Creating the wings is a process that will change & grow until it is just right & exactly what the stately birds deserve. It is the process that makes me happy. Sometimes a part of me is sad to finish a piece because then I have to set them down & let them fly.
Meet Elvis. I generally do not name my birds after rock legends, but clearly Eivis is an Elvis. SOLD
I have been watching an unkindness of ravens who live on the road I travel when going to town. They get in the garbage cans, eat roadkill squirrels and drop nuts for cars to run over. It seems they are always busy. Then a large unkindness moved in across the street from me. The flock was over 35 strong. They cluck, clack and generally make a lot of noise with their coming & going and going & coming.
These ravens are really big & shiny black. I started making the birds in black fabrics and have gone on to using colors. The majority of my fabrics are natural fibers sometimes dyes.
Leo is made from alpaca wool, vintage ribbons & buttons. Filled with organic wool.
Jeanne Claude (SOLD) is made from linen fabrics, hemp cord with a wooden beak and cloth wrapped wire for talons. Mounted on a wood block. In the background is Helen who is made from linens & lace, buttons and found objects. They are on display from September 15 thru November 4, 2023 at the Siskiyou Artist Association Members show at the Siskiyou Arts Museum.
I was fascinated and motivated to recreate them in fabrics. I am a collector of fabrics. I used to make lampshades using lots of vintage materials. I have a stash of unusual materials including an antique piano shawl.
Some birds are notorious collectors of shiny things such as keys, coins, anything metal. I add such found objects from my collections to the birds to add interest and honor their characteristics.
All birds are filled with Shepherds Dream Organic Wool. This company was founded and continues to operate a local business committed to humane animal treatment, organic & sustainable practices.
Elia is a medium size bird made from linen, lave, wool, buttons and found objects. Her beak is wood & her eyes are vintage velvet covers buttons. Mounted on books. 8.5” tall, 15” long. 9” wide.
Please contact me about any private viewings, queries, consignments or purchases.
You can see my birds at:
Shepherds Dream, 42 E Main St, Ashland, Or
Vita Collage, 11275 CA-1, Pt Reyes Station, CA
Missy is named after Missy Patterson, of Inverness & mother of 13 children who gifted me this vintage piano shawl. She is my third bird. I have held this in my my collection for over 20 years waiting for the “perfect” project. This raven is that project. Materials also include Victorian glass beads, velvet buttons stuffed wool batting. Missy measures about 20” from beak to tail. I have remove the title backs off of these books & have not update the photo. $1500
A Stately Raven, Edgar Allan Poe is my 1st raven. He is made from assorted fabrics, vintage buttons, bottle cap, keys & Victorian glass beads reclaimed from garments. A Stately Raven was exhibited in the Liberty Arts Fiber Arts Show where he flew to his new home. Sold
The wool batting I use is from Shepherds Dream with a processing plant in Montague, CA. Very local and environmentally processed wool. In my opinion it it the finest material available.
Raven #6 - is made from a variety of fabrics, including velvet & ruffles made out of a reclaimed scarf, velvet buttons, zipper pulls & stuffed with wool & cotton batting. $600
Patty is named after Missy Patterson, of Inverness & mother of 13 children who gifted me this vintage piano shawl. I have held this in my my collection for about 20 years waiting for the “perfect” project. This raven is that project.
Patty’s materials also include cotton lace, buttons & stuffed with cotton and wool batting. Raven #4 measures about 15” form beak to tail. $600
Rose is my second bird. I reused a really cute quilted skirt from my closet. (I was desperate for fabrics.) I put lace around the neck & wings with a button eye. Friends sent me care packages of buttons, trim and fabrics. Her pantaloons are made from a sweet scrap of vintage lace. His legs are cloth wrapped wire. She is 20” from beak to tail. $1200
I am charmed by the shadow that Ava’s wings are making on the fence. People say birds can look at their reflections in water. I think they see themselves in their shadows as well. $550
Raven #5 - Wool & cashmere fabric, lace, buttons & wire. Stuffed with wool & cotton batting $550
Meet Lenny, the black bird made from hand-dyed linen, buttons, keys, zipper pulls and other shiny objects. I dyed the linen.
All birds are filled with Shepherds Dream Organic Wool. This company was founded and continues to operate a local business committed to humane animal treatment, organic & sustainable practices.
I sewed Lenny with the seams showing to exaggerate the fringe created by washing the fabric after dying it.
Lenny’s wings are embellished with lots of visible stitches and buttons.
I used the exaggerated linen scrap with fringe for Lenny’s pantaloons.
Regina is embellished with 1960’s trims on a textured fabric and stuffed with local Siskiyou County organic wool. She measure 23” from the tip of her beak to tail $1600
Regina was completed on March 8, 2023. This images is a close up of her head. She is made from gifted fabrics and trim. I put out a call to my friends & family for black fabrics. I live in Mount Shasta, Far Northern California. We have one fabric store. They carry quality material, yarn, supplies and notions but are limited by space. When making these birds I am looking for textures. Regina is a perfect example of mixing textures for a regal impact.
A close up of Regina’s back and tail. The upholstery fringe was a score from a thrift shop. All trim and wings are sewn by hand.
1960’s trim is perfect for Regina. The flat trim runs from beak to tail & back again. The fringe (and belly trim) is made from fiber wrapped tin that was popular in the 1960’s. It perfectly accentuates her pantaloons.