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Mister Blue Bird–a Work in Progress

June 5, 2013

Bird Project, Sewing

One of my favorite things about Spring is watching for the birds as they return to Minnesota after their winter vacations in warmer states.  I can’t wait  for The Eastern Bluebirds to return to their houses in our garden. So,  when I saw this pattern on Pinterest, I couldn’t resist!  As we plodded  impatiently through our extra-long winter, I stitched a little bluebird for myself!

Bird Project, Sewing

You can find the pattern at Spool HERE or HERE

Bird Project, Sewing

It’s a darling pattern, but I made a few refinements and corrections...

First, you only need ONE Bird Belly:

Bird Project, Sewing

Next,  I made the bird’s head a bit larger and extended it down the back farther.  When stitching the back of the bird’s head, extend the line  as long as necessary to create a very smooth, tapered line—otherwise the head will be lumpy.

Bird Project, Sewing

The final refinement:  the pattern instructs you to stitch from tail to chest.  Reverse that:  sew from the chest point to the tail.  When it is time to stitch the head, begin at this chest point again.  This is important because the chest point is the critical point— where things need to line up perfectly.    By beginning at that point you can control it with more precision.  If the tail is a little off–it does not matter.

Bird Project, Sewing

This is the point where everything must match precisely—start here:

Bird Project, Sewing

Now that I have tested the pattern, I think I shall make a flock of birds:  Baltimore Orioles, Red winged black birds, Blue-jays, Cardinals….

Bird Project, Sewing

Bird Project, Sewing

Maybe I’ll give them wings?   I think I will be spending a bit of creative time in my Sewing NEST!

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Categories

Sewing Tutorial

Tagged

Bird mobile birds diy home decorations Pincushion Sewing Stuffed bird Tutorial

27 responses to “Mister Blue Bird–a Work in Progress”

  1. Jan says:
    June 5, 2013 at 8:21 am

    Can’t wait to see it with wings. Don’t forget to show us.

  2. sarah did it! says:
    June 5, 2013 at 8:28 am

    Adorable! I hope you’ll post more winged birds soon…

    1. theinboxjaunt says:
      June 5, 2013 at 11:04 am

      I will try! Gives me an excuse to buy more ribbon!

  3. tanyiadeskins says:
    June 5, 2013 at 9:03 am

    that blue and green is my ultimate favorite color combo! I really love your birdie! I would love to be able to gather enough courage to try something like this, it is just lovely, thank you for sharing the link!

    I am stopping by from the WIP hop, hop on by if you can! http://domesticdeficitdisorder.blogspot.com/2013/06/wip-wednesday-june-4th-edition.html

    1. theinboxjaunt says:
      June 5, 2013 at 11:10 am

      Love your colors!

  4. tanyiadeskins says:
    June 5, 2013 at 9:04 am

    oh and the link to the pattern does not appear to be working

    1. theinboxjaunt says:
      June 5, 2013 at 9:16 am

      Oh. I will try to fix it. Thanks for letting me know.

      Sent from my iPhone

    2. theinboxjaunt says:
      June 5, 2013 at 11:10 am

      It appears to be working now.

  5. theinboxjaunt says:
    June 5, 2013 at 9:22 am

    I think it is working now…

  6. Queenie says:
    June 5, 2013 at 10:14 am

    What a cute bird, I love the ribbon wings!
    Have a great day.
    Always, Queenie

  7. Helen says:
    June 5, 2013 at 10:38 am

    Oh! Like the beautiful fabrics. They are going to be great. Here is link to my Bird Post done in fall colors. http://helenernst.blogspot.com/2011/11/fall-flock.html

  8. kathy o says:
    June 5, 2013 at 10:39 am

    Oh – can they be any cuter??? no…you did an excellent job and thank you for testing the pattern for all of us!

  9. linda j wilson says:
    June 5, 2013 at 12:16 pm

    I made several of these for my Spring theme tree. They are adorable and I will include your changes/ideas with my next batch!

    1. theinboxjaunt says:
      June 5, 2013 at 2:07 pm

      I’d love to see your Spring birds! I’m still working on a way to hang them. Did you hang them or clip them?

  10. Judith says:
    June 5, 2013 at 1:41 pm

    This is really cute – but – the link is not working today

  11. theinboxjaunt says:
    June 5, 2013 at 2:05 pm

    When I tried it again, it seemed to be working–but I added a slightly different link. Would someone let me know if that helps….I’m not sure what’s going on???

  12. Joy says:
    June 5, 2013 at 4:32 pm

    I’ve made a flock of these birds myself. I found an interesting branch on my property, hot glued the birds to it and hung it with fishing line from the ceiling in my studio. It was so uplifting to have them greet me each time I went to quilt.

    1. theinboxjaunt says:
      June 5, 2013 at 6:38 pm

      That sounds adorable! Any chance we could see it? If you send me an e-mail I could post it here.

  13. Judith says:
    June 5, 2013 at 4:38 pm

    THANKS! IT WORKED!

    1. theinboxjaunt says:
      June 5, 2013 at 6:37 pm

      Yeah!

    2. theinboxjaunt says:
      June 5, 2013 at 6:37 pm

      Thanks for letting me know!

  14. Sara says:
    June 5, 2013 at 9:54 pm

    Attractive birdies!!

  15. gardengirl92 says:
    June 6, 2013 at 9:30 am

    Adorable! I love them! I saw some Eastern Bluebirds just a few days ago on vacation. They were almost as pretty as yours! 😉

    1. theinboxjaunt says:
      June 6, 2013 at 9:53 am

      Aren’t they the prettiest little bird? I just love them–we have two houses for them in our garden and we are always delighted when they return!

      1. gardengirl92 says:
        June 7, 2013 at 5:37 am

        The color is so vibrant. I have feeders, but no houses in my yard. I may have to change that. 🙂

  16. Paula says:
    August 18, 2014 at 1:05 pm

    Hi Lori, these birdies are to die for. Is there any chance I can get the pattern? the links are not working. You can email them to me, thank you! x

    1. Lori Kennedy says:
      August 18, 2014 at 1:31 pm

      Hi Paula, I guess they closed up shop–read https://whileshenaps.com/2014/05/what-happens-when-your-pattern-goes-viral-the-spool-bird.html
      I will dig out my pattern an offer a link on my blog. I will try to do for Open Line Friday.

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    Lori Kennedy

    Hi! I’m Lori Kennedy, machine quilter, & author from Minnesota. Check out my monthly newsletter & my articles. Machine quilting is my passion. From doodling to quilting, I’m here in my Minnesota studio to help you get quilting.

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