Craft♥Advent, Day 13: Embroidered Bird Decoration

I have beautiful Christmas tree decorations: since we had our first tree I have bought one or two really beautiful ones every year, and I’ve been blessed to receive some really beautiful ones as gifts, too. And so every year we take out our box of decorations and I tell the little ones where each one came from before we put them on the tree

(and  the older ones complain that I’m “controlling” the tree dressing by telling them where they can and can’t hang the decorations)

(What?! Controlling? Moi?)

So this craft just consists with some lovely felt, a button and 4ply yarn (you could use embroidery floss either). I drew out this simple bird shape and cut out 2 shapes from the felt.

I sewed on a button for the eye, With chalk I lightly marked where the stitches would go (didn’t show up on this photo. Obviously was very light!!) and with my basic embroidery stitches I sewed on the design.

On the back side of the bird (make sure it is the “mirrored” side so you don’t stitch the two right-facing sides!) I chalked the year date and with a simple running stitch stitched this.

Then, to finish, a blanket stitch (oh, I love the blanket stitch) all the way around:

I’m not very happy with the string to hang, it looks a bit miserable, so I’ll have to find some co-ordinating ribbon for this.

Now! All we need is a Christmas tree!! (Our one from last year should have been potted on into a bigger pot… it is naked from the waist down :-/  )