Lyrebird Bag Tote

Lyrebirds are famous for their mimicry, but to see a male displaying his impressive tail is a joy. This lyrebird is based on our photographs of him, under the dense shrubbery, dancing to delight any nearby lady lyrebirds.
The simple undyed calico (pre-washed) was dyed with solar-reactive inks, leaving the pattern of the fern fronds that shadowed the inks as they dried. Acrylic fabric paints, some pearlescent or metallic, were used to paint the lyrebird. The entire panel was then ironed, to set the dyes and paints and make it washable.
Wadding was added at the back and the bird was outlined with brown stitching. Finally the background was stitched (quilted) in variable green polyester, to enhance the fern shadows and to reflect some of the things found around lyrebirds, such as leaves, sticks, ferns, flowers, a butterfly, ants, vines and a spiderweb.
The lyrebird is the front panel of the bag, with the back a lightly quilted commercial fabric of interleaved leaves. The lining, showing pale grey petals, is not quilted. The black handles are double sided with wadding encased for strength. The centre of the handles each has a decorative motif.
The bag is washable in cold water, with drying in the shade. It can be ironed, but not too hot for the quilting threads.
The bag measures 37 cm x 35 cm, and the handles are 56 cm x 4 cm.
(The Banksia and Fern plants in the photographs are not included with the bag).