I had never considered taking on commissions before but, a lovely couple who visited the exhibition in November asked if I would consider making them a Great Spotted Woodpecker.  They were moving soon and wanted to have a piece of art that reminded them of their time in Somerset.  Their Somerset garden was the first time they had ever had a Woodpecker visit them and it seemed a suitable memory for this bird loving pair.

I visited their home and looked at the spot they watched the Woodpecker from.  We spent a lovely hour discussing what they wanted from the picture and I took a range of images and fabrics to find out what they did and didn’t like.

We discussed how much involvement they wanted after this initial meeting and they decided that they would leave the rest to me.  I said I would send them an image once the bird was pieced but before I started sewing and they were happy with this.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable process and I set to work drawing out and planning the piece and selecting fabrics for the bird.

I loved the fabric they chose for the background and had taken it along as one of the options as I thought it would be a lovely one to quilt.

The bold black, white and red colours of the Woodpecker really ‘pop’ against the green backdrop.  We had looked at various trees and the bark the bird would be on and they requested a silver birch, which had the appearance of being pecked away by the bird.  They also liked the pictures I showed them of an orange fungi called Xanthoria.

Below, the final piece, framed and ready to deliver.  Thankfully they loved it and look forward to hanging it in their new home.