Wool Felted Hummingbird

10. Add green wool to the back of the hummingbird and some on the stomach (figure E).

11. Blend a few wisps of red-dyed wool and sparkly fiber together with wool combs or your fingers.

12. Add wisps of this combined colored fiber to the head and throat of the bird with a felting needle. Leave the breast white as desired (figure F).

13. Shape green wool into a wing by layering small wisps of wool on top of one another and needle-felt into a wing shape. Make two wings. Each wing should measure about two inches long.

14. Attach the wings to the body using the felting needle. The wings can be attached so that the hummingbird is flying or at rest (figure G). Fold the wool, stretch it and tear it to form the wing shape (figure H).

15. Make a tail using green wool in the same way the wings were made, shaping it like a fan. The tail should measure about one inch long and two inches wide.

16. Attach the tail to the body with the felting needle.

18. Attach the loose end of the beak to the head.

19. Using a little hot, soapy water, dab the beak with your fingertips and gently twist one end for the tip of the beak. Roll the beak gently between your fingertips.

20. Squeeze excess dampness off the beak with a towel.

22. Smooth out the whole piece with hot soapy water and your fingertips or gently smooth the body with a felting needle, poking down any loose fibers (figure K).

23. Thread a piece of black 1/8 inch ribbon through a needle and pass it from the bottom of the bird up through the area between the wings. Stitch back down through and tie a knot to secure. Adjust the ribbon to hang the hummingbird in a pleasing fashion.

Website: www.woolpets.com