Bird bird bird, bird is the word!

Alex just looked at this blog post, pointed at the picture and said 'bird'! That's a new word for him and I'm overwhelming proud of him so I've deleted what I'd written and am boasting about his achievement instead. 'Bird, bird, bird!'

Back to business, I have been sketching a little bit but to be honest it is shockingly bad and not really worth posting. Not that I mind sharing my bad art with the world but quite frankly it is boringly bad. However, the free motion embroidery workshop I signed up to ages ago finally came around. Grandma looked after Alexander while I went across town to Heart Space Studios.  I had a great teacher Susi Bancroft who was able to teach me about applique and shading and very usefully to help me when I went wrong which is something Youtube videos just can't do.

I was going to work from something in my sketchbook but as I was sitting in the studio I noticed some postcards of rather exotic little birds. Susi had an array of very delicious variegated threads the orangey one of which I have used for my little bird's bonce and tail feather. Variegated threads are basically threads that are multi-tone and work really well at recreating the iridescence of feathers.  Obviously I came home and went online to buy my own stash immediately and then discovered how expensive they are!

I've also just made this little bee for Alex for his upcoming birthday. We do this daft thing whereby I tell him there is a bee nearby and I go 'bzzzzzzzzzzz bzzzzzzzzzzzz' all around his neck and it tickles him and makes him giggle. He's so cute when he laughs, he closes his eyes and can't stop.

This is 99% not my own design though. I saw a little bee like this in a Poppy Treffry book and thought he would be just the thing. I added the legs (that's the 1%!)