On the Wings of Spring: Some Inspriational Tutorials & Ideas

The Emperor's palace was the most beautiful thing in the world. It was made entirely of the finest porcelain, very costly, but at the same time so fragile that it could be touched only with the very greatest of care. The most extraordinary flowers were to be seen in the garden. The most beautiful ones had little silver bells tied to them which tinkled perpetually, so that one could not pass the flowers without looking at them. Every little detail in the garden had been most carefully thought out, and it was so big that even the gardener himself did not know where it ended.

If one went on walking, one came to beautiful woods with lofty trees and deep lakes. The woods extended to the sea, which was deep and blue, deep enough for large ships to sail up right under the branches of the trees. Among these trees lived a nightingale, which sang so deliciously that even the poor fisherman, who had plenty of other things to do, lay still to listen to it when he was out at night drawing in his nets from the sea. "Heavens, how beautiful it is," he said...

Travelers came to the Emperor's capital from every country in the world. They admired everything very much, especially the palace and the gardens, but when they heard the nightingale they all said, "This is better than anything." When they got home they described it, and learned men wrote many books about the town, the palace, and the garden. But nobody forgot the nightingale -- it was always put above everything else. Those among them who were poets wrote the most beautiful poems, all about the nightingale in the woods by the deep blue sea.

-- From The Nightingale by Hans Christian Andersen

Following yesterday's announcement of a bird-themed needle-craft swap, I thought I'd point you to some inspirational tutorials I've found. This is by no means a comprehensive list of all the wonderfulness available out there... It is a place from which to launch your own wings of inspiration!

To start off, there are these lovelies created by Laura Singewald of Spool. It's worth visiting Spool to see more photos of this beautiful bird-mobile, and you can download a pdf pattern here.

These beauties were created in a workshop given by Nikki & Mia of Time 4 Craft at Toadstool House.

I love how each bird, although cut from the same pattern, is so very unique...

The embroidery on this bird, made by Wendy of Sunshine Creations, is charming...

And there is a message on the other side for you to admire.

The graceful design of this bird made by Toya (shown on her blog The Creationist) is so appealing...

And what could be more festive than this tutorial for a garland of birds designed by Lisa Jordan, author of Fa la la la Felt?

These little dancers make me giggle... you can find a tutorial for them here at Myrtle & Eunice...

And here is a tutorial for a retro-inspired bird on the blog Nellie's Needles...

I stitched up this bird (and felted up a nest) as a birthday gift for my own Little Mr. from a pattern in the Winter 2008/2009 edition of Living Crafts Magazine. If you visit the magazine's site, you can see this pattern sewn as a dove, a robin and a cardinal!

Also in Living Crafts Magazine is a pattern for this little bird created by Rae of Morning Sun Rae.

You can find a pattern for these funny knit birds over here at Knitty... And if you'd like to see more ideas for birds to knit or crochet, try a search on Ravelry for "bird toy." The results of my search made me laugh... Fancy pulling a dodo-bird off the end of your crochet hook?

Finally, if you're looking for a few more inspiring ideas there is this book...

And this one, too...

Please join me as our imaginations take flight!
xo
MB

I will sing to cheer you and to make you thoughtful too. I will sing to you of the happy ones and of those that suffer. I will sing about the good and the evil, which are kept hidden from you. The little singing bird flies far and wide, to the poor fisherman and to the peasant's home, to numbers who are far from you and your court. I love your heart more than your crown... I will come, and I will sing to you.

-- From The Nightingale by Hans Christian Andersen