Puffin Head Quilt Block

Do you have a favourite bird? I think I like them all, at least I can't think of one I dislike. A special favourite is the puffin, though. I first saw puffins on a trip to Iceland with my dad many years ago. There were some rather large colonies in a few places we visited and it was quite the sight to see. I think they look adorable with their bright striped beaks, and a bit like penguins and parrots mixed together. In my native German they're called "parrot divers" and I think that's rather accurate ;-)

I've been playing around with a puffin quilt block for a couple of years, but it always ended up put to the back of the queue again. I wasn't quite sure how I wanted to finalize it, and I think I just needed a bit more practice designing FPP patterns before the finished block looked like I imagined it.

The Puffin Quilt Block Pattern

But, it's finally done! The Puffin FPP Quilt Block is now available in the pattern shop. And because the theme this month for Quilt Block Mania was birds, I wanted to do something with a puffin for you as well. The Puffin quilt block is an advanced pattern and I prefer to make my free patterns simpler to make them more accessible to a wider audience of quilters, so I decided to enlarge the puffin's head for a fun free quilt block this month.

Puffin Head Quilt Block

The Puffin Head quilt block has only a few smaller pieces and is pretty easy to make. It's not a pattern I recommend to someone completely new to foundation paper piecing, but if you've made a block or two you should be able to put this one together without too much trouble.

This month my colour scheme was pretty clear as I wanted to make a mostly true to life puffin. 

But that doesn't mean you can't play around with the background colour, go slightly more pink with the beak or a shade darker or lighter on the feathers.

Or even make a total fantasy bird if you like.

What colours are you going to choose?

If you are new to foundation paper piecing, I wrote an FPP tutorial for the Clover blog to help you get started with the technique. It's a full photo tutorial and comes with a free pine tree block to get you started.

If you just need to gain a little more quilty confidence, I have a few patterns in the shop that make perfect starter blocks to warm up with before diving in to the more complicated blocks. Check out the Twisted Log Cabin, Popsicle, and Ice Cream Bar blocks to dip your toes in, or the Festive Forest table runner.

The Puffin Head quilt block is available in the pattern shop.

Don't forget to check out all the other block designs this month!

Birds on a Wire by Carolina Moore
Signs of Spring by Inquiring Quilter
Cute Bird by Powered By Quilting
Flamboyance by Becca Fenstermaker
Migration by Patti's Patchwork
Peacock Quilt Block by Appliques Quilts and More
Blue Bird by by Mom and Me Quilting Co.
Chubby Chicken Block by Kaye Collins
Hummingbird Quilt Block by Julia of Inflorescence
Flying in Formation by QuiltFabrication
Birds Circling by Nancy Myers
Lorikeets by Sue Griffiths
Fly Away Home by Scrapdash
Puffin Head by Penny Spool Quilts
Birds in the Air by Perkins Dry Goods
There is always one
Budgie on a Branch by Blue Bear Quilts

*Quilt Block Mania blocks are free to download for the duration of the month they were designed for. After that, they are available in the pattern shop.