The Artful Bird: Feathered Friends to Make and Sew [Paperback]

Abigail Patner Glassenberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 18, 2011

Join the flock! Create your own aviary of charming, beautifully detailed, one-of-a-kind fabric bird sculptures with basic machineand handsewing, embroidery, and mixed-media craft techniques. The Artful Bird presents 16 incredibly charming, quirky, personality-filled birds for you to make! Through a detailed chapter of step-by-step basic birdmaking techniques and tips, you will not only learn to make these cute creatures, but also discover how to craft your own patterns for almost any bird—real or imagined.

Inside you’ll also find Glassenberg’s creative ideas to give each bird individual character and personality, from using paint and glitter to adding collage elements. Plus, check out an international gallery of birds from other noted fabric bird makers for more inspiration!

Editorial Reviews

Review

Named a TOP 10 CRAFT BOOK OF 2011 by Booklist, the publication of the American Library Journal.

"A delightful find...These beautiful birds are ingeniously crafted." – Sew Hip magazine

"This amazing book is incredibly thorough and breaks down the process of making fabric birds in a really accessible way." – Kathleen Richardson, WhipUp.net

"I know that I have raved about various sewing books here before and I love telling you about awesome finds. But I will let you know right here and right now that this particular book is one that you just HAVE TO HAVE! If you even remotely love birds in any way, shape, or form this book will just blow you away." – Small Town Living

"A fascinating book on learning to create three-dimensional birds with a variety of fabrics and stitchwork." – Detroit News

"The Artful Bird is so much fun...I defy you to pick it up without wanting to make a few of your own feathered friends!" – Mark Lipinski, host, Creative Mojo

"Abby’s soft sculpture birds are gorgeous, filled with personality and often made with vintage fabrics." – Paige Lewin, CBS Boston

"This is a beautiful book...These birds are so expressive – and with 16 different birds, from a hen+chick to a penguin to a flamingo, there's a project there for just about every 'level of challenging.'" – Austen Gilliland, CanadianLiving.com

"Utterly delightful." – Samantha Cotterill, mummysam

"Quirky poses and personalities make these adorable sculpted birds fun to sew and impossible to resist!" – Crafter’s Choice Book Club

"I was blown away by the intricate work that goes into each bird...not only does this book capture them beautifully in photograph, but gives you the opportunity to see how they are made." – Cary Walker, little love blue

"Totally amazing. Each of the birds has a unique personality (I especially love the lark, owl, and flamingo), and Abby's projects are the perfect pick-me-up when you're fighting the winter blahs." – Stefanie Berganini, SewDaily.com

"This book thrills me to bits! Abigail covers everything and I mean EVERYTHING you need to know to make a fascinating and beautiful flock of your own." – Rashida Coleman-Hale, Iheartlinen.com

"The book intrigued me, so I decided to try my hand at bird making...and I had a blast. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I had no trouble cutting and using the pattern pieces, and the directions were very easy to follow." – Barb Delaney, ClothPaperScissors.com

"A book filled with projects for sewing amazing birds from all sorts of different materials." – Tiny Apartment Crafts

"Abby is a wonderful teacher and makes beautiful soft sculptures, which makes for a pretty fantastic author of a pretty fantastic book." – Meg Spaeth, ElsieMarley.com

"This book would give the serious crafter a great foundation for making Artful Birds, but also has the ability to sensibly guide the newbie crafter into being a successful Soft Sculptor." – Connie Kogler, Birds O’ The Morning

"A really accessible how-to book on how to make bird sculptures...It’s also a great general introduction to making soft sculptures." – Mimi Tsang, ShisoMama.com

"A wonderful collection." – Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood, CraftSanity.com

"If my birds turn out like these, I'll be ecstatic!” - Deborah Schlegel, Art Threads

"Absolutely amazing, right?! You’ll also find an excellent section on materials and techniques – very well illustrated and explained. This is definitely a book for crafty bird-lovers." – Jhoanna Monte, OneRedRobin.com

