Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Black Bird on Steroids / Awfully Big Art Adventure





The challenge this week on the Awfully Big Art Adventure Blog is to to create with a crow/ black bird. I thought this would be the perfect time to experiment with making a stuffed animal out of a piece of boiled wool. I just so happen to have exactly one 100% wool sweater. Actually I can thank the same guy who left the computer for the sweater. Wool is not something we can just go out an buy here :) Not a whole lot of call for it :) Now up in the mountains yep they do make beautiful wool clothes. So I washed the sweater twice in hot water and dried it twice on high heat in the dryer. I managed to shrink to a man's size M to a kid's size 4 not bad, I'd say!! And boy I had so much fun!! Do you have any idea how many times I have reached in the dryer to find a favorite wool sweater that some how managed to slip into the dryer only to come out small enough to fit a gnome??? Of course it's always has to my favorite from Anthropologies that I payed way way to much for :( Never is it the moth eaten take the garbage out sweater. Just why is that?? And why do pb&j sandwiches always land pb&j side down??

Okay after that bitty rant, I now had a lovely piece of "boiled wool" to make a black bird out of. My Blog Sister Laurie of Laurie's Charming Designs makes the MOST adorable felt birdies that she uses on her pincushions. If you have never seen them you must go visit her blog HERE. Anyway I admit I have a couple of baby shoe pin cushions with her birdies on them. In fact you can see them in the lower right picture of my desk on my blog banner. :) So I asked Laurie if she would permit me to use her birdie pattern to make my black bird. Woo Hoo she said yep :) I doubled the size of her pattern so my black bird looks as if it has been fed growth hormones.




I bent the bowl of this old ladle I picked at the junk store so it was horizontal. Put in a bit of dried moss and found a nice huge brown and cream colored seed pod bead, I laid in the nest. Then settled my performance enhanced black bird on her nest. :)


She is happily hanging on the wall in the dining room area.



One challenge down but need to head back to the art corner, only a couple of days left to finish the Mind Wide Open February challenge.

Have a most audacious day or evening my Bloglandian buds, depending on where in the world you are ;)

10 comments:

The Feathered Nest said...

How precious is this Pattie?! I just love your little (bigger) birdie! Laurie is such an angel ~ I love to see you creating....wishing you a wonderful creative day! xxoo, Dawn

xashee's corner said...

your wool bird is AWESOME! And i LOVE the spoon nest!! You did a FANTASTIC job! :D Thank you so much for sharing such a COOL idea! Hope you have a GREAT day! :D

Linda Vincent said...

Pattie, that is wonderful! What a great idea to use felted wool for the body... and I love the nest-holder. Adorable artwork; thanks for joining in the challenge.
Linda xx

marcy said...

Hi Pattie,
I loved seeing your Crow and hearing how you made her. Funny thing, yesterday I made crows out of glass. Tiny little minis and looking a bit like yours!

Thanks for making your blog so much fun to read,
Marcy
Atlanta, GA

3rdEyeMuse said...

I'm so happy you stopped by to enter my OWOH giveaway - the felt birdie on steriods is FANTASTIC! & I love the way you've displayed him, too! :) well done.

Miss Muggins said...

Pattie, that is just gorgeous. I love how you have put it in a ladle and displayed it in the dining room - inspired.

Olde Dame Penniwig said...

She's such a cute and pretty birdie!

LuLu Kellogg said...

I am so adoring the birdie...fantastic job!

I am still not well yet but on the mend (I think). This is not keeping me from creating my little heart out. I have been bizzy as a cat in a litter box. *dig dig dig*

Love,
LS

Rosie said...

Patti this is BRILLIANT! Love your birdie (and the story of its making) and the ladle nest is such a clever idea! Thanks for taking part in our challenge again!
Love
Rosie ABAA

Sarah said...

Hi!
I love your boiled wool blackbird with his little spoon nest.
Lovely!

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