Arts & Crafts: Felt Bird Ornament

I've been working on some handmade gifts for my friends & family this year for Christmas. I was inspired by the the Matroshyka ornament that I posted about here.  Thanks to my wonderful mom,  I came upon a BUNCH of felt in all sorts of colors. SO, I started out making some felt ornaments of different themes, using beads and sparkly embroidery thread. But then I got caught up making these little bird ornaments because they just turned out so lovely!

 I've made about a dozen so far, so I wanted to share with you how to make these adorable little chickadees!

1) Cut two identical bird shapes, and two teardrop shapes, one large from cotton, and one small from felt. 

2) Embroidery a beak, using a basic stitch. 

3) I used a backstitch to attach the large wing as well as the parts in steps 4 and 5. But you could also use a split stitch. 

6) For the eye, I attached a bead, but you could also use a french knot. 

7) Use the vanishing marker to write a word or name on the back piece, embroider and erase your marks. Attach a ribbon using a little tacky glue and  a cute button.

8) I used a blanket stitch to sew the two bird pieces together. Leave an opening some wear, staff the little guy, and continue your blanket stitch to close it up.

P.S. You can teach or remind yourself how to do all of these stitches and more over at Stitch School.