I Did It!...Stuffed Birds

I first ran across the pattern for this mobile at designspongeonline.com about 3 years ago. I intended to make it as a nursery gift for my first great-nephew. I made the birds easily enough but almost had a stroke attempting to get the birds to balance on the sticks like in the picture. And I gave up.

Fast forward 2 years. I did give them as a nursery gift but not to my nephew. I gave them to my friend Summer to decorate the bedroom for her her two baby girls. I didn't even have it finished; I just gave her 6 stuffed birds & told her that I would get a limb to attach them to. Summer ended up getting the limb & finishing the project herself. She's kinda like that; decides to do something & just does it.

Here's a not-so-good photo of the mobile in the girls' room.

I love the way the birds twist around in the air. So, this is how I've continued to make them into mobiles, sometimes gluing 1 bird on top of the branch. Turns out my sister had used the same bird pattern (in some really cool, retro-style fabrics) & hung them from a branch (painted white) which hangs in the corner of their gigantic, airy family-room. Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of it (yet).

I did finally make a mobile for my great nephews (notice that's now plural). I made the birds & attached them to a great branch my sis helped me find in her yard when I was visiting Illinois last October. I assembled the mobile but left before I could help my niece get it hung. And I didn't take any pictures. I hope to get a pic once it's hung up & I'll add it here.

I've also made the birds to hang individually and last month made some into ornaments
.

And today I made some for a co-worker who's first baby, a girl, is due in 2 days. Their nursery colors are grey & pink. I couldn't find any fabrics with that color combination. To make 6 birds I chose a grey & a pink for the bodies & 3 coordinating greys & pinks for the bellies.

I cut & marked the birds

and started sewing

Before turning right-side out I added a loop from which to hang the birds - they want to hang them individually & not from a branch. Adding the loop is tedious & time-consuming & I'd love to figure out an easier way to do it.

After flipping & stuffing them (using a chopstick, fat crochet needle, & suture) I closed the tails with a straight seam, like this

then cut across the tail with my Olfa rotary cutter with scalloped edge to give it a feather-like finish. No, that's not entirely true. The prospect of turning under & hand-stitching all those tails was enough to make me give up on the pattern waaaaaay back when. Enter the scalloped-rotary cutter to save the day. And I think the feathery tail effect is much cuter. Don't you agree? (I forgot to take a close up of the tail after trimming it with the rotary cutter, sorry.)

And there you are. I finished the birds on Tuesday & my friends really love them. Just in the nick of time, too, because their baby girl was born last night!

As I get them I'll add photos of the birds/mobiles mentioned and of ones to come. Maybe I'll have a Stuffed Birds Pt.2 some day.

It feels good to start & finish a successful project, emphasis on successful. I've already started my next project, which is a pattern that's new to me &, so far, it's a hot mess. Even though I followed the wisdom of my uber-wise sister & am first making a prototype, it still makes me want to throw away all my crafting stuff because 'if I can't even make this easy pattern I should just quit!', says the voice in my head. And then, the very next morning my friends love their birds & I can't wait to get back that hot mess & figure it out.