Murmuration

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.

                       I go through the pile again, ironing a backing of Liberty lawn floral fabric on .

 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.