Category: birds

bundled up birds and paper mache teacups at anthropologie

November 10, 2016

by annwood

I’ve been wanting to tell you about this for ages. I began working with Anthopologie last fall on a couple projects for this holiday season – paper mache teacups and bundled up little fabric birds.

They are both items that are near and dear to me and I have a particularly long history with the little birds – it began more than ten years ago. I walked into Anthropologie on Fifth Avenue today and there they were – lots and lots of familiar little birds looking back at me. It was a little disorienting and it’s kind of a funny thing to think about – how many little birds and teacups there are in the world now. I am not someone who thinks in quantity. I think its a good thing though – a good thing that there is a place in the bigness and busyness of the world for paper mache teacups and earnest little fabric birds.

There are two birds and two teacups – one a souvenir of Paris and the other New York City. The insides have festive stripes and dots and are sparkly.

I had fun making them – loved painting the illustrations for the cups. You can find the birds and teacups online and in stores – you can find Anthro’s entire ornament assortment for this year here (there is lots of fun stuff – including an oyster by Tamar Mogendorff).

Or if you like you can make your own. Find the pattern for the teacups here and the little bird sewing pattern here.

gift tags and a caption contest – updated

December 9, 2015

by annwood

update 12/17 :

Thanks so much for your wonderful imaginations – so many good captions! And there was – by unanimous decision – a tie – so 2 birds will be awarded. And the winners are:

Debra : “Four calling birds, three acorn caps, two spools of thread, and a pincushion filled with many needle sharps!”.

And Bach Hanes : Everyone ready? Let’s get the flock out of here.

Thanks again to everybody who came up with a caption.

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I sure do like to make a little bird, put an acorn hat on it and take its picture. I love the photos in part because everyday things are transformed into little bird world things – I imagine their perspective and peek into their world and wonder what they are up to…

What do you think they are up to? Make up a caption for the photo above and leave it in the comments of this post. An esteemed panel of judges will choose a winner who get’s their very own bundled up bird. Everyone is welcome to participate.

And gift tags! A little yellow house in the forest – print them on card stock, fold at the roof and add a little glitter and a string or ribbon. Click here to download the little house tags.

A couple notes:

* The red ribbon in the photo above is 4 mm silk ribbon – I love it – you can get it here.

* The pattern for the little birds is here.

* And the little birds in the photo are in the shop now and I restocked a couple bunnies and squirrels too.

19th century surprise in a phoebe nest, fungi and a newt

October 1, 2015

by annwood

I sew in a little house in the Adirondacks as much as possible in the warmer months. And every year (so far) Eastern Phoebes build a nest under the roof overhang and have little Phoebes – sometimes two broods in a season. I love watching them. This year I got a chance to examine a nest up close for the first time. It is a beautiful, delicate, thoughtfully made thing – one little bit at a time (Phoebe’s are pretty small).

I don’t notice the thread or wool stuffing that floats away while I’m working but apparently they do and there it was, woven into the nest- the soft wooly stuff right on top for warm comfortable babies. And below that there was another nest ( each brood gets a fresh nest) with a bit of tulle from a 19th century gown and Japanese indigo threads. I’m so pleased they found it useful!

I also wanted to share a couple photos from a walk I took in a part of the forest I hadn’t explored before, a long walk off the path and through the wild stuff. The smells were incredible and I saw things I had not encountered before – like this strange pinkish thing – I discovered later it’s coral fungi.

And I ran into a newt – a lovely little red eft who graciously let me take his picture.

on my work table : bright and happy things

July 29, 2015

by annwood

For the last week or so I’ve had lots of happy, sweet, festive things to work on. It is a lovely thing that I hear from women who had my caketopper birds for their wedding and would like a little bird for their child and so I’ve been making special birds for little girls. Two were for a birthday cake and had fancy party hats.

I had so much fun making the hats. I love mini and I love crepe paper – it is magic stuff. I’m working on a little girl size version of the paper feather crown and I’ll share the instructions for that soon – everybody needs a feather crown.

brutus magazine and my mother’s dresses

May 7, 2015

by annwood

You may recall some months ago I was in a frenzy getting ready for a magazine shoot here. I am very, very pleased and excited to be included in Brutus Magazine’s New York Makers feature. Brutus is a Japanese culture magazine – it is always exquisite. It was shot by Yoko Takahashi and written by David G. Imber and Mika Yoshida – who made this happen for me – I’m truly grateful.

Seeing my Mother’s sewing machine in the feature made me think about what a long and interesting life it has had and how much she would have loved that. If you had known my Mother you would understand exactly where all those little birds came from. She collected fabric for me – before I knew I wanted it – and I saved many of her dresses and scrap bags and still sew from them ( she had excellent taste). In honor of Mother’s day I put together a little collection of some of things I have made over the last nine years or so from my Mother’s dresses.

make your own birds

Find the pattern for the little birds here and the merry wobblers here.

winter continues

February 5, 2015

by annwood

I still enjoy bundling up a couple little birds and taking them out for a photo in Prospect Park. 9 years in, I still enjoy it. Even on a day as frigid as it was – I think they enjoy getting out…..

