Red Bird: Attaching Shapes

There are 2 ways of attaching shapes to a background fabric in our Red Bird project. Use the familiar Blanket Stitch to hold down fabric edges. Or (eureka!) use the Fly Stitch. The Fly Stitch just happens to fit neatly around the pinked edge of the grass shape.

We’ll be using pearl cotton threads for hand embroidery. Size 8 pearl cotton is heavier and useful for more dynamic stitching like that on the grass and stems. The size 12 pearl cotton is finer and appears less obtrusive when stitching down the bird shape. Detailed shapes like the bird’s eye (using the black and white threads) are also created with the Size 12.

Please note that directions are first given here on the blog then added to the Bird Stitch-Along page as we go.

Step #3

  • Place the sky fabric vertically.
  • Pin the grass fabric about 1/4″ in from the two sides and the bottom edge of the sky. Stitch tack the grass shape into place using a fine sewing thread or a size 12 pearl cotton.
  • Stitch Fly Stitches around the pinked edge of the grass shape. Use a size 8 pearl cotton thread (like Lime Frappe) and a size 3 hand embroidery needle.
  • Remove the stitch tacking.
  • Pin the bird at an angle with the front belly of the bird about 3 1/4” up from the bottom of the sky and the tail tip about 1/2” in from the right side of the sky. Stitch tack the bird into place.
  • Stitch Blanket Stitches around the bird shape. Use a size 12 pearl cotton thread (like Red Hots) and a size 5 hand embroidery needle.
  • Remove the stitch tacking.