Tuesday, November 23, 2010

For the Birds...

As I mentioned yesterday on our Seldom Scene Farm blog, I've started making felted birdhouses and finished a few more today. They are soooo fun!
Someone asked if I thought that they would hold up okay in the elements, to which I quickly replied in the affirmative. I actually think they'll last longer than a standard wooden birdhouse.
As I thought about this further, it occurred to me that a yurt is a great example of the insulating qualities, water resistance, and durability of wool. Still used for homes in some parts of the world, yurts made with handmade wool felt survive very harsh environments, so certainly a wool birdhouse will provide the same benefits for discerning birds!I'll have these at Art in the Barn this coming weekend, and at Damselfly Gallery in Midway and Truly Bluegrass in Versailles in the near future!In addition, I'll have a few Bird Nesting Balls... these are balls made from somewhat loose natural alpaca fiber which you hang in a tree, and the birds take tufts of the soft fiber to line their nests. Lucky birds, their own "bird yurt" lined with alpaca! Pin It Now!

4 comments:

foxlily said...

Yurts, called "gers" in Mongolia, were made of felted wool for thousands of years, and withstood temperatures that would make Montana look balmy. Now, gers are mostly made of heavy canvas or oilcloth on the outside, with a felted inner layer, then a lattice suport layer, and interior hangings, which may be embroideries or wool. So cozy to come into, out of the wind and the rain! I am sure the birds will love your felted gers!

Dianne@sheepdreams said...

These are so great! I love the idea of hanging a little wool house in the trees. Have you considered making some tiny ones for Christmas ornaments?

Ruth said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog! I love your bird houses. I grew up in Richmond, KY but now live in Montana. Where in KY do you live?

I'm gonna tell Mom! said...

Oh I LOVE these birdhouses!
Bonnie Jo