Making A Wool Felted Bird Ornament: Part2 ...
Using a felting needle and some washed, carded wool fill in the wire circle for the head. Needle felt it into place around the wire, making sure the wire is covered. Make it so that it is a bit smaller, relative to the beak, as you will be adding layers of felt over this. The finished head will end up being larger than it is at this stage.
You will do the same thing to make the body of the bird. Always try to keep in mind the shape of the bird you are making ... is it a fat or slimmer bird ... what is the head set like? Make your adjustments to the body and head shape at this point.
Because you have used a wire aramature, you will be able to bend the head and the body and change further the shape and look of the bird.
At this point you are ready to cut small shapes from your sheet of coloured felt. This is like putting a puzzle together. Only cut one bit a time, and attach it using the felting needle. Then see what size and shape of coloured felt you need for the next part of the bird.
If you have made the other side of the felt piece something other than white, then when the underside of the felt shows, your bird will be that colour, without you having to apply more layers.
I use the felting needle to attach the wings and tail last, after having covered the body in pieces of coloured felt. By working all of the felt pieces in well with the needle you will not see where the different pieces are joined. It will be seamless, as if it is all one piece.
If you like, and your bird will be enhanced by the addition of beads, then you can add beads. These are sewn into the felt with a beading needle and thread. You just want to be careful that the stitches are inside of the felt and don't show on the surface. I had added beads as I thought they helped with the illusion of iridescence that a humming bird has.
No doubt there are other ways that one could proceed with making a felt bird or animal. Some use a piece of foam rubber, cut to size and shape, as the beginning foundation for a three dimensional object. You could also just begin with some washed, carded wool as the foundation ... needle felting it to the proper size and shape. This would work well enough if the animal didn't need a body part made of some other material. So, let your imagination go and see what else you can make using wool and a felting needle!
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