Chickens

CHICKENS!!!!

One of the things I have tried to do ever since I started making projects to sell is to use materials that would otherwise go to waste. Thus most all of my sunpaint clothing and items are made from upcycled garments. My badges are made from upcycled denim pants. I use vintage and upcycled fabrics to make my bags and I've been making scarves and things out of t-shirts.


Since I've been making wacky hats for the Golden City Brewery, I've been acquiring a pile of fleece scraps.
Some of them are pretty wild. I've turned the long narrow strips into fleece scarves. They aren't very fancy but they are a low cost gift item that I took to the kids gift fair at a local elementary school. Since they were made from scraps, I was able to price them cheaply enough for the kids buy them without spending all their money on one gift.

I'd been looking at the bigger scraps for a while when it occurred to me that that they were the perfect size and shape for making our giant chicken pillows! The chicken pillows are a larger version of the tiny chickens I've been making for the kids at Easter time.





Tiny 3 inch chickens.








From the scraps available I am able to make three sizes. Small ones that are between 4 and 5 inches on a side. Medium chickens that are between 6 and 8 inches on a side and large chickens that are just about 12 inches on a side.



My kids love these chickens. It was originally spud 3's idea to make the little chickens bigger and out of fleece. He has helped make several in the past and we donated a few as prizes for charity events. They have always been popular for that purpose. One lady who won the zebra chicken pictured below is still so thrilled with it that she lets us know on a regular basis it is still on her bed.
As I was working on the latest batch, I realized that a few were missing. Essentially all of the camo chickens had flown the coop. Spud three walked into the room with a very serious expression on his face. He said, "I'd like to register a complaint." This was unusual behavior for him. I'd never heard him ask to register a complaint. The list of possible brotherly infractions, lunch bag violations and other possible problems rushed through my mind. I asked him what the problem was. He went on to say that the beak on his chicken was upside down. It made the chicken look stuck up. He wanted me to know that all future chickens needed to have their beaks sewn on properly. Of course his stuck up chicken was one of the missing camo chickens and despite the obvious 'flaw' he refused to give it back.
We will be donating several of the ones we've made out of remnants and scraps. Others will be available at the next few shows we go to. Some are available in the shop.