Charlotte Bird quilt in TCQC 06-09-13

A few months ago I hung almost all the quilts in Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection that depict birds.  There are an amazing number and every one is special to me.  I think there are more black birds (crows, ravens, larks) because they are so dramatic on just about any background.   One of the things that attracted me to this quilt by Charlotte Bird is the sort of pinstriped border and the irregular shape of that border.  The contrast between the blackness of the crows ravens and the screaming red branches they sit on also attracts my eye. 


"Conversation"  Charlotte Bird - San Diego, CA  2009  25"W x 13"L
Cotton fabric, cotton thread, cotton batting. Beads for eyes.
Fused, machine edge stitched, machine quilted.
 

I especially like the sort of roughness of the outline stitching and the definition of the wings and tail.  Crows Ravens always seem scruffy to me, even though they often appear sleek and shiny to other observers.
 

Here is the back side of the bird on the right above.  No hiding the back with a liner - I can see every stitch and knot, which is just the way I like things to be.
 

Each conversation "balloon" is stitched around with matching thread.
 The irregular spiky horizontal line is a human heartbeat.
 

If there were no sleeve or label I could hang it backwards to enjoy the quilting lines.
 

Sensible label with a contact for the artist. 

06-10-13  I asked Charlotte if she had any corrections or additions and she e-mailed this info:
"The birds are ravens...from a picture a friend took in Denali Park, Alaska.  The irregular spiky horizontal line is a human heartbeat.  I love ravens...smart, sassy and tricky.  There are often depicted in indigenous people's folk tales as tricksters and changelings. Charlotte"