Bird Pincushion Tutorial

Enjoy creating the Bird Pin Cushion/Sachet. Make a Bird PinCushion. Free Pattern and Tutorial.

 

DOWNLOAD PDF PATTERN

FABRICS AND NOTIONS
• (1) 20” X 20” piece of light to mid-weight cotton print (fabric A)
• (1) 5” X 10” piece of light to mid-weight cotton coordinating print (fabric B)
• (1) 6” X 8” piece of light to mid-weight cotton coordinating print (fabric C)
• 8” long piece of cording, ribbon or other fiber to coordinate with fabric
• Embroidery floss

OTHER SUPPLIES
• Coordinating thread
• Scissors
• Polyester fiberfill
• Straight pins
• Chalk pencil or fabric marker
• Two 5mm wood beads
• Embroidery needle
• Potpourri (optional)

 NOTES
• All seams are 1/4” unless otherwise stated. (The 1/4” seam allowance is included in all of the cutting measurements and the pattern piece.)
• Preshrink your fabric by washing, drying, and pressing it before starting your project.

 STEP 1. Cut all pieces from fabric and transfer markings.
To make one bird:
a. Cut two bird body pieces out of fabric A.
b. Cut 1 bird belly piece out of fabric B.
c. Cut 4 bird wing pieces out of fabric C.
d. Transfer all pattern markings to fabric pieces with a chalk pencil.
 

STEP 2. Embroider and sew wings.
a. Take the top piece of each wing for embroidering and set the bottoms aside.
b. Thread your needle with three strands of embroidery floss and bring it up from the bottom of the fabric on the left edge of the line you transferred. 
c. Sew a stem stitch along that line (refer to techniques section for stitch details).
d. Knot your thread on the backside of the wing.
e. Repeat steps b-d for other wing top.
f. Sew one embroidered wing top to its matching bottom, with RIGHT sides facing in, using a 1/4”
seam allowance. Leave a small opening along the straight edge of the wing to turn it.
g. Use a pencil or a seam ripper to help you turn the wing and pull the corners out flat. Iron the open edge of the wing under 1/4” so the edge is flush with the sewn part of the wing.
h. Now bring your needle up from the bottom close to the edge of the wing and sew a blanket stitch along the edge of the wing. This stitch will close the open part of the wing. (Refer to techniques section for stitch details.)
i. Repeat steps f-h for the second wing.

STEP 3. Sew wings and eyes to bird body.
a. Place one wing on the body of the bird where indicated on the pattern.
b. Hand stitch the tip of the wing that is closest to the head, using a straight stitch that goes around the edge of the wing in between the wing and the embroidered blanket stitch. Use about 10 stitches to secure the wing in place.
c. Repeat steps a and b for the other wing.
d. Hand sew a wooden bead onto either side of the bird body where indicated on the pattern.
 

STEP 4. Sew bird together.
a. Pin one side of the bird body to the belly piece, matching pattern markings.
b. Use a 1/4” seam allowance to sew pieces together.
c. With RIGHT sides together, pin the other bird body piece to the raw edge of the belly piece at pattern markings.
d. If you are including a hanging ribbon or cording, pin that with the bulk of the ribbon laying on the inside of the bird.
e. This time, begin sewing from the base of the bird on the left side, up around the beak and back down to the base of the bird. As you sew over the ribbon, you may want to reinforce the stitch by backstitching here. Leave about a 2” opening at the bottom to be able to turn and stuff the bird. Make sure that as you sew, you don’t catch the opposite side of the bird in the stitching.

STEP 5. Finish bird
a. Turn the bird inside out. You will need to use a sharp object to help you push the beak and tail out flat.
b. If you will using the bird as a sachet, place the desired amount of potpourri inside the bird at this point.
c. Stuff the bird with fiberfill as tightly as possible.
d. Turn the raw edge of the opening under 1/4” and use a threaded needle to hand sew a blind stitch to close the opening