Lifelike Bird Embroideries Combine Techniques and Materials to Create the Illusion They’re Real

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Embroi­dery artist Pola Laa­ma­nen crafts birds that at first glance, look real. Using a com­bi­na­tion of thread paint­ing, stump­work, and mixed mate­ri­als, her tiny birds take on a life of their own. She shows some as they emerge from eggshells while oth­ers seem to fly. Each begs a clos­er look, as you’ll see how she takes a painter­ly approach to her small works; stitch­es give way to fringe which gives way to rib­bon, and it’s all looks effort­less­ly crafted.

Pola sells her work through Etsy—includ­ing pat­terns avail­able to down­load. Fol­low her on Insta­gram to see what she’s work­ing on next.