Feb 1, 2026 - It's time to update the textile art project on the power pole at the Boxcar Cafe!
While the "Gnome Sweet Gnome" installation was a hit, with the week of warm weather we enjoyed this month, I felt the time was right for a new "bring on spring" theme. I named this new piece "Birds of a Feather Flock Together". It also reminds me of the Boxcar Cafe because it's the perfect place to go for a coffee or a treat with family and friends.
I must admit, I was stuck on ideas for this seasonal transition piece. It's not spring yet but I feel it's just around the corner. My daughter Sabrina and I chatted about the fact that the geese would soon be coming back to our neighbourhoods, and she came up with a quick sketch of our conversation. This was just the inspiration I needed to get started!
To make the geese in the foreground, I used a soft pink and blue knitted cotton swatch, from my stash. The smaller birds and flowers were inspired from images I found in an old colouring book.
The birds were also made from swatches. I picked some of my most colourful lace and fair isle patterned knit fabric swatches. For those who might wonder, swatches are sample practice pieces of fabric, made using the same yarn, needles and stitch pattern intended for a final project. The bird shapes were cut out, backed with felt, sewn together, embellished with eyes and beaks and feet and then sewn onto the background.
The tree and branches were machine knit using the fair isle technique and two strands (one light and one dark) of various yarns found in my stash.
The large flowers at the top were made from a vintage silk, embroidered table cloth, and the lacey backdrop for the entire textile art piece came from another tablecloth. Both were donated to me, by my dear neighbour who was cleaning and downsizing, and wanted to find a new home for them, where they could be repurposed or used as is. The small flowers were made from knit fabric scraps and embellished with buttons.
Lastly I added a couple of my signature felted hearts. They were cut out from red wool felt, hand stitched and embellished and filled with stuffing and love.
The installation is complete and has found its home on the power pole located in front of the Boxcar Cafe, in the Calder district of Edmonton. For an in-person viewing, you'll find it here: 11926 129 Ave NW or click on our little video below for a short and sweet slideshow (38 seconds) on the project.
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