Airy Spirits ~ Textile Art

Continuing with my new hobby love ~ a little more Textile Art, only this time, something with wings.

During the lock-down, due to Covid 19/Coronavirus, my brain got busy and spoke to my fingers, which began conjuring up butterflies. Although textile butterflies aren’t the easiest thing I’ve ever made, they’re mighty enjoyable, and all so precious when I’ve finished them. They all seem to have their own personalities, and they make me smile for one reason or another.

The Nectar Collector

Each one I’ve made is in a different fabric, and this particular one, called: The Nectar Collector; was made from Vintage Embroidered Fabric, which I tea stained then added a little ink to give it a warm peachy effect to the fabric itself

Why is this butterfly called: The Nectar Collector? Ah, well that’s an easy one to answer….

Butterflies ‘eat’ nectar and do so by the use of their ‘tongue’ – they have a long, curled proboscis, which is like a soft drinking straw, which uncoils to sip liquid food, and then coils up again into a spiral when the butterfly isn’t feeding.

But … what happens to all the nectar which the butterflies can’t reach, or miss because they don’t notice it?

Well, *I’m reliably informed by the Fairies which live in Cobweb Wood*, that there are special butterflies whose job it is to go around foraging for all the left over nectar which can be found on flowers, and collect it in special bottles. They then take it back to ‘Nectar Central’, where each of the bottles of nectar are dated, stored on shelves and saved for use on days when it’s too cold to go out or too windy, too blustery or those rainy days when the weather isn’t suitable for delicate Butterfly wings.

*Once all this was explained to me* it totally made sense, as I’m sure it does to you too, now that I’ve explained it to you!

The underside of a Butterflys wings are just as important as the tops, but for a totally different reason. The underside of a butterfly wing is actually called ‘The Ventral Side’. This ventral (under) side is more often than not, used for camouflage so that it can avoid being dinner for some passing bird or frog.

And the importance of the Ventral Side of the wings was important to me too. After all … I don’t want some passing frog to eat the Nectar Collector! So it clearly states on the underside of it’s wings that this butterfly isn’t for chomping on – for this is a Cobwebs Butterfly!

The tops of butterfly wings are used for signalling to another butterfly that the butterfly rather likes them and would like to marry them. (*That’s how it was explained to me, anyhow*).

Before this particular butterfly takes flight and leaves me, when it’s found it’s forever home, there will be a very tiny button sewn to the underside – of a particular colour and shape, which will have a special meaning. An explanation of the meaning of that button, will be sent along with him, so that he can be treasured for the treasure he actually is.

Now before I sign off …

I want to say a HUGE THANK YOU – to all who replied and commented on my last post [<— clickable link] and who helped me – because I was near to being a big melted down mess on the floor, and BIG THANKS to those who gave me hints, tips and guidance on how to use the new block editor that WordPress have forced upon us.

As you can see, with your help, I have made a post! [a roar of cheers can be heard from all over the land].

I can’t say that I like the new editor, because I don’t. I REALLY don’t.

  • It has no spellcheck;
  • No ‘update’ button;
  • It won’t colour selected words in a paragraphbut simply colours all the words in that paragraph. (Unless you know a trick to that … and if you do, please share it with me);
  • It has pop up boxes which appear out of nowhere and block the view of what you want to seewhich I’m sure are meant to be helpful, when the time is right – but they’re a darn nuisance!;
  • Things are hidden behind unknown ‘terms’ and names;
  • Silly symbols which mean diddly squat to regular, not unintelligent users!;
  • Everything about it is so darn tiresome and seems to need an abundance of clicks to do the simplest thing
  • even changing the colour of the words isn’t the one click it used to be!

The new system is clunky, silly, old fashioned in many ways, behind the times and boringly, stupidly long winded.

It truthfully feels like the coding has been written by a junior member of staff instead of someone who knows what she/he is actually doing. It’s taken me a lot longer than I would normally have spent building a post – but . . . at least I now have a post, after lots of help from other WordPress users.

My sincere thanks to you all – for without you, I truthfully would have thrown the towel in and given up. Bless each and every one of you.

Thank you so much for coming today and sharing a coffee and some time with me, while I introduced you to the Nectar Collector – who is the first of my Airy Spirits. I love seeing you here, and love chatting with you all. So please feel welcome to leave a comment. It doesn’t have to be a huge comment, just say hello – because it’s always so nice to know who I’m chatting with.

