July has been filled with several simple-to-sew ideas by craft bloggers around the world for #sewasoftie. Sew-A-Softie is a month long extravaganza that was organized by Trixi from Coloured Buttons. Be sure to visit Trixi’s Sew A Softie Facebook page for fun softie ideas that have been shared daily.

Our contribution to Sew A Softie are these simple hand-sewn birds. This was my first time introducing sewing to my girls and they loved it! We practiced our sewing with an embroidery hoop so they could get the hang of using a needle. See my post on Instagram!

Read on below for the how-to and see our lovely flock of birds we created!

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Here are the materials you will need to make these fun birds:

• Misc. fabric (ours included old jeans, felt, and some fabric we stocked up on at the remnant bin at our local craft store)
• Scissors
• Bird Template
• Pen, pencil, or fabric pencil
• Thread (we used embroidery thread)
• Fabric pins
• Fabric glue
• Fiber fill, rice, or stuffing of your choice

Steps for making your bird:

Step 1: Cut out your bird template and trace it onto your fabric.

Cut out another bird shape for the back of the bird and your wing. We also added a fabric piece for the belly and cut out circles for the eyes (Not shown on the template).

Step 2: Use your fabric glue or pins to secure your wing, belly, and eye. *Tip- it was easier for the kids to just use the glue.

Check out my embroidery box from my tweens that I pulled out for this project! Complete with color coded thread and half-made friendship bracelets!

Step 3: Once your parts are pinned or glued, sew them on and add detail to your bird with thread.

Step 4: Once your thread details are complete, pin it to your other bird shape and sew around the edges. Be sure to leave an opening for the stuffing!

Step 5: Stuff your bird with your filling. See Lila below stuffing her bird!

Could you hear what she said (while ‘lil sis played and chatted in the background)? She said, “Can you believe we are making our own stuffed animal?” and “It’s so fun”. My oldest is a tough shell to crack with our art projects and she isn’t entertained as easily as my little Willa. I love hearing these words of affirmation from her!

My girls love their birds and have been sleeping with them at night! I’d say this #sewasoftie project was a hit!

Look how proud they are of them!

Here is our flock of finished birds:

Pin for later!

Save your scraps after this project for these quilts!