming my quilts. Sometimes I'm lucky and the name comes first, but very rarely....

Have fun and get a picture of her with the quilt to share with us.

Shelina (formerly known as Shasta) said...

It is a beautiful quilt - love the colors. I am awful with names - the ones the quilts gets stuck with (and I hardly ever put the name on the quilt) is whatever I called it while I was making it - the flag quilt, the purple quilt, Rosie's quilt, boring stuff like that.

Dayna said...

Oooooo, I love this!

sewtakeahike said...

it's awesome! I love that lantern bloom you've used on the back. hmm, you've probably already made the label, but I was thinking "bloom and grow" for the title would be cool.

Diane said...

Beautiful! As a child of the 80's I think Freebird is an excellent name!

Rene' said...

I really love this quilt. Those are really cute fabrics. I especially like the bird cages. I'm glad I'm not the only one who struggles with naming their quilts. I posted about this once and was surprised at how many people don't name their quilts. Hmm. Can't really help you with this one, but I am sure you'll come up with the perfect name and your niece will love it. Thanks for sharing!