Whatever is happening is the path to enlightenment. —Pema Chödrön
More feathers, because it’s what I happen to be doing at the moment. A path lined with feathers is not a bad path to be on!
Getting a bit bolder with the color combinations…orange thread over yellow green paint, complementaries, that sort of thing.
May have over done it with the red-violet feather on emerald green…that one looks a bit muddy. Too many different kinds of thread. Too many colors.
When the work starts to get slick, polished, ornate, precise, or needlessly intricate, it’s time to step back and empty the mind of what it knows, again: time to dig up the real feather that started all this, and really look at it.
Starting from zero, studying the feather as if for the first time, and proceeding with attention and praise for it as an individual and miraculous thing. Which, of course, it is.
I’m not sure why I keep reading your posts and looking at your art and crafts – it makes me feel so much less of a human being. I just finished hemming my jogging pants and it looks like a myopic five-year old without thumbs did the job.
The way I feel, you mean, when I read your blog and reflect on what a stick in the mud I am, how poorly travelled and unworldly I am, that I have zero business sense, that I come from a culture with some of the most miserable cooking on the planet, that I only really speak one language well? We always want what the other’s got. I reckon you could learn how to sew quicker than I could learn Mandarin.
Oh these are really lovely, you should really make some embroidery patterns out of them. I love the colors on your blog.
Thanks, Salma! Oh, I don’t think a pattern is necessary, these are such no-brainers that one look will tell you how to do it, surely?
Can I purchase the fourth one in the row? I’m finally buying things to decorate my office/studio with and I would absolutely love to have it.
Lakeshia, wow, that was unexpected! Yes, of course, but which one do you mean? Fourth one from the bottom? Fourth from the top (orange one) was snaffled by my husband, who loved it so much that he paid me cash for it. LOL. I will have to do you another, if it is the orange one you want. We can take this conversation to private, my e-mail is nat(at)smallestforest.net
These are beautiful. I am so glad to have found your blog and work, through Jude. Could you share what thread you are using? The variation is lovely.
Hi, Lori, thank you so much for the visit and piping up! I’ve used DMC’s stranded variegated embroidery floss (pink-orangey one, a blue-green one) I also used DMCs rayon thread in places, that silky sheen, almost glows..and a white iridescent that is by DMC as well. Any variegated thread with colors that you love will work perfectly, there’s actually very little thread in these…widely spaced straight stitches, using a specific brand won’t add anything special to the work, I don’t think.
Also, there’s gold thread (I just buy sewing machine metallic thread, a generic spool, it’s very, very fine). Others on my list but not yet used are Madeira’s holographic threads, and I have some old Kreinik spools of cotton and metallic twisted thread.
Wow they are beautiful
Thank you!
These look great!
Thank you!
Your welcome!
These are spectacular!
Thanks, Dave! BTW, the Don Whyte Offcuts show is on the 13 of April…have you picked up a canvas, yet? It’s the most open and encouraging art show in Darwin (ironic in that it isn’t even a gallery). You should grab one of his excellently stretched small canvases, and put a painting into the show.
Such a simple but beautiful idea. These are fantastic!
Thank you! Yes, it seems that the simplest, easiest little things that I do turn out to be the big hits with others. Pleasantly surprised that so many like these feathers.
You out did yourself with these! You could definitely SELL these for sure! Add a frame around them and you will be sitting on loads of moola! If you have an Etsy shop, get them on there! I am so much in love with these! Awesome, truly awesome!
If it takes me to get you to sell your items, then I guess I have a new quest to conquer! Your work is outstanding, and you should be able to reap some rewards of your hard work! For example, those Sock Bunnies that I just posted on my blog, got such a huge response, so I am heading out to purchase more socks to make more bunnies to sell! Girl, when you have a talent like you do, sell it!
These are all very beautiful!
Thank you, I’m pretty happy with them (and how quick they are to make!) So glad you stopped for a look
Hi, just popped over from “What if Diaries.” I love the feathers. The colors are so vibrant!
Thanks! Just looking at the What If posts today, finding that I should be thinking of white instead
It will be a nice change from color.
I agree, it is.
Ain’t it the truth.
I love feathers. I have made a few feather hat lei which give me a feeling of abundance when I wear one. Ancient Hawaiian would capture beautiful birds and pluck the two yellow feathers then allow them to fly away. The tiny feathers were then made into cloaks. They are so elegant and royal…and in museums. But, small cloaks are still being made by students of “papa o lei hulu”–feather lei classes. They are required after a two year apprenticeship for graduation. Although no longer made from elepaio or apapane, they are made from small chicken, goose, peacock feathers. Though smaller they are still elegant and royal.
and it is, so true.