How long does the ribbon need to be? You choose. I prefer to have just a small loop of ribbon on the top of my ornaments. If I need to hang my felt ornament on a tree with its bulky branches, then I can thread twine through the loop and tie it on or use wire hangers which do the job discretely. You may prefer to have a long loop and you may prefer to use cord or twine instead of ribbon. Patterned fabric looks great mixed with felt and I opted for this blue and yellow floral design. The yellow flowers match with the yellow of the felt and the blue gives me another color that I can match up easily with other elements such as the button eye. Making felt birds has been on my crafting to do list for quite some time. So earlier this year, I made it a priority to design and make a set of printable felt bird patterns for our Etsy shop. I just love how these little birds turned out! Making Felt Birds with Printabe Patterns And theyre delightful! If you love birds (I love birds) and you like the look of folk embroidery, and you like working with felt to make three dimensional objects, then you need to add this book to your library. If you want a book to help you sew felt into beautiful birds... look no further!! The clear photographs and instructions are just so easy to follow. This book would be a lovely present and you could give the person a few felt squares, some thread and let them start creating right away!! Love it!!

If you’ve never tried needle felting before, we think you’ll find it a really satisfying technique. We have a complete beginner’s guide to needle felting right here on Gathered which is also written by Gretel and will teach you all the basic techniques. Like any good project book, Folk Embroidered Felt Birds begins with a section on materials. Theres nothing too out of the ordinary here felt (the author recommends a wool / viscose blend); embroidery floss; wire (for legs), filling, ribbon, sequins, wire tape, and other very regular stuff.

£9.99

Leave a small margin (3-5mm is great) and start to sew around the edge of the bird. I like to start from the bottom middle because this will leave me an easy section to sew at the end once I start stuffing the plush. Finally, to make the tail, simply roll some wool on the needle (the part that has barbs). Slide the needle up and down to tangle the wool and bind them together. Be careful when you do this and don’t get your finger into the needle.

Gretel Parker has designed these gorgeous colourful felted bird brooches, and we think they have serious gift appeal! They are the perfect way to inject a touch of fun into your spring accessories. Needle felting is a great project for profit, and stunning designs like these needle felted birds can command a considerable markup, as well as only using a small amount of roving wool. Although we have plenty of printable felt flower patterns in our Etsy shop as well as some woodland themed animal patterns, ocean inspired patterns and even felt sloth patterns, these are the latest printable patterns to be added to the shop. Choose one piece of felt for the front of your bird. Sew the wing into place as shown in the photo above. The square format of this beautiful book makes it feel different and inside it is filled with the enthusiasm of the author for her felt birds. Step 4: Place both body shapes wrong sides together and sew blanket stitch all the way round, leaving around 3cm for stuffing. Don’t forget to sew in a loop of ribbon for hanging as you go!

The information provided throughout the book is clearly presented and well illustrated. Each fun project should be achievable for anyone with a basic knowledge of stitch and embroidery.

Most of the time, I can gently push pieces of stuffing in with my fingers. To help fill out narrow sections such as the tail and beak, you may find it helpful to use some blunt ended tweezers or an embossing stylus with a round ball head. If you use tools to help, just push gently so you don't ruin any stitching. This book is a delight from cover to cover. It starts by explaining what items are needed to complete the projects and then goes on, in simple terms, to talk about techniques from drawing templates to cutting out the felt, to embellishing with hand sewn embroidery. These stitches are clearly explained at the beginning of the book in easy to follow instructions and photos. There are even simple instructions for making birds feet. Place the decorated bird base pattern piece onto of the plain bird base and stitch along the sides. Alternatively, turn it into a brooch pin, bag clip, keychain or just a freestanding plush. Find the free pattern template at the end of this craft tutorial.As long as your fingers are kept away from the tip of the needle, it is safe to do this. Just in case you don’t like this method, you can always replace this process with the wet felting method. Simply shape the wool into tail shape with water and soup. Wait for it to dry before continuing the next step. Completed Spring Easter Bird Design - Make Birds in Different Colors for Other Seasons and Occasions And if you like this project, why not have a look at our other needle felting posts, including needle felting projects for beginners, our felted cherry keyring tutorial and we love this needle felted teacup pin cushion (also by Gretel!).

Thread: We used white for stitching around the bird, and different colors for the embroidering on the wings and tail. Making felt birds is not my usual thing but I could be tempted by my favourite, the hen, whose comforting shape and embroidery really epitomises 'folk art'. Felt fabric: We used white for the bird, and red to create a base for the ornament, and green for the olive branch.Draw a floral or vine decorative pattern on on of the bird wings, and draw an eye onto one of the bird bases.