This morning I walked from the Lower East Side and across the Brooklyn Bridge with Clark and rejoiced in the sunshine and luxurious non-freezing temperatures. On the other side we met up with friends for brunch. Afterwards, Clark and I went our separate ways. Clark returned to Manhattan to visit high-end stereo stores. I met up with my friend Laura and attended the Church of Craft at Etsy Labs.



I really miss the Pittsburgh Church of Craft, so I was really happy to visit its still existing cousin. The Brooklyn chapter is a lot more laid back than the Pittsburgh version; instead of having an organized craft lesson everyone just does their own thing. The rooms dedicated to the meeting had lots of supplies, especially generous helpings of fabric scraps and buckets of buttons. Everyone was pretty laid back and welcoming. I could see myself visiting this place weekly if I were a new transplant to New York. Plus, it's no charge to use the facilities and there were free cookies. Score!

I wasn't quite sure what I was going to make until I sat down. I rifled through the fabric scraps and decided to make a stuffed bird. There were multiple sewing machines free to use and in a rare fit of foresight, I brought my portable sewing kit, so I didn't need to search around for thread.



There are only a few pieces that you'll need to make your own bird. You'll need to cut out two pieces for the body, two for the tail, four leaf-shaped pieces for the wings and a piece for the beak, a bit of stuffing, and two buttons for eyes. Laura picked through a cereal box sized container to find the right two eyes for this little guy.

First, sew the body together, leaving openings for the beak and tail. Next, sew the beak piece into a cone and then insert it, being careful to tuck under raw edges. Hand stitch the beak in place. Stuff the bird, filling out the beak and body.



Stitch the tail pieces together, right sides together and leaving the side that will be attached to the bird open. Turn. Insert the tail in place, tucking in raw edges and hand stitch.

Position the eyes on either side of the head and sew them into place. Next, sew the wings, right sides together and leaving a little opening where the wings will be attached to the bird. Turn. Topstitch. Tuck the raw edges of the opening in and stitch the wings to the bird. C'est Fini!



The dimensions weren't perfect, but not bad considering that I was without my proofed bird pattern. I finished almost the whole thing at Etsy Labs and then sewed the wings into place while watching the Super Bowl with Clark. (Yay, Steelers!)

Labels: cute, projects, sewing, travel

posted by Alison 2/01/2009 10:18:00 PM : (0) comments : splink