Feathered Friends

There are House finches beginning to build a nest outside my studio, under our upstairs bedroom deck. We had a successful brood several years ago but the nest after it was raided by crows. Now we actually have a family of crow that visit us daily. Hoping for the best.

I am enjoying the bird songs closer to our windows and that has prompted me to post bird things, partly because my wing has been clipped, so to speak, so there’s not much stitching being done right now. Some of these may have been posted here in the past. This may be more for a laugh than inspirational but I figure we can always use a laugh.

  • My pancake bird
  • Amazing owl fruit sculpture at a buffet
  • Felted bird, with hand embroidered details, and leaf on silk. Stitched on card
An early art quilt, hand pieced, appliqued, and quilted. I had no idea what I was doing but it gave me the quilting bug, bad! The hummingbird is hand embroidered.
  • A sketch for my MeAnndering bird on the quilt below.
  • “Mirage” detail hand embroidered bird and free-style (the blue work) corner designs; meaning they don’t match).
“Mirage” I have yet to get a good photo of this piece.

I plan to try and re-paint some of the sky in Mirage because there is shadow through around some seam allowances, which I didn’t notice for the longest time. It’s on the list.

Tentatively titled ‘The Watcher” I think I finally know how I want to quilt it…hopefully in my lifetime! The fence is painted fusible web and everything else is hand painted.
The goose photo was taken by my son, this is one of my favorite Photograph on Fiber series pieces, “Goose at Cuyamaca.”

I think drawing birds is a challenge but I really like them in most any medium. Do you use birds in your art?

Next post will be announcing another giveaway!

By Ann Scott

I started sewing and designing using fabric, thread, and paper when I was a child. I taught myself to make quilts, at first not following the "rules," then watched some experts, learned the rules, and made many hand quilted and appliqued quilts. I spent years focusing on miniature landscape quilts. Now I am a fiber and mixed media artist and that encompasses everything I have a passion for. I have taught, lectured, and my work have show nationally and internationally, some pieces have been published.

4 comments

  1. Thanks for sharing your aviary. So far I haven’t put any birds in my work, but I do own a crow thermofax screen so one may show up in the future. I’m currently watching the mourning doves that have suddenly returned from points south and are scouting nesting locations in my bushes when they aren’t chasing each other. I read that they are prolific breeders and mate for life. I wish you luck covering up those pesky show through seam allowances.

  2. Thanks. We have a large population of mourning doves here also. Do you have ring-necked doves there? If you haven’t heard them during breeding season be thankful! I hope to see the thermofax crow in some of your future work/play.

  3. Wow – some lovely and unique samples. I like birds and have in mind to make a small felt bird (perhaps with some hand embroidery added) as a future Xmas ornament. If I get started right now, I may actually get it done by December. Speed is not one of my skills.

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