Thursday, August 02, 2007

Bird Girls Can Fly

(well, maybe not this one, such tiny wings).

Aha, finally something crafty to post about! I've been inspired by all the lovely softies and birds people have been making so I thought I'd give it a go myself!


I prototyped her out of paper and sticky-tape first which sort of worked. After I sewed her together I had to go back and make some little changes - shorten her body, narrow her neck, give her head some darts. It's still not how I pictured her but I'm happy enough.


(the tail is still a work in progress)

I stuffed her using some cotton wadding that I've had in my stash for ages - it's the stuff they use in making futons and Japanese floor cushions, and basically looks like raw cotton right off the bush. It even has the occasional twig in it. It's awesome to work with tho - much more pliable than synthetic stuff and you can make it dense in some spots and light and fluffy in others. You can get it from friendly futon manufacturers. I'm not sure what other people use to stuff their toys but I really like the cotton wadding...

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Have been wondering about this as I'm not a fan of synthetic either. Thanks for the tip!

Siany said...

Oh so cute!! I made a bunny today but it didnt turn out so good! Been meaning to try a bird (since my boyfriend bought doves), and you've just given some good inspo!

Anonymous said...

The bird is lovely Lara - your fabrics works really well with the shape. And the tail is a perfect touch!

Anonymous said...

hello birdie!

oh geez. i didn't know they have cotton stuffing here ! futon manufacturers. ok.. gotta check that. might ask you later. would be good for cushions too which I do with.

i use synthetic stuffing from Spotlight/Lincraft. you are right - they are quite bouncy at times and harder to shape.

Anonymous said...

Love the birdy... came out terrific :)