Welcome Ringo! He may look dainty, but he's no lightweight. He tops eleven inches and inhabits the southern border of my united quilt.
Ringo's flamingo ancestor actually appears on a stitchery credited to Mary Queen of Scotts and her "four Marie's."
There was a person in royal courts such as Mary's who inked outlines on the tapestry waste canvas for the Queen and her ladies to stitch.
People drew what they knew. In the year 1600, not many had traveled to faraway lands from the British Isles to bring back nonvoluntary tribute and vague sketches of flora and fauna for the court.
Thus my Nessie became a flamingo. I had a scrap of this great peachy-pink swirl fabric in my stash. It spoke to me and said, "this!" The swirls said feathers and the colors screamed flamingo.
Porky is a fancy bird of the bush, according to him. Fabric selection for everything entertains me, but I sweat over the process so much because I have a terrible time with final choices. That is why I love scrappy.
Fabric selection for this birdie was easy for me. Moda 'Crackle' to cover his paunchy body, spotted feathers for his beefy thighs, and a kaleidoscope of fictionally-colored plumage. You are welcome, you handsome beast of puffery!
Floyd, one of Mary's frogs, hangs out with Mary's birds. He thinks that his croak is bird choir worthy, but he would be wrong. I pinned him to the background, auditioning his location before stitching, but he didn't appreciate the pin through his skin.
He looks like he is sending me a finger gesture in response...sadly, none of the song birds wanted to be stitched anywhere near his vocal contributions.
During the blogging hiatus, I did some different, overdue, but very satisfying silk tie sorting and de-constructing/dissection. I have been collecting and given old/gently used ties for years.
I started with ties from the men in my family, then word of my collecting got out through the ladies at the church. Rather than discarding their loved one's ties, the idea of them becoming something beautiful, or more likely a few something beautifuls, appealed greatly to them.
As I work along on a project, I want to make some angel ornaments for the church to sell in their Small World shop for Mission work.
Some of these women volunteered at a local thrift store. One day a year, the store would offer a sale unofficially called 'everything you can stuff in a used plastic grocery bag for a buck.'
My sweet friends would proudly haul the crammed and knotted trophy bags to me on Sundays.
I greatly appreciate the gifts of ties over the years, but have waited so long to find the exact, perfect project for them. Maybe we don't recognize that project until we just...start...something. Then, we realize what we just started IS the exact project we were meant to do all along.
What are we waiting for? Use that stash! Cut into that piece of fabric!
The flood gates are opened. Do you know how much silk you can stuff in a bag?
The ties were too precious to use before but definitely ready to have new life now.
Do you think men fantasize about being birds, choosing to wear a colorful necktie as fancy plumage?
Ridiculous.
When men stop wearing suits completely, do you think they will miss wearing a beautiful tie? Maybe, occasionally, adding a silk tie to a match a sweatsuit ensemble?
Ridiculous.
I needed to dismantle those ties...quickly, before I got weak. Handling lovely, soft silk for hours on end?
Yes, please!
Now go, handle some nice soft cotton for hours on end, and start something.
Yes, please!
Teresa - - - - -
:) giggle, giggle
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