"This smashing crafts book is about making soft sculptures, 16 in all, of different birds, some lifelike, others deliberately fantastic." – Booklist

"144 pages of bird sewing goodness." - Craft Gossip

"Abby Glassenberg's soft sculptures and assemblages of birds are totally amazing. Each of the birds has a unique personality (I especially love the lark, owl and flamingo), and Abby's projects are the perfect pick-me-up when you're fighting the winter blahs." - Stefanie Berganini, SewDaily.com

"The Artful Bird has technique to make a variety of hand sewn birds that would be a sweet addition to any home or a great gift for friends." - Outblush.com

“The Artful Bird is a book with gorgeous designs and outstanding presentation to make it one of the best sewing books about birds around. It's a book that teaches how to make 16 different birds that are full of character and artistry.” - Crescendoh

"I love how these projects really help you use up a lot of your scrap fabric, extra craft supplies, and vintage goodies." – Natalie Zee, editor, CRAFT

About the Author

Abigail Patner Glassenberg has been making award-winning soft toys and soft sculptures since 2005. She has made more than 100 birds of every variety, selling them in galleries, boutiques, craft shows, and online. Her work also been featured in magazines, including Cloth, Paper, Scissors, and in sewing, craft, and soft-sculpture books. She lives in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Interweave Press (January 18, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596682388
• ISBN-13: 978-1596682382
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.6 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #78,617 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #19 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Crafts & Hobbies > Toys & Models > Stuffed Animals

More About the Author

My name is Abby Glassenberg and I'm a sewing pattern designer, craft book author, and sewing teacher. I live in Wellesley, MA and work out of my home studio. I'm also the mom to three daughters. I sew every single day!

I design and make original soft toys and soft sculptures. For several years I worked exclusively on creating soft sculpture birds of every variety, from flamingos to penguins, from larks to peacocks. This work culminated in The Artful Bird: Feathered Friends to Make and Sew. Writing this book was an amazing experience and seeing other people create their own birds based on my patterns brings me so much joy! I'm so pleased that The Artful Bird was named a top 10 craft book of 2011 on the ALA Booklist!

My second book, Stuffed Animals: From Concept to Construction, was published by Lark in the spring of 2013. My goal with this book is to help you design and create your own, original softie patterns by showing how soft toy construction works. Everything from creating a simple outline toy to an advanced jointed toy with gussets and darts is explained in detail. The book has 16 new projects accompanied by 52 lessons which break down the patterns and explain how they were constructed. This book is both a project book and a reference book and I hope you love it!

To follow my crafting, parenting, and teaching adventures, check out my blog: http://www.whileshenaps.typepad.com Thank you so much!

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Book to Craft Birds EVER January 14, 2011

By D. Purser

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I love birds, love them and could not wait to get my hands on this book as I have admired the art of Abigail Glassenberg for some time!!!!! I have created stuffed dolls and work in many mediums but always wanted to take my personal sketches and create them in sculpted forms. What I like about this book is the many different projects the author/artist has in the book and the breakdown of the process of creating these beautiful birds. A valuable part of the book for me was the "anatomy of a bird" with very detailed explanation of the bird body. I understand the "underbody" and "gusset" and how important that is to make birds with great form. There are many tips and suggestions on how to do basic construction of the bird along with encouragement to think outside the box. The best advise I think she gives is to take inspiration from this book and to come up with your own pattern and creation that is unique and your true original, that is awesome! While I plan to make many of the birds in this book, I also plan to make my own patterns and birds from my personal sketches and ideas and do just that. She also has some of my other favorite artists in her book like Ann Wood and Abigail Brown both whose artwork I have admired and also purchased. If there were more stars to rate this book, I would have added them all!!! Thank you Abigail for a AWESOME book and being such a great teacher encouraging your students like me!!!!!!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Aewsome book February 23, 2011

