a pretty parakeet

When I was searching for birds to use on my quilt, I discovered the Tuckfields Australian bird cards, which used to come in packets of Tynee Tips tea. These pretty cards are now highly collectible.

I considered using some of them for the quilt, but I always find photos printed on fabric a bit plasticky, so I settled for embroidered images - a bit of a challenge at this scale - and plan to depict the birds with a bit of greenery or flora, like the originals.

Here's the block so far; I wanted to work the bird first, not much point lavishing time on embellishment unless the bird is right. I've added a couple of pieces of trim, too.

A close-up of the bird, which may possibly be some kind of Scarlet-breasted Parakeet. I may yet add some floral details- I'll see how it looks when I've done the surrounding seams.