* Find the sewing pattern to make your own bundled up bird here.

So far it has been a pretty wintery winter and this feels like the depths of it. I’m having persistent fantasies of warmer days and the smell of the forest. I took the photo below in the Adirondacks and it’s one of my favorites. It’s an enchanted spot – I would not be surprised at all to see a fairy or an elf or a gnome appear on the mossy little path.

birds made from my pattern

November 12, 2014

by annwood

I’ve collected a few images of birds made from my pattern to share- people have made wonderful, imaginative birds and taken fabulous photos:

from Becky – “the stand off”

from Christina – Daisy Chain Creations

from Amanda – Hanging by a Thread – A snow scene!

In Dots – by Irene (love the tags)

from Karen- these are so sweet- checkout the satchel on the bird in the center

and a thoughtful little bird in the garden by Abby Glassenberg!

on my work table

July 22, 2014

by annwood

Sewing feels like a treat and a needed change of pace, I’ve spent way too much time with my computer lately. I’m working on a few new things.

These are mostly made from Sri Textiles – in a moody palette I find myself returning to again and again this year. There is also a wonderful bit of eccentric mending on the lower right.

The songbird is a little bit of a re- design. The songbird pattern was the only one I hadn’t backed up and I lost it – so frustrating. As soon as I finished the new design I found the old one in a mislabeled box. I’m glad I did it though – they’re different – the old shape is more stylized in a way I like and the new one has a more natural shape and I like that too.

get the songbird sewing pattern

And a button score! I used up what I thought was a lifetime supply of vintage and antique shell buttons – I use them for rigging ships and owl eyes. I’m back in buttons for at least a couple years I think.

little birds : a sewing pattern

June 23, 2014

by annwood

The little bird sewing pattern is finally here! My goodness- it was an epic effort. I hope you enjoy it! You can purchase it here.

get the little bird sewing pattern pdf

Little Birds includes a link to the free video tutorial “how to make a perfect bird leg” – useful with this pattern and for all your bird leg needs as well as a link to a video on sewing the bird body that you will receive within the PDF when you purchase the pattern. And make a bird size top hat just like the caketopper bird above is wearing – find the free tutorial right here. I hope you make birds! If you do I’d love to see – use #annwoodhandmade or #annwoodpattern on instagram. And if you’d like to be notified when more patterns are available you can sign up here.

a history of birds

June 11, 2014

by annwood

*This is a long post and there are a lot of birds in it.

I’ve been working on a pattern for my little birds and as I’m reaching the end of that long process of drafting and adjusting the pattern, shooting the steps, writing the instructions, testing the pattern, compiling the files and materials and resource lists etc., etc. I’ve been thinking a lot about my long history with these funny little fabric birds. Releasing this pattern feels like a big step in that history and involves some letting go.

bird work

The things I make are a large part of my identity and that is maybe even a little more true of these earnest little birds. They came about sort of accidentally – it’s funny how one thing leads to another and strange things you could not invent occur.

How I came to Make Thousands and Thousands of Little Fabric Birds

In the fall 2005 I happened into a ruined Edwardian gown. I wish I had a photo. It was in pieces and all of it too delicate and too fragile to even display. At the same time I was designing a holiday window for a shop on Orchard Street. The gown was shimmery and twinkly and I wanted to incorporate it. The featheriness of the fraying fabric suggested birds and I began to experiment with sewing a bird shape. I counted – I made 60 failures before I came to a shape that sort of worked. The first birds were fancy: miss haversham on the left and bertha whimsy emerson on the right.

fancy birds

I hadn’t intended to sell them but people wanted to buy them so I did and then I made more.

more birds

And more. And more.

grooms

I also photographed them. They went to summer camp,

campers

put on plays,

red_ridinghood

ship work and a dark bird

May 19, 2014

by annwood

Spring really fires me up and I’m having a super busy and super productive month. Besides all the air and freshness the extra daylight in the evening makes such a difference.

lilacs

I find I work best early in the morning to mid afternoon and then I usually get a significant creative second wind between 5 and 8 PM – how about you? Other people’s creative practices are always interesting to me.
A couple progress photos for you:

dark bird
sails

A dark, crow-ish sort of bird and and sails for several new ships. I’ve been saving that antique embroidered cuff on the lower right for 6 years- waiting for just the right ship. I’m finishing the first full sized, multi sailed extravaganza sort of ship that I’ve made in a long time tonight and I’m excited to photograph it tomorrow – excited enough to get up extra early.

owl work

March 27, 2014

by annwood

I’m working on some new owls – a new smaller owl shape for me with some new details. I’ll finish these tonight and photograph them in the morning . They are part of my “new creatures” update tomorrow ( friday 3/28 ) evening.

owl work

And onother new shape – a hummingbird – a bit larger than a real hummingbird but still quite small, she fits in the palm of your hand. The bird and owls are made mostly from Sri textiles – I love this muted palette.

Another new creature Laurent ( all my rats are french) and a blue owl.

He’s big and blue and bad, and has some junk in the trunk.