Cutting out
Step 1
From Fabric A cut:
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Three (3) 1½in x 2½in.
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One (1) 1½in x 3½in.
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One (1) 1½in x 4½in.
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One (1) 1½in x 6½in.
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One (1) 1½in x 8½in.
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Three (3) 2in squares.
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Two (2) 2in x 4in.
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One (1) 2½in square.
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Two (2) 2½in x 4½in.
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Two (2) 2½in x 7½in.
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One (1) 2½in x 9½in.
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One (1) 2½in x 11½in.
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Seven (7) 3in squares.
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Three (3) 3½in x 6½in.
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One (1) 3½in x 8½in.
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One (1) 4½in x 11½in.
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One (1) 5½in x 7½in.
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One (1) 5½in x 9½in.
Step 2
From Fabric B cut:
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Two (2) 1½in squares.
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Two (2) 1½in x 2½in.
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Two (2) 2in squares.
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Two (2) 2in x 4in.
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Two (2) 3in squares.
Step 3
From Fabric C cut:
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One (1) 1in x 2½in.
Four (4) 1½in squares.
Two (2) 1½in x 2½in.
One (1) 2in square.
Six (6) 2in x 4in.
Three (3) 2½in squares.
One (1) 2½in x 3½in.
One (1) 2½in x 10½in.
Five (5) 3in squares.
One (1) 4½in x 3½in.
Two (2) 4½in x 7½in.
Step 4
From Fabric D cut:
Step 5
From Fabric E cut:
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Two (2) 2in x 4in.
Two (2) 3in squares.
One (1) 6½in x 8½in.
Step 6
From the backing fabric cut
Making the Half-square Triangle units
Making the Half-square Triangle units
Step 1
Repeat step 7 to make the following HSTs:
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Four (4) Fabric A/B.
Eight (8) Fabric A/C.
One (1) Fabric A/E.
Two (2) Fabric C/E.
Step 2
Use the same process in step 7, but using 2in squares and trimming the HSTs to 1½in square, make four (4) Fabric A/B and one (1) Fabric A/C.
Making the Half-rectangle Triangles
Making the Half-rectangle Triangles
Step 1
Sew ¼in from either side of the marked line. Cut along the line and press the two HRT units open. Trim each unit to 1½in x 2½in (Fig 3).
Step 2
Repeat steps 10–11 to make two (2) Fabric B/C and two (2) Fabric C/E.
Step 3
Repeat the same process, drawing the diagonal in the opposite direction to make the same number of mirrored units as in steps 11–12 (Fig 4). Note, you will only use one of each of the HRT units. You can save the remaining units for another project, or discard.
Making the belly
Making the red bird belly
Step 1
Sew along the marked line at each corner. Trim ¼in outside the line, then press the corners open (Fig 6).
Step 2
Sew a Fabric E/C HRT to either side of a Fabric C 1½in x 2½in piece, referring to Fig 7 for placement. Sew this to the top of the unit from the last step to complete the belly.
Piecing the body
Piecing the red bird body
Step 1
Sew the units from the last step to either side of the belly unit. Sew two more HSTs to either end of a 2½in x 10½in piece. Then sew this to the bottom of the belly (Fig 9).
Step 2
Sew a Fabric A 4½in x 11½in piece to the side. Sew a Fabric C HRT to either end of a 1½in x 6½in piece. Sew a 1½in x 2½in Fabric A piece to one side and a 1½in x 6½in piece to the other. Sew this to the bottom to complete the body (Fig 10).
Piecing the tail
Piecing the red bird tail
Step 1
Sew the group of four HSTs together in pairs, then sew the pairs together. Sew the Fabric A piece to one side. Sew the other Fabric A piece to the side of the remaining HST. Sew the units together in one column to finish the tail.
Piecing the head
Piecing the red bird head
Step 1
Sew two opposite Fabric B/C HRT units together to form a beak. Then sew a 1in x 2½in Fabric C piece to the top and bottom. Sew a Fabric C 4½in x 3½in piece to the left and a 2½in x 3½in piece to the right (Fig 13).
Step 2
Sew the beak unit to the bottom of the eye unit. Take one 1½in Fabric E HST and sew a 1½in x 4½in Fabric A strip to the left. Sew a 1½in x 3½in strip to the right. Sew this to the top of the eye unit, then sew a Fabric A 1½in x 8½in strip to the top to complete the head (Fig 14).
Piecing the feet
Piecing the feet
Step 1
Sew a 1½in x 2½in Fabric F piece to the top of a Fabric B 2½in HST, then sew a Fabric A 3½in x 6½in piece to the side. Repeat to make a second mirrored unit, but using a 3½in x 8½in Fabric A piece (Fig 16). Sew these to either side of the unit from the last step.
Step 2
Sew a Fabric B 1½in x 2½in piece to either side of a Fabric A 2½in square. Then sew a Fabric A 2½in x 9½in piece to one side and a 2½in x 11½in piece to the other side. Sew this to the top of the previous unit to complete the feet (Fig 17).
Finishing the block
Step 1
Sew a Fabric A 2½in x 7½in piece to the side of a Fabric B 2½in HST, then sew a Fabric A 5½in x 7½in piece to the bottom. Sew a Fabric A 2½in x 7½in piece to the side of another HST, then sew a Fabric A 5½in x 9½in piece to the bottom (Fig 18).
Step 2
Sew the units from the last step to either side of the head. Sew the tail to the side of the body. Sew the feet to the bottom, then the head to the top to complete the block (Fig 19).
Step 3
Baste the finished block onto a piece of batting, and quilt as desired. Trim to 24½in square, cutting away excess batting to complete the cushion front.
Finishing the cushion
Step 1
Take one backing piece and press under ½in along one long edge. Press under ½in again, to enclose the raw edge. Topstitch in place. Repeat with the second backing piece.
Step 2
With the cushion top right side up, place both of the backing pieces on top, right side down. Align the raw edges around the outside, with the hemmed edges overlapping in the centre. Pin or clip in place.
Step 3
Sew around the outer edge. Clip the corners and turn right out. Press, then pop in a cushion pad to finish.
