Travel Bird

HERE IS THE PATTERN FOR MY TRAVEL BIRD

He is fun to carry around and travels well in a pocket, purse, or car.
He is fun for children and adults alike to prop up in unusual or exciting places.

I have found that people are willing to pose with him, making lasting memories of your travels.

Even the most normal places seem different when you add him to a picture.

The possibilities are endless!

For my bird, I stuff him in what ever I am carrying and pull him out however squished he is and take his photo at arms length or propped up/in/against something. I don’t adjust his beak because he seems to have funny/candid expressions that I find amusing.
My bird has been everywhere with me and has posed in odd places and has been photographed with people, including my family and the lead singer of the band Seether. No better ice breaker or conversation starter than pulling out a homemade funny looking stuffed animal and explaining his adventures and future plans. I find almost everyone warms up to my bird and are willing to play along.

Step 1: Needed Materials

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

A sock – at least calf length (crazy patterns work well)

Stuffing – can be new or recycled from an old pillow, I prefer "cluster stuff" by Morning Glory found at Wal-Mart (oh how I miss Wal-Mart!!!).

Scissors

Sewing needle

Thread – matching or contrasting…its up to you

2 Buttons – for eyes, but consider something else if you are going to give this to a small child. I pictured little rivet things you can place before you start sewing, but again is not totally childproof. Think about gluing fabric eyes or using a marker instead.



Sewing machine is optional but I find it easier and more fulfilling to hand stitch. Plus I don't like it when my machine catches and pulls the knit through and this pattern does not take into account seam allowance.

And warning: I am not a seamstress, nor do I claim to be. I am a crafter. My stitches are not purdy, and I may call them the wrong names (so please feel free to correct me).

Comments

[Very Interesting]

Coolness!

[kelsium]

Great idea to make your own toy. I have a stuffed monkey that travels with family and friends. He has pics all over the world and a facebook page! :)

[Mrballeng]

This is a neat idea. I like it.

[guylcfc290]

(removed by author or community request)

[islandmargarita]

(removed by author or community request)

[guylcfc290]

(removed by author or community request)

[islandmargarita]

Yeah, I could have done a better job at explaining that. Its basically just a little "tack" stitch under the beak to the back of the body, like putting on a button. It isn't all that necessary, it just pulls the body in a bit to give some shape. And after making the beak it was easier just to pull the remaining thread through so it would eliminate having to tie off and start a new stitch.

[islandmargarita]

Let me see what I can whip up for you...

[triciab1212]

Hilarious!! i love it!! My sister kind of does this with her store-bought penguine :)

[Calorie]

Love it. Once again getting in contact with the "roots" of instructables. Easy, creative, anyone can do it. And a lot of fun.

[squawkamole]

I sooo love this little guy! Thank you for sharing. I know what I am making my grandmonsters next!

[sffitzge]

this reminds me of stupid sock creatures http://www.stupidcreatures.com/Services/page12/customsock.html if you haven't heard of them I'd check them out for ideas for your next bird

[mellow-gold]

This is so great. Thanks for sharing.

I wished I had known of this before my last trip. ;-)

[Puzzledd]

What a cute and clever idea - so simple and so much fun!
I love that it's an instant ice-breaker when you travel - fantastic!

[vasyaimmortal]

muZ newZ http://www.muznewz.com/ )))))

[CrusaderSerg]

cool

[randofo]

This is great! My girlfriend and I once bought a fake owl (made of rabbit fur) in San Francisco's Chinatown and then walked around taking pictures of it in funny spots all day and try to get tourists to pose with it. I'm glad to see someone else finds something like this as funny as we do :-)

It's especially a great idea though to make a small critter that you can bring around with you when travel. Our owl wasn't particularly compact and only saw one adventure. Thanks for posting this! I'll have to make one soon.

Here is some of our pics:

[islandmargarita]

I love your owl and pics! Thank you for sharing!! :)