Yellow and Green Beaded Bird

  I thought I'd show a couple of progress photos for the making of this beaded bird. The bird is about 6 inches long and 3 inches wide. I made a pattern for the bird through the time honored process of trial and error. I wanted a bird that had a wide body so it had some presence and stability. I also didn't want it to be too big overall because that would mean more beading. I didn't want to get bored with it before I finished it. I can always enlarge the pattern if I want to go larger. I made a few different bird patterns trying to make them resemble different kinds of birds. I don't know how effective I was. They tend to look pretty similar after they are done.





  I used wool fabric for the body. It is easy to hand stitch in to, and it doesn't show any indentations from the stitches taken in it. It is also strong enough to support the beads. I cut the bird body parts out and hand sew them with a whip stitch. The seam is on the outside. I leave the back seam open for filling.



  Here you can see the opening on the back. I put a sack filled with walnut shells in the bottom of the bird to give it some weight and stability. Then I stuff it with fiber fill or left over batting pieces. I stuff it tightly, using the wooden end of a paint brush to push the filling into the beak and tail. After I have it filled completely I hand stitch the opening closed.  Next comes the beading.



  This is my beading box. I put it on my lap or a table and even if I am clumsy the beads stay in the box. It is the top of an Apple computer box. It has a black fabric in the inside of the lid which provides a nice non-rolling surface for beading.

       I keep beads, scissors, needles, thread, a thimble, and bead scooper in the box, along with my bead hoop. The bead hoop has a spongy fabric in it that holds the beads and makes them easy to pick up.

I don't know what the design will be when I start the beading on a bird. I just figure it out as I go along.  Here are some detail pictures:




I put a flower on the cheek. The dark around the eye is a small piece of ultra-suede fabric.




I always like to put a heart button on the chest of my birds. I think that's all I have to say today about this bird. Thanks for visiting my blog!

What I've Been Up To...

I have been working on an art quilt the last couple of months but I haven't been able to show it because it's for a competition that won't be revealed until May. So I thought I would show you a couple of other things that I've been doing lately:


Getting ready for a weekend retreat  -  This is the pile of projects I am taking to the retreat. I am bringing way more than I can possibly do, but I never know what I may want to work on.




Finishing up a beaded bird - This is my latest.  I started it months ago and just recently pulled it out again. I'll show photos of this from other views for another post. But it's nice to have it done!

Painting classes - I've been doing a plein air class one day a week, and a studio class one day a week. I'm trying to paint with oils outside and watercolor inside. Here are photos of a couple recently completed paintings:

 Watercolor from a photo a took in the Rocky Mountains.




A plein air oil painting from Crystal Cove ( I think that's where I was!). I started it on site and finished it at home.











Gardening - It's spring and that is a great time to garden.  I've been converting my garden to more drought tolerant plants over the last few years. It's starting to shape up to something I like. 






















I look forward to posting my most recent project soon. Thanks for visiting my blog!

A Beaded Bird - TV Watching Project

I like to make beaded birds while sitting in front of the TV. I try to have one in the works so that I can add some beads to it when the mood strikes me. I usually make them from a heavier fabric and sew beads and other doo-dads on them. Here is my most recent bird:



I like to sew a heart on the chest area, and you can see this birds heart in the photo below:




I found a place on a shelf for this bird, near some other fiber art pieces that it coordinates with.





Thanks for visiting my blog!

Beaded Birds

 




 A few years ago I made some small stuffed birds out of wool and denim fabrics.  I intended them to be ornaments for a tree, but I thought they looked a little drab after getting them done, so they've sat in a bin for a few years.


I recently decided that what these birds needed was some bling. So I pulled out my beads and started sewing them on.

This is what the new jazzed up birds look like:








I don't know about you, but I like the "blinged" birds much better. I took off the tree hangar and intend to just set them on a box or something. Maybe a box like this:












Here's the bird on the box:



I would paint the box, of course!  Now to finish beading the rest of them.....

Thanks for visiting my blog!