This section is all about his feathers and wings. The first layer is the foundation, the tail top and bottom, back cover and stomach cover.
Before we talk about that please notice the odd shapes on my cutting mat. They are what’s left after cutting pattern pieces for his features. The shapes are accidental, unconscious and intriguing, good to save for inspiration. I’m saving them for my next 100 stitchbook project beginning early next year. If you feel like joining me you might want to save some too – they can be a great place to start.
The stomach cover is a major feature, nothing goes over it so the fabric choice and stitch detail makes a big contribution to the look of the owl. I went with a contrasting straight stitch and used the same bold pinstripe that’s on his head. Definitely going for a “suited” old timey menswear feeling for this guy.
The other foundation pieces peek out from underneath the wings and feathers, adding to the layered feel. The end result looks complex but it’s easy to create.
Also notice another owl has turned up. Despite barely being able to keep up with one owl I’ve added another. He’s been hanging around here almost done for years so I’d love to get the green guy over the finish line too. You might also notice that her is velvet, so difficult to work with, I usually avoid it but this green velvet was irresistible.
Sticking with the same browns used for the features I added the tail and side feathers. The wings were next and before adding the final two layers of feathers I pushed some stuffing under the wind for some extra dimension.
See you on 12/16 for talons and finishing touches!
The next section of the owl pattern is huge so we’ll break it down into two posts/weeks. This week is focused on the head and features. We will talk a lot about one pattern piece – eye 3. The goal for this week is to complete the head, eyes, horns, beak, and head cover.
The eyes are a huge part of the attitude of your owl. How you use (or don’t use) eye pattern piece 3 makes a big difference in what sort of owl turns up. Adding a little extra fabric, changing the shape, fraying or not fraying an edge or skipping the overhanging lid entirely creates a lot of your owl’s personality.
let’s look at a few:
Chillingworth, a very bad owl, the original dastardly owl, devours you with his eyes. Probably don’t look directly into them… He is monochrome, all the same fabric with subtle differences in tone. The fabric is heavily frayed, eye piece 3 is pressed over the buttons for the hooded effect and his buttons don’t match exactly, adding to his diabolical gaze.
Skimpole, the narcissist, is somewhere between with his wide-eyed affectation of innocence. Instead of eye piece 3 I used a circle (the size of a quarter).
And finally Mr. Tibbles and Mr. Wickles. Nothing sinister here, the effect is primitive and simple, just circles of fabric and buttons. This is why you need to make a lot of owls – so many possibilities!
PS – Are you behind on your owl? Join the club. The holidays are super jammed but try to carve out even a few minutes everyday. It’s not so much about a deadline as consistency, so your owl does not drift onto the “to be finished someday pile”. I’m stretched time-wise this week but I’m gonna sew my beak tomorrow – do-able. And finish the eyes on Sunday – I can handle that. I’ll cut horns on Tuesday etc. etc. baby steps for the win. Join us in the community to see owls in progress!
See you next Friday for week 3 : feathers
Will your owl be a naughty or nice? Let us know in the comments!
Welcome to the owl sew-along! This week is focused on creating the body shape – that’s the first section in your pdf or booklet. We’ll also talk a little bit about installing button eyes.
Take your time and focus on one step at a time. You are going to make a fantastic owl. And join a community for extra support – it helps a lot, especially if you are a beginner. Find the facebook community here and the ann wood handmade community here.
For the body shape choose a fabric that’s easy to work with. I’m using cotton. For feathers and features a variety is nice. And like the crow, stripes are great for feathers. We’ll talk more about that when we get the the feather section.
Let’s start with looking at how the pattern pieces magically come together to make the body shape. Please watch the video above. If you don’t see the video click here.
making the owl body
Follow the steps and your pattern and a few key points are highlighted below. Cut out your 6 body pieces and mark the seam line on all the pieces. Also mark the opening for the back and the dot mark on the front body piece. That dot is important. Sew the first seam, joining the back body pieces. Pin them with right sides together and sew – leaving the opening for turning and stuffing.
Mark the darts on the owl front pieces. Fold the leg over – so the right sides of the fabric are together. The fold should be exactly where the dot is and end where the leg meets the body. Place the dart template on the fold between the leg seam lines.
Sew the dart curves with small tight stitches. I prefer to hand sew the darts. I’m going to machine sew the rest of the body seams.
Add the front and back head pieces and your front and back bodies are complete and ready to join. The secret to success is lots of pins and careful edge matching. Start pinning form the leg and work your way up.
