Category: sew-alongs and community

April is regatta month! The sailboat sew-along begins tomorrow. Get the pattern here. To participate just make your boat in April and post your progress photos in the stitch club community, on instagram or the in facebook sew-along group using this hashtag: #annwoodregatta . There will be a blog post on the 14th. Shoot for having the boat pieces ready to be assembled by then.  We’ll talk more about passengers and embellishments then too.

The little owl (smallest size) and merry wobblers make perfect passengers for the fabric boat.

the hundred day stitch book

Page 14! was finished on Thursday and we are on the first day of page 15 as of today (3/31) This is the homestretch.

A couple frequently asked questions:

Do I start my pages with a plan?

Mostly no. Occasionally there is a color combination or shape I want to work with  but it is mostly an improvisational process, one thing leads to another. For me that’s the whole point – start without knowing, experiment, let go of outcome.

I just heard about the book. Can I start now?

Absolutely! And feel free to share your progress. Lot’s of people are working faster or slower or just getting started. You can find all the details for beginning here.

You can checkout pages from thousands of participants in the stitch club community, in the facebook sew-along group and on instagram #annwodstitchbook.

feet and finishing touches

Let’s talk about the talons for a minute, they’re not even in him yet and they’ve already got personality. This time before wrapping them with fabric I applied a dot of black nail polish to the tips. I like the shiny black ends peaking out and it makes them easier to wrap. The stitching on the feet seems like it’s going to take forever but it’s really pretty quick.

Installing his feet brings him to life. Posture and the position of his talons help create an attitude and body language that imply a history, a point of view, a world of his own.

Get the feet loosely installed and add stuffing around them to stabilize things a little before experimenting with their position. Find his balance and then fine tune the attitude. Sometimes this has been a quick process for me, he just falls into the perfect position, and sometimes it’s required  a bunch of little adjustments.  This guy required a bunch of adjustments.

Once he was on his feet he clearly needed a black heart and a lacey cravat.

Making an owl during the holiday rush was a challenge. But here he is. It was definitely a baby steps process, 15 – 30 minutes here and there.   You can checkout lots of sew-along owls in the community.  And I think the next sew-along  (cardinal) will be mostly contained in the stitch club community (with a facebook group too).

owl sew-along : week one           owl sew-along : week two           owl sew-along : week three

Are you ready for talons? Does your owl need a cravat?  Let us know in the comments.

Week 3 – the feathers

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!

owl sew-along : week one           owl sew-along : week two

It’s all about the eyes.

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!

sew-along links :  * owl – week one   *about sew-alongs   *owl sewing pattern

community links :  facebook group  and   stitch club – the ann wood handmade community

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.

All you need to participate is the owl sewing pattern.

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 more info on how this sew-along works please click here.

choosing fabric

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!

PS – happy thanksgiving!