Malabar parakeets are from southern India, so we don't see them in Pakistan but the coloring is so stunning that I could not resist embroidering it. The photograph of the parakeet sitting on the branch is my color reference because it shows the shading in detail, but I'm basing its position on the second photograph of the parakeet taking off from a branch.

I've spent two days on this project so far. I matched embroidery floss & created the stumpwork structure on the first day & embroidered from the head towards the tail on the second. I like how it's coming along. I'm aiming to finish it & the third parrot before my birthday.

The plum-headed parrot is finally finished! (It will receive an eye when I appliqué it onto the finished skirt, which won't happen until the two remaining parrots are finished as well.)

My shared workspace, a sunroom off the living room, is quite visible. I wanted to find an attractive way to cover up my pinboards when they're not actively being used that wouldn't spoiling the aesthetic of the living room and  decided upon a crazy quilt. 

The focal fabric is the beetle print & I've also utilized yellow & orange fabric that was left over from the living room cushions. Then, I added additional fabric scraps from various outfits, including red & green raw silk; blue embossed silk; red-blue, green-blue, & orange-pink two-tone katan silks; orange, green, & pink jamawar. I finished it with olive green and gold ribbon from the household gift-wrapping stash.

The quilt will consist of six 12"x12" blocks. The pictures above and below are of the first two pieced blocks. This was the first time that I've used the sewing machine, so there's a lot of experimentation happening, but I've been enjoying the challenge so far.

This is the stumpwork structure for the plum-headed parrot. Because it's going to be appliquéd onto a garment, I wasn't able to use wire to shape the wings and body. I experimented with cotton stuffing and felt instead, and have attached cut-away stabilizer to the back of the fabric. I've yet to make the beak and the claws; I'm planning to cut out two layers of felt for each.

I'm starting a new embroidery project! The plan is to embroider three different South Asian parrots, the first of which is the plum-headed parakeet, and then to appliqué them onto the lehenga that I will wear to my sister's wedding in December of next year. Using the reference images above, I've selected matching embroidery floss.