Rocky Mountain Quilt Festival entry

The Rocky Mountain Quilt Festival is coming up, so I made a small art quilt called "Magpies" to enter in it. There is a nest of Magpies at the Sonic here at the mall.  This spring the crabapple trees were GORgeous and I took pictures of the trees and the nest.  Later I decided it would make a good picture to turn into a quilt. 

I appliqued most of the pieces by hand, and then I added some flowers that are not sewed down.  They just have a button holding them to the quilt.  I hope they will add a more realistic effect to the piece.  I also "made" a nest out of fabric pieces and strips.  I rolled some pieces of fabric to resemble twigs and sticks as well.  I learned that magpies will collect just about anything and they are attracted to bright and shiny things.  I wrote this poem to go on the quilt.  Did you know that some magpie nests have been found with several pieces of tableware in them?  I didn't!  I added a spoon to the nest just to make it more real!!  These magpies are adding details to their nest as they await the hatching time.  The eggs are 3-d made of fabric and stuffed.