Little Felt Birdies{Super Easy DIY}

I had this crazy idea a while back to sew up some little fabric birds for a home dec project that I'll be sharing with you later this week.  I have endured my family's teasing {again} -- "Put a bird on it!" --as I created a whole flock of fabric and felt birds in the process of perfecting the pattern.   It's OK.  It's not their fault they have no creative vision . . . In the end they all admitted that my little felt birds were truly adorable and I felt vindicated.

They're super easy to make.  I'm talkin' beginner level easy.  The only special skill required is to know how to sew a blanket stitch.  There is a great tutorial on Future Girl that explains the blanket stitch incredibly well if you've never tried it before.  Easy Cheesy!  {Really, you don't even need to use a blanket stitch -- you can whip stitch it like I did in the photo below or hand sew it however you want.  A blanket stitch just gives it a little more "professional" finish.} 

You will need:

pattern pieces {download my free printable pattern here}

felt in your choice of colors {I prefer wool felt because it comes in such pretty colors, but it's a little more expensive.  I got mine here a while back.}

needle and thread

stuffing

My original idea was to use fabric scraps and those ones were indeed cute, but then I got some beautiful wool felt for another project and I knew that that was exactly what I needed.  I made a cute little robin here for this tutorial, but you'll see in my finished project later this week how fun they can be in more whimsical color combinations.

After you have your felt pieces cut out, begin by sewing the head piece to one of the body pieces as shown:

Then sew the other body piece to the head piece and close up the whole top seam:

Next, sew the chest piece to one body piece:

And close up the bottom of tail, leaving the other side of the chest and body open for stuffing:

Stuff the birdy until it is as fluffy as you like it.  Use a pencil or other narrow object to make sure the stuffing makes it all the way into the tip of the tail:

Finally, sew the opening shut and add the wings:

To give your little birdy eyes, use black embroidery floss to create french knots on both sides of the head.  {In hindsight, it might be easier to make the eyes before you stuff the bird and sew it closed.  Either way will work.}

There you have it!  A cute little robin in just a few minutes.  As you can see, you don't have to sew it perfectly.  The little flaws add personality and hand-made flair.  I can't wait to show you the pretty summer wreath I made using my little birdies and felt flowers.  Come back later in the week to check it out!!