My partner, Inna told me she loves all kinds of quilts but she shared wonderful photos of her work and I knew she loved and excelled at traditional patchwork. –I too love all kinds of quilts, but decided to make Inna something she might not make herself. I chose my subject after I learned Inna lived in the Black Forest in Germany. When I researched the area I discovered that the Mediterranean Bee Eater, surprisingly, is found there. I think it is one of the most colorful and beautiful birds I’ve ever seen. Over the course of the year we sent messages back and forth (thank you Google Translator!). Inna’s exuberance and enthusiasm for making quilts just made me happy! I thought this bright colorful bird reflected her passion for quilting. We agreed we would both feel “withdrawal” if we don’t get to sew every day. Like all quilters we both love fabric. I wanted to use some of the special hand dyes that I’ve saved for years. But I also got a kick out of combining my semi solid fabric “paints” with the white and gray prints I could find in my stash. We both love to sew by machine and this quilt is entirely machine made. My choices were often inspired by techniques I have seen on The Quilt Show. I used raw edge improvisational applique for the background, lots of free machine stitching, and outline sketches with 12 wt. quilting thread.