It’s helpful to re-mark the seam line where the dart fold over. You’re going to stitch right through that fold. With the long seam stitched keep working on the same side of the body to stitch the back of the leg and the tail. Repeat for the other side of the body.
Stuff your owl with wool stuffing. Begin at the head adding a little at a time. I used about 3.5 ounces of wool. The owl should be very firmly stuffed. Check out this post about stuffing for some tips. I put a little stuffing in the legs but we’ll mostly deal with those when we install the legs so save some stuffing for that.
owl eyes
Let’s get a head start on the features and feathers section by installing our eye buttons. The pattern has instructions for shank and flat buttons. I chose shank buttons so I’m making a little hole to sink the shank into.
The key here is to make the hole without breaking the threads of the fabric. Start making the hole with a big needle. Next use something pointy but larger like a bamboo skewer or a pencil. You’ll need a sturdy thread to sew in the eyes – dental floss works too!.
Check back next friday for week 2 – feathers and features. We’re also going to talk about how to dramatically change the personality of your owl with little adjustments to the eye fabric. See you next Friday! Please use #annwoodpattern and #annwoodowlsewalong on instagram or join us in the community!
These little tree ornaments (or garland) are a quick and easy project perfect for scraps and a great excuse for indulging in some recreational patchwork: sewing lots of random fabric scraps together (on the sewing machine) without thinking about it too much, inviting happy accidents.
The trees have batting inside and are finished with quilting stitches. As many or as few as you like. I used muslin for the back, I like that they feel like tiny quilts.
To make the patchwork start with a big variety of light weight cotton and join pieces together. Press the seams open, trim the edge and sew more together etc. etc.
When a bunch are joined you can cut it into smaller sections and join those together. You get the idea. It could go on forever – joining, cutting and joining again. I love doing it and it also get’s me moving if I’m feeling stuck or keeps my hands busy while an idea is percolating.
1. place the tree template on your patchwork and cut out with about a 1/4 inch seam allowance
2. Place your tree back fabric (I’m using plain muslin) over thin cotton batting. If your back fabric has a wrong and right side you want the right side facing up.
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3. Place the cut tree over the back fabric with the right side facing down.
4. Pin the pattern back on and cut out.
Support free patterns like scrappy trees! And keep the awesome free projects flowing.
5. Sew around the edge of the pattern leaving one side partially open. The opening should be about 1 and 1/2 inch.
6. Trim off the points close to the seams being careful not to clip the seam. Clip little triangles out in the corners of the trunk and clip away any excess seam allowance.
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7. Turn your tree right side out through the opening.
8. Use the larger end of the chopstick to push out the general shape and the sharper ends to push the points all the way out.
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9. Fold in the opening edges and press the tree. Don’t sew it shut yet – leaving it open is handy for hiding the ends of your threads if you’re quilting it. Add some quilting stitches. I made the executive decision not to care what the stitches on the back of the tree look like – wabi-sabi style. If you do care just turn the tree over with each stitch to make sure you’re bringing the needle out where you want it.
10. When you’re done quilting bring the thread out at the tip to create a hanging string and finally whip stitch the side closed.
These are super quick – I made a bunch in just a couple hours and they go fastest in batches. They’re sweet to hang on a tree or anywhere and a nice extra on a package.
I hope you make scrappy trees! You can use #annwoodpattern on instagram to share or join the community!
Some time – the sew-along will take place over 4 weeks beginning November 25th. I’ll give you a schedule on the kick off day of what needs to be accomplished each week. Plan on having 2 – 4 -ish hours per week to work on your owl steps.
There will also be a facebook group – I have not figured out yet if it should be a new group or if we should just change the crow group to an owl group – stay tuned on that and feel free to let me know what you think in the comments.
checkout some awesome owls made form the pattern
Will you join us for the owl-along? Are you an overachiver and have already gathered your fabric? Let us know in the comments.
Changes are afoot! The biggest is the brand new community. You can share what you’re working on, follow topics like the crow sew-along, the miss thistle society and finish line friday.
What is finish line friday? At the beginning of the week choose a project or task that’s been hanging around in almost done-ness or not technically, actually started-ness, finish by friday and share with the stitch club community! It could be something super small – it’s all about momentum. Last week my FLF task was to fix the giant mess in the sewing/shipping room and it was magically tidy again by Friday. I sure do love a deadline
This week my task was pulling fabrics for an autumnal owl. The next sew-along will be the dastardly owl and the start date will be announced soon. The pattern is available as a pdf or booklet and if you’re ordering the booklet you’ll want to do that pretty soon. The fabrics I’m using are a mix of cotton, linen and light weight wool with lots of variety in texture and color.