And …. before I sign off, there HAS to be some Monday jokes:-

Q:- Where are average things manufactured?

A:- The satisfactory.

~~~ ❤ ~~~

Q:- What does Charles Dickens keep in his spice rack?

A:- The best of thymes, the worst of thymes.

~~~ ❤ ~~~

Q:- What do you call an apology written in dots and dashes?

A:- Re-Morse code.

~~~ ❤ ~~~

Q:- What do you call a rooster staring at a pile of lettuce?

A:- A chicken sees a salad.

~~~ ❤ ~~~

Just before I sign off … although I’ve been commenting on blogs over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been told by various bloggers that they’ve found my comments in their spam folders – so … please check your spam folders, as a comment or two might just be hiding there.

Have a wonderful Monday, and a truly blessed week. Sending love and squidges through the ether to you ….

* the ASTERISK * marked * statements [above] may or may not be entirely, exactly d’ twufe, d’ whole twufe and nuffin but d’ twufe. But I’m absolutely certain dere is some sort of twufe.

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Fairy Shoes, fit for a Fairy Prince!

Fairy Prince Extea the Warrior of Dragons copy

Cobwebs the Cobbler is backthis time bringing shoes which once belonged to a Fairy Prince!  Prince Extea to be precise.

Prince Extea is a Fairy Dragon Warrior, and also a Dragon Trainer.  He enchants Dragons, bewitches them, mesmerizes them and then, finally, captures them and trains them to be the protectors of all who live in the Land of the Fae, and even to carry elderly Fairies on their Dragon backs,  just like a horse would carry you or I to wherever we wanted to go!

Prince Extea is a very handsome chap with the most fabulous gossamer wings made from the cobwebs spun by the smallest of spiders.  As the light catches his wings they flash the colours of purples, greens, blues and hints of rose-pinkNaturally, Extea likes shoes which compliment his wings.

Fairy Prince Extea the Warrior of Dragons 3

Although he doesn’t actually ever wear his shoes out (being able to fly is very economical with regard to footwear!)  – he still requires a new pair of shoes every now and again, perhaps for a Fairy Ball, or maybe a Fairy Tea Dance, or simply because he has a new set of clothes which he wants matching shoes for.  He brings back his no longer required shoes so that they can be sent to the Fairy Museum.  And that’s why I’m able to show these to your today, before I carefully box them and send them, by Dragon flight, to the Fairy Museum, which is hidden deep within the Enchanted Forest of Fae.

Fairy Prince Extea the Warrior of Dragons 4

Ok, well back to reality for a moment ….  Cobwebs Fairy Shoes are all handmade from a mix of Polymer clays.  There are no mold/moulds used in the making, and all the Fairy shoes you’ll find in The Cobweborium are designed entirely from the strange and enchanted corners in the mind of Cobwebs (or ‘me’ in other words. lol).

I make each individual shoe to look as if it’s been carefully worn, – so you’ll find all the ‘creases’ in the shoes which you’d expect to find in your own shoes which you wear daily.

The buttons ‘sewn’ to the front of Prince Extea’s shoes are again all hand-made and shaped, and the sewing thread holding the button to the shoe is actually a very fine ‘thread’ of polymer clay, carefully manipulated to make it look like sewing thread.

Fairy Prince Extea the Warrior of Dragons 2

As you can see from the photograph above – even the soles of the Fairy shoes are ‘worn’ and showing signs of where the wearer has stood momentarily on a rose thorn or branch of a bush;  or stood cheekily in a Birds Nest admiring the baby birds;  or even walked amongst the twigs on the forest floor.

I love making Fairy Shoes, and I think that if I could, I’d probably make them all day every day.

Do you have a favourite thing which you make – or something which you do  – that you’d love to do more often?  Do tell me about it via a comment.  I love people to actually get talking here as it kind of gets everyone talking and getting to know each other.  The internet then gets to be a much more friendly place, and goodness knows we need more friendly places on the net!

Whatever you’re doing today, may you have a day of fun and love …  and ….  do something nice for someone else today.  Pray for the next person you pass on the street. If you don’t pray, then simply wish something wonderful to happen for the next person you see.  Push that wish right out of your head and heart.  Let’s all band together and do something good in the world!

Have a beautiful, blessed day all.

Coffee Sig

 

 

 

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