My Latest Bird/Nest Pincushion

Yesterday I finished my latest bird and nest pincushion. I am so happy to have finally finished this one as I know the lady that commissioned me to make it has had to have thought I'd never get it finished. She has lots of patience. It was way back in February when she let me know she'd like one....and I'm mailing it on Monday. And, she never complained. I appreciate her so much! And, I must do better in future.....there are several other commissions waiting....and fortunately for me...they have let me know they are patient also. Friends, both in my 'real' life and my 'blogging life' are really the nicest people. And, I do my very best to make them something I hope they will consider an heirloom.

When she (a lovely person from another state) asked me to make her one of my pincushions, she said the birds could be blue, dark red, or 'whatever color' I would think best. (You know, I really make 'fantasy' birds and flowers!) So, I tried to get red and blue involved as much as possible, figuring she must really be partial to those colors since she mentioned them. Now, looking at the photographs, I have to say the actual pincushion is a darker blue and the roses are not pink...they are a color called "Holiday Red" and made from a silk ribbon hand-dyed by a friend who has moved away and with whom I've lost contact. I chose the blue/lavender/greenish fabric because I imagined it to look like a stormy sky or a stormy sea. That appealed to me for some reason.

You might wonder about the background fabric...it was cut from a vintage dresser scarf, you know the kind...usually too tattered to use, so I use the 'good parts.' Stained linen napkins are good to use also. (I am partial to those fabrics.) I painted the fabric to resemble the sky and ground. I LOVE doing the painting as I never really know what I'm going to 'get.' The bird is embroidered, mostly, with DMC #336, one strand. He, or she (?) is one and a half inches from beak to tail. The nest is made with a selection of floss, yarn, linen thread and perle cotton and is one and a half inches wide. The largest tree in the background is two inches tall. The entire pincushion is six inches square.

The beads are a mixture of metallic blue, purple, green and bronze with a red bead in the center of each 'fringe.' There are 31 beads in each fringe, and then five beads done in a 'second round' over those. The eggs are beads from a huge and varied stash given to me by my generous friend, Deb, in Texas. (Thank you again, Deb!) I LOVE doing this kind of thing and I hope it shows.

These bird pincushions are a challenge for me....I am not good at drawing. Actually, it doesn't really matter to me that I'm not good at drawing, as I 'FEEL' the bird looks like a bird and the nest looks like a nest. They don't have to look like a photograph. And, I truly do LOVE to think the work looks like a human heart and hand made it. Yes, I hope she feels it is an heirloom because there is lots of love and caring in it....I am so happy I am able to create these little things!

Nancy....I'll mail it promptly on Monday....please enjoy in good health and happiness! take care, pat

PS. I hope everyone has a lovely Father's Day! I'll have that old navy man and his step-dad here for lunch with me. Two really great guys!