There will be a group in the new community devoted to the owl and that’s especially helpful if you’re feeling anxious about trying the pattern. The facebook group and stitch club members are superstars about helping and encouraging.
The stitch club is still in the experimental stage but already a promising creative and supportive group, a bunch of friends who sew. There are currently over 400 members and if you feel like giving it a test drive you can sign up here.
so long kits
Kits are going away. Once the current stock is gone kits will be retired. As a stubbornly one person business the labor and expense of creating and shipping them has not worked. I’d rather spend that time creating new patterns or art work. The prospect of working 16 hours a day at the ann wood handmade fulfillment center (the little sewing/shipping room at the top of the post) again this holiday season is deeply unappealing. So many paper cuts… I will still have booklets and soon some fabric packs. Find the kits in the shop while supplies last and then they are gone.
new art work
It’s interesting how much framing affects how I think about the little paintings. The frames place them in another world, another time. They feel outside of me, who’s dark and dusty library did the swan hang in many years ago? That’s the feeling I want for them, relics from another life and time.
and story bottles
The imagery springs from the daily paintings. One thing really does lead to another. The bottles are wheel thrown stoneware, painted in underglaze and high fired. The first collections of bottles and framed paintings will be in the shop in early November.
Are you ready for the owl sew-along? Also I’m rolling a couple ideas around for the winter including an ornament swap and a correspondence workshop for the soldier rag doll – meaning the lessons are delivered via weekly email to a limited number of participants and we have a dedicated group in the new community for discussion, videos and sharing images – is that something you’d be into? Let us know in the comments.
The final steps go fast. One minute there are a bunch of parts in front of you and the next thing you know there’s a big bird standing on your table. It’s been a while since I made a crow and I expected the assembly to take way longer than it did. The reality was just a couple hours and that included me awkwardly filming myself. Let’s jump ahead and take a look at the finished guy before we talk about putting it all together.
As soon as he was done I took him to the front yard for a photo. Just kidding! That’s the Henry Whitfield House in the background. It’s definitely haunted and the oldest house in Connecticut.
Check out the video above for a pretty solid look at stitching the eye, a little bit of the wing stitching plus a finishing tip at the end, something I do to all my feathered textile creatures. And keep reading for more assembly tips.
He got on his feet easily and did require a bunch of counter weight for balance (about 80 cents). Before closing up his back I pinned on his wings and tail for a test drive. The tail was fine but the wings felt like they needed a tiny bit more texture so I added a feather.
The most difficult thing about assembling the crow is sewing everything on after the legs and beak are in. There are a couple things that help. Keep your thread pretty short, less to tangle, and hold your bird upside down, feet up, as much as possible, get gravity on your side.
I realized after his official photoshoot that I had forgotten the last step in the sewing pattern – shoving some stuffing up into his shoulders. I think maybe he doesn’t need it though, the extra ruffle detail on the top of his wings is enough.
Good luck assembling your crow! And congratulations where-ever you are in the process. This is the last of the 4 official crow sew-along posts but we will need a finale post for sure, a parade of crows. You can checkout crows in progress in the facebook group and on instagram- #annwoodcrowsewalong.
The fish are getting stuffed with wool and dried lemon verbena from the garden. It dried really well and just a little mixed with wool adds lots of scent. I’m all about a fresh lemony smell. Starting little gifty items early makes me feel like an over-achiever. For now. This feeling will fall apart by November first and I’ll be in a holiday induced panic for weeks.
fabric score
One of those “start the car!!” moments. Guilford has a couple great church thrift sales every year and I made a major fabric score. That’s yardage people! And the prints are perfect for the tiny doll. Little variety packs in autumnal shades will be in the shop next – week-ish.
sweata weatha
These guys are made from the free frog pattern (the sweater was a gift). I sure do love making something and then taking it outside for a photoshoot. You can checkout a video version here.
