August OMG: Chicago in fabric

My August OMG was to (start and) finish a Chicago-themed applique wall quilt (Chicago CityStamp by Zebra Patterns). I bought the pattern for it at Quilt Festival in the spring and just needed to get started. 

I had a lot of fun choosing the fabrics for it--all from my stash. And not as much fun cutting out all the intricate applique pieces! :) 

I really love how it turned out. Here's a close-up of the details:

I changed a couple things from the pattern--I only used one tail on the kite (instead of three), I skipped the transparent organza for wind swirls (I feel like there is enough going on without adding it), and I found an easier way to do the postage stamp edge border. The pattern suggested fusing interfacing to the back of the white fabric so the black background didn't show through. I didn't want to bother with that, so I cut reverse applique pieces out of the black and just fused it onto the white border. Much easier! 

This is a birthday gift for a Chicago friend of mine--planning to pop it in the mail tomorrow!