Friday, July 1, 2011

Do You Remember the Shorebirds?






Do you remember the Shorebird Pincushions I showed you earlier this year? Two 6" x 6" painted, embroidered and beaded pincushions. If you do remember....Thank You so much. If you don't, that's ok....here are some photos of those pincushions. My blogging friend, Vicki, had seen some of my pincushions and asked if I would be interested in contributing one to an auction she was working on for the Ronald McDonald House in her area. I had been reading her blog regularly and was so impressed with her, her knitted bird nests, and all the lovely photos on her blog, including those of the "Gardener" and their travels, that I just had to say yes. So, the Shorebird pincushions were born here in my backyard studio...one for Ronald McDonald, one for Vicki.

If you haven't seen these before...well, I hand paint vintage linen fabric, embroider the birds and whatever I think 'goes' with them, make the pincushion, then bead the edges. It's a long process.
I absolutely love doing the beading and in this post, I included a photo of my 'bead tray' (which is a vintage glass square plate lined with a square of an old Velux blanket I use as a bead mat.
You can buy bead mats in most craft stores these days....but I bought that old blanket from my daughter's garage sale and had enough to make several for myself and all my beading friends, with some leftover.)

I also wanted to show you one of Vicki's knitted bird nests. They are beautifully made with an absolutely glorious array of knitting yarns and other embellishments. You will definitely want to visit Vicki at her blog. It's a delightful place to spend some time. There you can see all the wonderful artwork donated to the auction and perhaps find something you'd be interested in yourself. There were several artists involved...all contributing their time and talent to a great cause, not to mention the many hours Vicki devotes to this event.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend......maybe spending a wee bit of time visiting Vicki and her artist friends. Do take care and have FUN! pat

7 comments:

http://thankfullga447 said...

I can see all of your energy in your pincushions. I am glad you re-posted your wonderful talent. It is all about freedom this weekend.

Dolores said...

Gorgeous, simply gorgeous. One can tell that the pincushions are a labour of love. You've done a great job.
Have a wonderful long weekend.

Skoots1moM said...

i can't get her link to work...is there possibly a typo in it?

Shannon Young said...

Your shore birds are a work of art, my friend. And I loved the clothes line idea in your previous post! I'm going to steal that idea for my wee studio. :-) I'm off to see your friend's blog now because those knitted bird nests are incredible. By the way, do you have/want a bird nest to display under glass or in a jar in your studio? I have a spare cardinal nest if you want one.

Cheers!
Shannon

Anne said...

Love the shorebird pincushions! So charming the way you combine the painted background with your impeccable embroidery. The hallmark of your work, to me, is the rich bead trim. You know how much I admire your artistry! Of course I am not surprised that you donated "a piece of Pat" to such a worthy cause!

Vicki Boster said...

Happy holiday weekend dear Pat-- those pincushions look just beautiful on your blog. I love your idea for a bead mat- I'll definitely be doing that! ( I've been putting up with rolling around beads too long!)

Your donation to our auction was such an incredible work of art-I was so honored to exhibit your handwork- I listened to folks gush over it all night! Thank you again my friend!
Xoxo
Vicki

Susan said...

Those are awesome!!

A Bit of Heaven

A Bit of Heaven
An original designed wall quilt with my vision of heaven on earth.