If you’re like me, you have a lot of field guides lying around. And I mean a lot. I have, of course, the guide that I still use regularly of the eastern birds of North America, but I also have field guides to Costa Rica (where I hope to go), Australia (where I’ve never been), the Caribbean (where I did actually check off a few species), and many outdated North American guides gifted to me by anyone who knows I like birding and is getting rid of things. That’s not even counting the field guides I have for butterflies, coral, wildflowers, and more.
Do I love these field guides? Yes. But the truth is I often use the Audubon online guide or mobile app, the Merlin listening app, or iNaturalist to identify species, augmenting these sources with additional databases. My field guides are beautiful, but they sure do take up a lot of shelf space. What to do with them?
Turn them into art of course!
Step 1: Grab a Field Guide and Supplies
To start, grab a field guide, a pair of scissors, a sharp needle, and some thread. I prefer a felt back too, which you can pick up at any big box store, online, or sometimes even in the grocery store craft aisle.
We’re going to make cross-out poems. What are those? Using thread, we will “cross out” the words we don’t want. The remaining words are our poem!
To find a page, look for a photo description that has enough words to play with. I’m using an old version of The Audubon Society Master Guide to Birding: Gulls to Dippers; edited by John Farrand, Jr.
Step 2: Find a Field Guide Page
I’ve zeroed in on the woodpeckers, specifically, the Ladder-backed and Red-bellied Woodpeckers — giving me species from Florida all the way to California. After all, Audubon works to protect birds and the places they need across the country! The photos appeal to me and there are enough words describing the images to make a poem.
Step 3: Cut Out the Page and Felt
Using my scissors, I cut out the photo of the woodpecker with the words on the left. Try to leave a centimeter of white space around the edge of your words/photos (where possible). If you are using a felt back, cut the felt to match the size of your cut-out picture.
Step 4: Stitch!
To attach your felt backing to your paper photo, stitch all around the edge. I don’t worry too much about making it even, but your level of perfectionism is totally up to you.
Now you’re ready to do your cross-out poem. Which words stand out to you? What do you want people to notice about these special birds? What words do you think are interesting? Using thread, cross out the words you don’t want the viewer to see. As added embellishment, I usually decorate the photo itself with stitches. Weaving, French knots, back stitch — all are fair game.
You’re ready to share your work! Finish as many or as few as you like, and find interesting frames to display your art on the wall. These field guide cross-out poems are also the perfect size to send in an envelope; a fun way to say “hi!” to family and friends.
Continue below to see a close up of my two decorated field guide pages.
