A number of readers have written asking for more detail about how I make the feet for my felt birds. There’s no “right” or “wrong” when it comes to making these little birds! In fact, I tend to make things up as I go along. So here’s my latest approach to adding feet to my birds.

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Some birds have dainty little feet like this sandpiper.

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Some birds have talons like the owls. Here’s how I add the feet.

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Start with a piece of wire about 12 inches long, folded in half.

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Wrap the folded end around a pencil four or five times.

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Slide the wire off the pencil and make a loop with the straight end.

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Here’s an example of dainty feet and claws ready to be sewn into the bird.

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In this case, I made my great gray owl double sided.

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On the wrong side of the back of the owl, I position the wire “legs” where I want them and tack the loop to the body on each side of the loop. With this owl, I run the needle and thread through just the first layer of felt – the wings on the right side hide the stitches.

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The blanket stitching along the edges when I finish the bird keeps the feet from slipping around.

If you have other approaches to adding feet to your felt birds, I’d love to hear them!