Felted Bird Ornaments
Materials
Barbed felting needle
Cleaned and carded wool (can be dyed)
A piece of 2-inch thick dense, spongy foam 6 inches by 10 inches on which to work
Directions
1. Pull a wool strip that is the length of your forearm.
2. Tie a loose knot on one end and felt loose ends into the knot (This will be the head).
3. Roll excess wool into a larger ball and felt while turning until firm (This will be the body).
4. Continue to shape the body into a bird (remember that where you poke the needle will make it tighter and bring the wool hairs closer together).
5. Make sure that the head of the bird comes to a point that becomes the beak. Cover with any color desired.
6. Wings and tail are created separately. Use a flat piece of wool and create two wings and one tail that are proportionate to the body and are 1/4-inch thick.
7. Attach wings and tail to bird using needle, making sure that they are firmly attached. Be careful not to create big crevasses where the attachment is (pushing the needle into the same spot too many times will create indents).
8. Add eyes of desired color and any other markings your bird may have. Make sure layers that are added are thin.
