whileshenaps.com

Sewing, blogging, and creative business.

owl

I have been working on an owl for over a week and a half.  He is a great-horned owl inspired by this drawing in Sibley’s.

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Here is my initial sketch. 

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I drew the face mask first.  I think that in all softie making, and perhaps especially in soft sculpture, the eyes either make or break the finished project.  I also drew the owl in profile because the way my bird patterns are designed I have to have a good sense of what I want the finished bird to look like from the side before I can begin.

The prototype pattern had several structural flaws that I then corrected.  Owls are narrower at the base and have broad shoulders which meant this pattern needed not only an under gusset, but a back gusset, too.  And owls are cool because they can turn their heads all the way around.  I cut the pattern into pieces to allow for as much head turning as I’d like. The finished owl has his head only slightly turned.  Hopefully I’ll get a chance to make another one with a fully turned head.

I wanted the legs and feet to have some heft so I wrapped them in fabric strips that I then bound in black thread.  Each talon is wrapped in floral tape and then painted black.

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And just to prove to you that I do indeed have some sort of soft sculpture psychosis, here are the scraps from making the wing feathers.

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I fused some body fabric to black Kona cotton with double sided fusible web (I love that stuff!) and then punched many many many petal-shaped pieces with my Sizzix paddle punch.  This is the only part of the process that was loud.  I sew when my children are sleeping so quiet is really imperative.  Therefore I spent several evenings out in the garage hammering away, listening to Sister Diane on the iPod. 

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And several more evenings hand-sewing the feathers to the wings.

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So here he is.  My new owl.

 

Comments

  4. Rebecca says

    He is beautiful! All your creatures look so intricate to make and also so time-consuming, but the results are always fantastic! 😉

  7. Jen says

    He’s really beautiful, Abby. What an amazingly intricate piece of work!
    I hope you don’t think this is too weird, but I actually think he looks kind of like you. Maybe the eyes/glasses… In any case, he’s wonderful!

  10. myra says

    Whoa! He is so regal and simply stunning Abby! The feathers are incredible and using a punch was brilliant!
    PS re: the head turning, have you ever considered trying a jointed head?

  14. Wendy says

    Very impressive – she or he is beautiful. It was great to see your whole creative process in this post – you are very patient to put all that work in.

  22. melissa Crowe says

    I don’t think I’ve ever commented on your work, but I have watched you develop over months, and I truly find your growth inspiring. To me, you’re what this new arts and crafts movement is all about–a woman who was filled with the urge to create and kept doing so until her skills and vision matched her passion. Congratulations, and thanks so much for sharing your beautiful, beautiful work.

  24. Eric Orchard says

    This is amazing! I find your stuff so inspiring. The owl is one of my favorites so far. You have a Michaelangelo-like ability to find the personality in the medium, in your case fabric.

  26. sulu-design says

    He looks like one of your most labor-intensive projects yet, and well worth it. His feathered back is gorgeous, and those eyes are just perfect. You’re quite right about the eyes making or breaking stuffed sculpture – and the eyes you made are really spot on perfection.

  29. Glaucia says

    Your work is incredibly beautiful, but the best is being able to see the way you create and build it. Thanks for sharing, it’s amazing!
    hugs from Brazil

  31. Holly says

    Oh my goodness! Absolutely magnificent. I can almost imagine this owls’ hoot, which is as good a sign as any that a softie is a success! I think you could make museum dioramas. Have you ever considered this? Your softies are so incredibly beautiful, with such integrity, and structure. I can imagine this owl perched on a branch in my local Manitoba Museum. Simply fantastic!

  35. elsie marley says

    37 owls and a turkey

    …Her owl is majestic and beautiful, just like the real bird, and somehow different from every other stuffed owl that came before it…

  44. shisomama says

    fantastic. i was just studying pictures, looking at all the tiny feathers and admiring how perfect and identical they were, and marveling at the patience that you must have to hand-cut all those tiny pieces. now you’ve revealed one of your secrets! haha.