Make a Christmas Tweedy Bird Tree
.png)
Want to make a cute Tweed Bird Christmas Decoration? You'll need the items on the list below to put this crafty DIY project together for the holidays.
Materials
- terra cotta pot
- iridescent bronze acrylic paint
- 1 yard wired Christmas ribbon, 1.5 - 2 inches wide
- 2 yards double-faced satin ribbon, 1/4 inch wide
- floral foam
- small piece of gold tissue paper
- branch
- 9" x 12" red felt
- 9" x 12" scrap of tweed fabric (with some red in the tweed)
- black Sharpie
- brown Sharpie
- Tweedy Bird template (click here to download)
Instructions
You'll also need some sharp scissors, a paint brush, craft glue, clear tape, and a tapestry needle or needle and thread to match your ribbon.
The first step is to paint the outside of your terra cotta pot with the iridescent bronze paint. This will give it a nice, subtle holiday glow.
Here's the painted pot, which now has a slight glow, thanks to the iridescent paint.
Find a branch that has some smaller branches going out to the side so that you'll have several places to hang your birds. Remove any leaves, and dust it off with a paint brush.
Paint the branch with the iridescent bronze paint, making sure to paint all sides.
Cut a piece of floral foam to fit into the pot, apply some glue to the bottom of the pot, and glue the floral foam in place.
Place your branch in the center and push it down into the foam all the way to the bottom of the pot.
Wrap the wired Christmas ribbon around the pot and tie a bow. Trim the ends so that the wires are not sticking out.
Apply a light coat of glue all over the felt and press it onto the tweed fabric. Tweed ravels quite a bit, so the felt helps to stabilize it when you're cutting the birds out.
Download and print the template for the bird and wing. Tape the template to the felt side with clear tape; then cut right through both the tape and the glued felt and tweed. Cut six birds, one at a time, and twelve wings, one at a time, as shown on the template. After you cut out each bird, cut around the outside with sharp scissors to clip any frayed edges on the tweed. Make four or five cuts (the template shows five, but either four or five is OK) as indicated to make the tail feathers.
Draw an eye with the black Sharpie, and color the beak with the brown Sharpie.
Cut the satin ribbon into twelve-inch pieces, one to hang each bird. Cut the ends of the ribbon diagonally. Thread a tapestry needle with the ribbon, and pull it through both layers of fabric. This is the method I used, but it can be a bit difficult (I really had to tug to work the tapestry needle through the bird), so, if you prefer, thread a needle with thread to match your satin ribbon and simply sew the center of the ribbon to the top of each bird.
If you used the tapestry needle method, slide the needle off the ribbon. Tie a square knot or two overhand knots in the top of the ribbon. You may need to trim the ends, depending on how far down you want your bird to hand on the branch.
Arrange the birds on the branches, and your Christmas Tweedy Bird Tree is all ready for the holidays!
