Look at what I made!

I love doing new and different projects from time to time...heaven knows I've got a whole sketch book full of ideas that I've captured whenever I had a burst of inspiration or noticed a clever idea. This time I took a nod from Jennifer Murphy and made a handy pin cushion and some pom pom birdies. I'm so happy with how easy they were and how cute they came out!

I actually didn't have any yarn in my studio to make pom poms. So I had to wait until yesterday when Ben and I made a little errand trip out and I made him stop at the thrift shop. They had some nice wool yarn and I got four different colors: white, blue, tan, and green. And only 50 cents each! The wings and tails were made using some wool felt scrap my mom gave me and I constructed the feet after observing those little Easter chenille chick feet they made in Japan all those years ago. I made the black feet out of black wire that I pulled out of spiral bound books before throwing them in the recycling bin. The eyes are antique wooden beads that my Great Grandmother brought over from Czechoslovakia. I love using materials that are old or headed for the dump!

I also looked at some photos of the old steiff birds they made in Germany. I saw some that had yarn wings and yarn tails, so one of the birdies I made has a fluffy yarn tail! The other bird in this photo is a little duck. Maybe not the right shape for a duck...but that's ok!

I love the way they look from the top. It makes me want to display them on the floor! A little birdie parade!

And this pin cushion is my new favorite tool! You're probably wondering how much sewing I do...which isn't a lot...but I actually use pins everyday in my spun cotton work...so a pin cushion is certainly a key item. I added a little wooden pedestal to give it some height and to save a little more surface space on my desk. You can find the instructions for this here.

Yay! Up next...I'm going to teach myself to crochet!! I hope...