Firebird

This story is really not about me, but I’m going to tell my part in it because it gave me great joy.

Lucas’s class is performing the Russian story of the Firebird in Eurhythmy this week. The performance is on Thursday and they’ve worked quite hard on it. I cannot wait to see this performance and I know already it’s going to make me cry. Lucas is excited about it, too.

A whole crew of volunteers was recruited to sew fancy dresses for the girls to wear. I was asked to do this part: paint the Firebird’s fabric wings.

With paints.

I love paints.

I love to paint.

Paints

Demi's Firebird

The Firebird The Firebird

Here’s my inspiration and reference material: The Firebird by Demi.

Beginning

So this is how I spent part of my Sunday afternoon, outside in my unseasonably warm backyard, with the fabric clipped to my fence, while the wind rushed about blowing leaves into my way.

Firebird Wings in Progress

This is how I left it last night, with the back almost finished (not all the tail feathers were done). Today I painted the front because when the Firebird spreads her wings, you’ll see the underside. I’ve also spent some time adding details, like more gold shimmer.

I don’t have a daylight photo of the wings finished at this point. I’ll try to snap one in the morning before I send this off to school. I fervently hope that this garment will work. The paint has made the fabric pretty stiff, so I’m hoping the Eurhythmy teacher doesn’t expect lots of flowing, draping softness!

Doing this was such fun! I wish I could paint more often!

5 Responses to “Firebird”

  • xtyn
    November 15, 2010 at 11:00 pm

    I’ve always loved that story. Your wings are gorgeous!

    Reply

  • Liz
    November 16, 2010 at 12:53 am

    nice!

    Reply

  • Sara
    November 17, 2010 at 9:47 pm

    Thank you!

    Reply

  • Cathy
    June 12, 2011 at 1:35 pm

    Hi Sara,
    I just discovered your lovely blog. These wings are just beautiful! They looked even more stunning being worn in your photo from the Firebird. What kind of material and paint did you use?

    Reply

    • Sara
      June 13, 2011 at 5:08 pm

      Hi Cathy. Thank you for stopping by Love in the Suburbs! For the Firebird wings, I used a silky acetate fabric that matched the girls’ dresses, except it was off-white instead of blue or coral. Then I painted on the wings (both sides) with plain old craft acrylics. The paint made the wings quite stiff and I worried about that, but it turned out okay after all.

      Reply

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  • About Sara

    Thanks for visiting! I’m Sara, editor and writer, wife to Ian, and mother of two precious boys. I am living each day to the fullest and with as much grace, creativity, and patience as I can muster. This is where I write about living, loving, and engaging fully in family life and the world around me. I let my hair down here. I learn new skills here. I strive to be a better human being here. And I tell the truth.

    Our children attend Waldorf school and we are enriching our home and family life with plenty of Waldorf-inspired festivals, crafts, and stories.

    © 2003–2018 Please do not use my photographs or text without my permission.

    “Love doesn’t just sit there like a stone; it has to be made, like bread, remade all the time, made new.” —Ursula K. LeGuinn

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