Easter birdy tutorial

You will need

Yellow felt or blanket

Small amount of white felt

scraps of wool felt for legs and hair.

Fabrics of your choice.

Fray check.

Embroidery threads for eyes and decorative details.

Enlarge to whatever size you wish and cut out pattern pieces.

Now, cut two out two head pieces from your chosen fabric, I've used an old woollen blanket, or you can use good quality felt.

Next, stitch two strips of fabric together to make a piece large enough for the body pattern ( or you can just use one piece of fabric, or maybe some patchwork ? ). Repeat for the other side.

Stitch the body and head together, and then cut out and stitch the beak, and little white circles of felt for the eyes, to the head.

Repeat for the back, but without the beak and eyes. Obviously. Unless you want your Mama bird to have eyes in the back of her head, which is a very useful thing to have when you are a Mama, as we all know.

Finish the eyes with a bit of embroidery, and then pin and cut around the body pieces.

Next, pin and stitch the wing piece to two layers of fabric, wrong sides together. Cut out close to the line of stitching and a apply fray check. Repeat.

Cut three little strips of felt for hair, and two strips of felt for legs, and along with the wings, pin and stitch to the front body piece.

Cut a tail piece from felt, and then snip along the dotted lines to make feathers.

Stitch onto back piece first this way.

And then bend back on itself and stitch this way, so the feathers are pointing up .

Next, pin and stitch your birdy front and back pieces, right sides together, leaving a gap for turning.

Turn, stuff and stitch gap closed.

Now, pin and stitch your pocket piece to two layers of fabric, right sides together, again leaving a gap at the top for turning.

Turn right side out, handstitch top hem to close gap,

and then handstitch pocket to Mama's tummy..

Phew, this is turning into a mammoth post..... must get a coffee....... o.k, now the egg and baby.

For the egg, cut one piece of felt for the front, and two pieces slightly overlapping, for the back, like this,

Pin and stitch all the way around. Turn right side out, and embroider if desired.

Pin and stitch your baby pattern to two layers of felt, turn right side out ,stitch on a tiny felt beak,and embroider eyes.

Pop baby into egg

and egg into Mummy's pocket ( personally, I think pockets are a much better idea for incubating eggs/babies than wombs) .

Tah Dah !

This tutorial is a little thank you to everyone who reads/comments on my blog, and to those people in my e-mail box who I haven't replied to yet for being so patient.

Please feel free to make as many as you want as gifts, or for any charitible event, but not to sale or I'll be sad. And mad.

Molly and I have plans to make Easter Bunnies for  her teachers tonight. I recieved a copy of Julie Arkell's book from Loop last week, it's quite a small book , but I find it wonderfully inspirational, so we are going to try and make some little creatures like hers. I'll post photos when and if I can - school finishes tomorrow. 'Nuff said.

Comments

[Juddie]

Hi there,
I love your patterns. I was wondering if you would grant me permission to make up one or two of your softies for the Softies for Mirabel campaign being hosted by Meet Me at Mikes?

Many thanks,
Juddie

[pratima]

Thank you so much for the lovely tutorial. I was browsing the internet to find something to do in yellow, for color craftalong on Craftster, and this is so perfect.
Your blog is so adorable. Such cuteness everywhere. Thanks a lot for the inspiration and for sharing the loveliness :o)

[Maria Amélia]

Very nice!!! thank you to share this tutorial. I'll try to do this lovely bird .
Maria Amélia/Brazil

[lin]

this is adorable! i will have to make one for next Easter! cheers for the tutorial!

[Margot]

This is so cute! Thanks for sharing this tuto. Adorables :)

[Lindinhos]

Muito fofinho
piu piu

[ali]

Ok, too cute!

[wendy]

I love this! I've never made a toy before, but i'm going to try this and let you know how it goes.

[Ana Cláudia Mattos]

Absolutely wonderful!

[nirmala]

Thank you so much for showing the instructions also on making the Easter Eggs

[Mary]

Hello! Sending this to you from Montana in the states. I have to say you are totally brilliant! I love your posts and your ideas are so creative. Good on you for taking the time to post all of this! Hope to see some in the 2010 year!

[Cindy]

How precious. Thanks for the tut.

[Anne]

What a cutie!!! I linked to your tutorial here:
http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-easter-bird-softie/2010/03/26/

--Anne

[Lynn]

This little birdy is so cute. Thanks so much for sharing.

[Rachel]

That is so cute! I love the little egg! Thanks so much for sharing this, I'll be linking.

[Dont Know]

This looks so cute, and extremely easy to make. I'm gonna give it a crack this weekend!! Happy Stiching!!