Birds have been hatching in October.
I've been thinking about making them for years and at last got round to it.
This was the first one.
I made it into a brooch and sold it immediately.
Suddenly I got into gear and continued to make them.
Each one is started with a machined outline on felt. I make a pile of them.
Next a pretty velvet wing is added.
And a new pile is made.
Then some nice tail feathers are machined and a beak and some feet.
(Sometimes one, sometimes two. Just depends how I feel.)
And I make the pile again.
Then I put the pile in a box and take them downstairs, with all my yummy hand threads, and sit and stitch little patterns on each them using French knots and lazy daisy and running stitch.
I get ridiculously involved in minute detail and very excited by things such as these little black stars with shiny white centres.
Then I take them back upstairs and machine a stiff piece of Vilene on to stiffen it, and start another pile.
Then I trim the Vilene down to the outline.
Then I trim the excess felt and fabric away.
Some are going to be brooches and some have ribbons.
I did that just before I wrote this post but it's too dark to photograph them.
I used lovely shades of Organza ribbon .
I ordered some from a company called Stylish and stunning. The order was wrong and no amount of emailing, phoning, and even returning the order has elicited a response from them. So avoid Stylish and stunning at all costs and use instead Printfare who sent me a perfect order within about three days, all correct.
I'm making more soon.
I will be putting some in my shop eventually.
But don't know when.
They will be the same price as the brooches.
UPDATE:
Here are the finished birds. Photographed this morning.