And you can show me you what your frogs are up to be using #annwoodpattern on instagram or emailing a photo to info at ann wood handmade dot com. There will be another exciting image sharing option coming soon – scroll to the bottom of this post for more.
spooky books
It’s an annual event for my friend Katy and me. This year the official picks are: Frankenstein – Mary Shelley, which I have somehow never read, and the 70’s title (I have a particular love of movies and books made in the 70’s) is Ghost Story by Peter Straub. I’m super into both. Ghost Story is not available new but I found it at the library and used on ebay. It’s also available in ibooks. I remember Ghost Story being on my Mom’s night stand a million years ago. Sometimes she would let me read her books with black crayon redactions but this one was entirely forbidden…
crow sew-along
The first ever sew-along (crow sewing pattern) has been a big surprise. There are way more participants than expected and awesome crows are emerging. The real magic (and biggest surprise) has been in the facebook group. There are more than 400 crow makers in the community and it is a supportive, fun, self-sufficient and friendly group. Experienced sewers are helping beginners and all kinds of ideas for fabulous crow details are turning up. Thanks very much to everybody for making it great. The wing photo above is by Heather on instagram.
stitch club
For people who aren’t on social media having a place to share your images has been a problem for ages. The success of our first sew-along has lit a new fire under me to fix that. The ann wood handmade community, stitch club, is currently, officially in the works. I‘d love to know what you would like from that community. Some ideas are sew-alongs, project challenges, maybe make the scrap festival a more interactive event? Your thoughts and suggestions are very welcome. The fine print – at the moment I’m planning on this being a free community at least to start. If it ends up working out I’ll have to figure out how to pay for it and it will likely move to freemium – meaning membership is free but there are also classes or group events available to purchase. If it does’t work out the way I’m hoping I’ll delete the whole thing and we’ll never speak of it again (just kidding- I’ll keep looking for a solution that works for us).
Welcome to week 3! Feet and beak. Before we start let’s talk about the schedule – are you way ahead? Way behind? Not exactly technically, officially started yet? It’s all fine. These posts aren’t going anywhere and know that where ever you are in the process a bunch of other people are too. Plus life happens so do what you can. My tail was late and I’m supposed to be in charge of this thing…
the feet and beak
The preferred paper covered wire has not been available so my crow-along feet are made using the masking tape method in the pattern. It works as well as the paper covered wire partly because floral tape is magic stuff. Wrapping tightly with the tape makes the legs stronger and smoother.
For color Decoart Americana craft paint is great. You can find it in most craft stores and it’s super cheap. The finish is very flat and it covers well. I ran into a bunch of it in a dollar store last year and have a lifetime supply that I use all the time.
A super simple way to add a little iridescent shimmer to the feet and legs is a lead pencil. It picks up some texture details and adds a subtle metallic shimmer. If you want to add a talon detail black or silver nail polish on the tips is great.
Sharpie is by far my favorite method for coloring the twig beak. It stains the wood and has a translucency that feels crow-ish. My carving is pretty rough, leaving lots of texture. If you’re not comfortable with carving a twig, paper clay is a great alternative.
We are just past the half way point in the crow-along and I’m already thinking about the next sew-along – how about an autumnal owl? Let us know what you think in the comments. There are over 400!! crow makers in the facebook group. The community is active, creative and supportive. Thanks so much to all of you.
Not a facebooker or instagrammer? A community site is in progress now and is available to crow – sew-along participants only to test. It’s a private group and currently top secret. If you want to test it out add your name, location and email on this form.
What to expect: It’s pretty barebones at the moment but the basics are there. Some things will be changing over the next couple weeks as features and settings get tested and improved. Please be patient with me and yourself. I’ll roll out invitations a few at a time. When you are accepted you’ll get an email with tips and more info.
The hope is that by the crow sew-along finale there will be a place where everybody can share their crow on the new community site. Good luck with your feet and beak! Please leave your questions or tips in the comments.
Your goal for this week is to make your wings and tail. That’s steps 33 – 54 in the pattern. Please read through those steps before you start, it helps a lot to see where you are headed before you begin.
The wings and tail are easy and quick and I’ve got a couple tips to make them even more crowy.
Tip #1 – Stripes are your friend.
Stripes give your feathers a little extra bang for the buck. With 2 layers of fabric, right sides together, place the feather pattern piece on the diagonal and cut, super simple. A variety of scale is nice too.
The pieces are tacked down with a little glue stick. You can hand or machine sew the lines (step – 47 in the pattern.
Tip #2 – My top secret method for making feathery texture with a light weight fabric
You need a strip of lightweight fabric. The strip should be about 16 inches (it’s more than you will use but you don’t want to run out) of un-gathered fabric per wing. It’s about 1 and ¼ inches wide.
Gather the strip by hand or machine. My stitch line is slightly off center. It’s super quick and easy to do on the machine by turning the tension to the highest setting and the stitch length to the largest setting. If you’re gathering by hand make a back stitch after every couple inches to keep it from all unbunching.
Welcome to week 1 of the crow sew-along, or, crow-along! This week will be focused on getting the body shape sewn and stuffed. That’s steps 1- 32 in the sewing pattern, so do-able!
