Make Your Own Felt Robin Christmas Decoration

Recently, browsing the DIY & Crafts board on Pinterest has been one of my favourite past times, so when I came across various photos of some adorable felt Christmas decorations I couldn’t exactly turn a blind eye. Whilst Pinterest is great for fuelling my imagination it does not, however, give you instructions on how to make what you see. That’s why I’ve decided to have a go at creating my own pattern for these handmade decorations and blog about it for you all to have a go too.

First up is the felt robin decoration. Begin by cutting out 4 shapes from greaseproof paper (baking parchment) in the shape of the robin’s body, an oval for the red chest, a triangle for the beak and a heart shape for the wing. Click on my template image to the right to enlarge it. The felt I’ve used is in dark brown, golden brown and bright red.

Next, trace around the shapes onto your coloured felt and cut them out (see picture left). Make sure you do 2 of each shape so that you have two robins to stitch back-to-back later on. I also recommend you cut out a few spares in case you go wrong. You’d be surprised how easy it is to accidentally chop off a beak!

Once your robin parts are cut out, assemble them neatly and stitch around the edges using matching embroidery thread. I used a sequin for the eye too, but you could use a bead or a round piece of felt if you prefer. Again, remember to make two of each and this time make sure you sew them as mirror images. You don’t want to end up with two robins facing the same direction and suddenly find your plan to sew them back-to-back has gone awry (this is just as easily done as cutting off a beak).

Step four is to sew your two robins together. Use white or cream embroidery to make it look a bit like a Christmas gingerbread. Try to get all your stitches the same size too – it’s quite difficult but the end result will look much neater! Leave an inch gap at the top to push a bit of wadding in, insert some ribbon and then sew it up.

Here’s a picture of my first attempt. Not quite as professional looking as I’d hoped for but definitely a step in the right direction for our ‘homemade Christmas’!

I gave my felt decorations a second attempt too – click here for the felt pudding decoration and felt Christmas tree decoration, and the felt gingerbread man!