Felt Caroling Birds

Project Instructions

1. Cut three 2-½” circles from the felt: one red, one white and one blue. Glue a felt circle to each of the 3” balls. This is the bottom of the birds.

   • 

2. Cut the 1-½” balls in half and set aside one half for a future project. Firmly press and twist the half ball in place on top of the body until it forms to the rounded shape of the ball. The half ball edges should be flush with the top of the ball. Glue the heads in place.

   • 

3. Cut a 2-¼” black felt circle. Glue it to cover the head of the white bird body. Gather the excess felt at the back of the head and trim to fit. Glue in place. Cut a 2-¼” blue felt circle to cover the head of the blue body in the same way. Cut a 2-½” x 1-¾” blue felt triangle. Glue the felt to the front of the head with the top of the triangle standing up to create a feather. Cut smaller triangles from the black, blue and dark grey felt. Glue these feathers to the head one behind the other as shown. 

   • 

4. Cut a 2-½” circle from red felt. Glue one edge of the circle around the front of the head. Gather the excess at the back of the head. Pinch and glue a pleat at the back to create the look of a feather at the top of the head. 

   • 

5. Cut ¾” strips of blue, white and red felt to cover the bodies. Cut a scalloped edge on one side of each felt strip. Starting at the bottom of the body, cut a strip long enough to glue around the 2-½” felt circle. Glue the straight edge of the strip around the body, leaving the scalloped edge hang free. Continue gluing strips up the body, slightly overlapping as shown. When you reach the top row you may need to cut the felt strips a little thinner to fit.

   • 

6. Glue a light grey felt heart to the blue bird for the face and glue the eyes in place as shown. Cut a small black felt oval and glue it to the red bird’s face. Glue the eyes just above the black oval as shown. Glue the eyes to the head of the white bird as shown. Glue a small black felt heart to the chest of the white bird. Cut two tiny triangles each from the black and orange felt for beaks. Glue the beaks in place as shown. Cut small hearts from the black, white and light grey felts for the wings and glue in place as shown. 

   • 

7. Bend three consecutive 1” loops in one end of the wire. Pinch the loops to shape the foot. At the ankle coil three wraps of wire around the nose of the pliers. Bend the wire straight up the leg to the knee. The distance between the ankle and the knee determines the height of the bird. At the knee coil three wraps of wire around the pliers again. Continue the wire up to the body and cut at the desired height. Allow an extra 2” of wire at the top to glue into the body. Repeat to create three sets of legs. Insert the large needle through the felt at the bottom of the body to pilot a hole for the legs. Glue the legs into the bodies.

   •