Nellie"s Needles

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Even More Birds

Making these birds is like eating peanuts ... I cannot stop. I keep finding new combinations of fabrics that will make wonderful birds.
The one on the right has body and wings made from a small remnant of Japanese floral cotton. The center one that I think looks like cloisonne is a combination of decorator polished cotton fabric samples. While the left one has all its parts cut from different areas of the same batik fabric.

"Sewing Bird" (below) has a body cut from pieced scraps given to me by my friend, Helen. The wings are made from fabric with sewing machines on it that I had begged from Elaine to make our guild's special award ribbon for "Best Machine Work". As a thank you to her for sending it (and more than I had asked for) this bird flew to her house earlier in the week.
I over painted the button fabric used for the breast area with an orange so it would blend with all the others ... the white background was too much contrast with those bright pastels.

5 comments:

p said...

i had to laugh at your eating peanuts analogy!
those legs, the claw feet...now they are perched on the wood/rock...very very nice. you manage to make me like things i normally don't. THAT IS A COMPLIMENT.

jenclair said...

Wonderful, wonderful! I do love your birds, Nellie!

Unknown said...

I love the quilted wings! The white crown bird just makes me smile, It is such a happy little guy! Perching them on rocks and bits of wood is such a great way to showcase these beauties. Well done Nellie.

FARBTUPFER said...

So beautiful, the little birds!

Heather said...

I love your quilts, particularly the Lake series, and your fabric birds are pure magic. They look so lovely in a garden setting that it makes me want to fill my own garden with them.