By Linda Lanese

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've always been fascinated with Ann Wood's amazing birds. Every time I get a newsletter from her blog I immediately go to check out what she is doing and making from her vintage fabrics. When I saw "The Artful Bird" on Amazon available for pre-order, I immediately put it in my basket. The author Abigail Patner Glassenberg interviews four of her favorite fabric bird makers (Ann Wood, Abigail Brown, Tamar Mogendorff, and Jennifer Muskopf) and a gallery featuring their birds. I had never really followed any of these artists other than Ann but now I find all their work fascinating. Each has their own unique style of creating delightful and unique birds. In this book Abigail not only lays out the patterns but also gives us a lesson in the anatomy of a bird. Before you start any of the projects in this book she suggests that you read all the information in the general instruction area of the book. The patterns are printed in the book and she tells you how much you should enlarge the patterns to achieve the look she is presenting in the book. I found this book to be charmingly illustrated the pictures are outstanding and you will want to create all of her feathered friends. Abigail shows you exactly how to assemble the birds and you will want to pay close attention to her instructions. There are 144 pages of bird sewing goodness, including 19 projects to make everything from a flamingo to a woodpecker, a swan to a wren. Step-by-step photos to show you exactly how to make a wire armature, all different options for sewing feathers and tricks for turning and stuffing successfully. I want to suggest that anyone that has ever been interested in creating stunning and fun birds should definitely get this book.... Today I'm excited to tell you that interweave Press sent me a copy to review and giveaway to one of my readers. Look through the book and see some of the projects. It is one of those books you want to come back to over and over again. Read more ›

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Artful bird February 5, 2011

By Holly A. Kubick

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I really enjoyed this book. It is not for a novice sewer due to the small, intricate pieces. Read the overview instructions carefully before going to the individual bird projects. There are some great projects here if you love birds.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars colourful birds February 10, 2011

By K. Platt

Format:Paperback

If you like feathered friends, you will be overjoyed by this book. It has good templates and many birds to make and sew. They are quite detailed. Excellent photography and good instructions throughout. Use the techniques to let your imagination fly and create your own flock of individual birds. This review first appeared on Karen Platt's book website.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Take your craft to a new level September 25, 2011

By Happy Quilter VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a great guide for making artful birds that require experience and knowledge about sewing. It is not a simple craft book. The techniques are unique and effective for creating texture and realism. The results are wonderful which is what counts. So, go forward, take your time, read carefully and delight in the outcome.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Artful Bird: Feathered Friends to Make and Sew September 25, 2011

By The Doll Maker

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I already had a pattern to make a bird but it didn't let me change it or let me experiment with other types of birds as the Artful Bird does. I created a bird from one of the patterns the day after receiving this book from Amazon. The pattern was easy to follow and I love the way Abigail Glassenberg makes the legs for her birds, much like Ute Vasina makes her bird feet and legs. I have recommended this book to other doll makers and know several other doll makers that already have this book. It is a welcome addition to any fabric artists library.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic January 30, 2011

By Birdie

Format:Paperback

I've purchased Abby's wares, and she is amazingly talented. Even as a crafty person, I am in awe of her abilities, and i LOVE LOVE LOVE her creations. How exciting that she finally has a book where we can [attempt] to do this, too. The layout is awesome, and the creative possibilities that lie within the book are extremely enticing. If you have a tendency to make something like this, or even if you are just an admirer, get the book.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Best craft book ever! January 25, 2011

By loves2create

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have been a blog follower of Abigail Glassenberg and long admired her creations. I could hardly wait to get my hands on her book and get a glimpse into her creation process. I have purchased many craft books and sometimes disappointed with the instructions and projects. Abigail takes you step by step in basic bird making techniques with clearly written instructions as well as pictures for each step. I felt like she was right there beside me.
I love all the bird projects and that would keep me busy for awhile. But now armed with various tips and techniques I can create my own birds and softies. I wish I could give more stars.
Believe me this is the best craft book ever!!