“Birds, birds, birds” was the title of the worshop that we had with Jan Dowson a couple of weeks ago at Seata.
I’d met the challenge to myself of finishing the slow stitch landscape before Jan came. The last couple of sections at the top…..
…….. and some more stitches on the stone wall at the bottom, and it’s done (apart from deciding how to hang it, probably from a branch).
Going out of the back door the next morning, I saw this skein of geese flying over. I’d heard geese for several days, but this was the first time that I’d seen any this autumn. Later, when looking at photos on my phone, I wondered what it was, because it looked like a line of stitches, and I couldn’t think what! It was only when I downloaded them on to the computer that I remembered, and it just seemed appropriate with the upcoming 3D bird workshop.
Jan had a pattern to trace and cut out, instructions, calico, legs, beaks and eyes for us all. The pattern included some tiny little gussets to attach to the main body and head. We could hand or machine stitch them together. I hand stitched / tacked the head one in place, then pinned the tummy pieces and decided to machine stitch it all. I did the head gusset and started turning it to the right side before doing the tummy pieces, all very awkward and fiddly, and only as I started to pin the two sides of the whole head and body together did I realise that I’d done the head one way and the tummy pieces the other. I decided rather than unpicking it ……
……I would make a feature of the seams on the head. The whole bird was then firmly stuffed before adding the legs. Jan’s husband Derek had made all the legs, twisting wire for the toes (claws)and legs. Tricky, but it seems he’s had plenty of practice. It was fiddly enough to cut them to the right length and twist them together at the top, once they had been pushed up through the holes in the calico, before more stuffing and ladder stitching the tummy gap. Much to my surprise it stood up and was quite stable.
Next the eyes and beak, which has some fluffy bits of feather stuck in where the beak goes in, before wrapping the legs in florist tape: still standing.
Now to start stitching tiny scraps of fabric to the body. I didn’t know what colour I wanted to make him / her, but no prizes for guessing! Time passed all too quickly, and this is the flock at the end of the day.
I had taken other colours possibly to use, but reverted to my favourite greens. It was lucky that we ran out of time, as I had about used all the scraps I had with me. I heard somebody mutter that mine had attitude and looked inquisitive. I haven’t done any more since, except finding some more green scraps ready to continue.
It was a great workshop – thanks, Jan. And it had pushed me into finishing the slow stitch landscape.
debbidipity 