I did a bit more cleaning in the studio. I have more scraps from which to make birds,
I found a whole stack of batiks I used in my Colorwash quilt a year or two ago. The size makes them perfect for bird breasts.
Like this one.
Or this one.
I always say working with limitations forces you to be more creative. Running to the quilt shop to find the right fabric when you need something can be the easy way out. I'm not sure I would have combined the fabrics in this bird if my entire stash had been at my disposal. But it's a hell of a bird, and I'm glad I was forced to really LOOK.
And check out this bird. Yellow and blue, right?
You have to look at your fabrics not just for what you see initially, for what you think it is...
But for what it can BECOME...
The answers are in the fabric itself. All you have to do (you know, that irritating "all") is to notice, to pay attention, to really LOOK.
We had a family barbecue this weekend, and we ate outside. This was the view when I looked up. A brilliant, cloud free blue sky and the wind blowing the trees around. Sure, ALL ("all") it is is blue and green. But yeah! How BLUE! How GREEN! And how brilliant they both are.
Most of us know exactly what this looks like. Most of us know this so well we don't even see it any more. Consider this a kick in the pants to sit up and take notice.
If you want to make birds, you can get my tutorial here, at my Etsy shop. It's an instant download so you can get started right away. I made the birds above, with my scraps. You can too.
If you would like to submit one of your birds to my Student Bird quilt, I welcome it! Email me at PatcheryMenagerie AT Gmail DOT com for my mailing address. Birds from around the world are welcome. How about some of you make a bird that lives in your area and send it along?
3 comments:
Each time I look at our garden, it seems a marvellous riot of plants and colour. The blues and greens are tops in my favourite colours with a dash of purple, Love all your birds.
Excellent reminder to LOOK and really see. And yes, these birds are excellent.
Your comment about looking closely at the world around us reminds me of watching some of the young children in our neighborhood. Two different parents regularly are out walking with their pre-schoolers. In both cases, they let the children set the pace, to stop and peer at bugs, and stones, and sticks and flowers. There's no rushing, just exploring. Then there are the parents, pushing their young children in strollers while the scroll through their phones, never pointing out the creatures and colors, and wonders along the way. We all know which ones will grow up curious and eager to learn, don't we.
The bird blocks are wonderful. You'll probably receive enough to make more than one quilt.
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