"A bird in the hand..."

"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."

This charming quilted wallhanging came from a vintage shop in Kailua, Hawaii. It could've been made yesterday, but there are signs of minor fading. I would say it was made in the last 10 or 20 years

The irregularly shaped quilt is approximately 20" x 26" and includes two birds roosting in a flowering tree or shrub. It is hand appliqued and hand quilted, with fun little details such as embroidered birds' eyes and miniature prairie point beaks.

Echo quilting, a design element found in traditional Hawaiian applique quilts, covers the green background fabric. The quilting in the applique is less dense, and decoratively delineates shape and contour.

There is a stitched inscription on the base of the trunk, but it is unclear. It looks like 0 5.6. Maybe it's a date. Maybe it's something else. Hard to know.

The backing fabric is a floral print, reminiscent of a 1970s calico but newer. It could be faded from washing, but also could have started out with the distressed, mottled tone. A sleeve for hanging is made of the same material and hand stitched on to the back.