If you are new to this kind of sewing it seems like a lot before you begin. Focus on accomplishing one step at a time. Each step is super simple if you just focus on that task. You’re going to make an awesome crow.
How this sew-along works :
Each week we will focus on completing one section of the pattern. There will be a blog post with tips and some additional insight or instruction. All the pattern steps will not be recreated in the blog post – please follow the pattern steps in your pdf and read each section before beginning.
Please check the blog on Fridays for sew-along posts – there will not be an email each week.
This is not a class or live event. You don’t need to sign up for anything or be available at a particular time. All you need to do is purchase the crow pattern and complete the steps each week – sharing on instagram or facebook is totally optional.
Ask questions or offer your own tips in the comment section. There are lots of people participating and some are beginners. If you have made the crow before or you’re an experienced sewer and can help out with questions that is very much appreciated.
For sharing images and discussion please use #annwoodcrowsewalong and #annwoodpattern on instagram and you can join the crow facebook group. At the end of the sew along I’ll also provide an email you can send photos to so you can share your finished crow that way if you like.
Let’s start by checking out how the parts come together to make a 3 dimensional shape. Seeing the bird assembled helps you get your head around the construction steps before you start. This is especially helpful if you haven’t sewn anything 3-D before. Please watch the video above – if you don’t see the video click here.
week 1 – making the body
Please read the pattern notes and at least the first 32 steps before beginning.
I chose a cotton fabric salvaged from a vintage apron for the body. The wings and tail will be made from that fabric as well as other scraps that were overdyed in black. Overydyed fabric is a great way to use a bunch of old clothes or fabric scraps you already have for your crow. It’s especially helpful if you’re feeling stuck on fabric selection, throw a bunch of scraps in a dye bath and see what turns up. The fabrics above were dyed with RIT dye which gives a very purple tone. I’ll mix these with some true black for variety in the feathers.
In steps 1- 4 of the pattern you will cut out your pattern pieces and mark the seam line. Careful cutting will make the rest of the project much easier and it’s super important to not skip marking the seam line even if you are a very experienced stitcher. I’m using a white colored pencil. Measure and mark dots at ¼ inch all around the pieces and then connect the dots. It goes fast – marking all the pieces only took about 15 minutes. Pro tip: place a sheet of fine sandpaper under the fabric piece and it won’t slide around so much.
Also mark the front of the head and the section to leave open.
In steps 5 – 8 we begin to assemble the body by adding the head gusset. If this is your first gusset congratulations! Notice I’ve used a ton of pins. I’m sewing the seam on the machine and I don’t want my carefully matched edges to move around. Pin and sew the other side of the head and follow steps 9-11 to sew the back seam.
the exciting and magical world of darts!
Darts are magic, they pull the crows legs under him. Darts look scary and complicated but they’re not! And once you know how darts work a new world of sewing possibilities is available to you. Before we install the underbody we sew the darts. Make your marks carefully using the dart template (steps 12-13).
Fold the leg in exactly on the fold line (step 14). I always stitch these by hand using super small stitches.
Overdyeing, dyeing fabric that already has color or print, can transform cut up clothes and all sorts of mismatched scraps into great fabric for birds and owls and mushrooms.
Let’s start with a natural dye, goldenrod. It’s all over the place on the east coast right now and I’ve always wanted to make dye with it. You can find all the details in this tutorial for the dye experiment , here’s what happened in my rookie effort.
The scraps are cotton and linen, some with prints and several neutral shades. The fabric gets soaked in hot water before going into the dye. I harvested enough flowers to half fill a big stock pot. They were brought to a boil and then simmered for about an hour.
I did not love the smell. It’s not really a bad smell – just kind of a lot. The color was lovely. Following the tutorial I added about a tablespoon of alum (It’s used for canning and found in the spice aisle in the grocery store) to the pot after straining out the plants and before adding the soaked fabric.
After the simmering was done (about an hour) the scraps stayed in the pot while it cooled. The results were an odd yellow perfect for a mini toadstool.
And there is a bird in progress too. There is something about the wash of color over different fabrics that make it feel birdlike and natural. I’ll share the finished bird here soon. I’ve got a few others in progress including blue birds made from fabric overdyed with woad blue (these were done with french general in France this summer).
And these black scraps are for the crow sew-along. They are dyed with black RIT dye. It’s a purpley shade and perfect to mix into the wing fabrics.
Have you tried plant based dyeing or overdyeing? Are you gathering fabric for your crow? Let us know in the comments.
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