Homemade Christmas Ornament...Thanksgiving Fun

What kid (cough, cough, Mom) doesn't love fluffy stuff and crafting with feathers?  I am telling you, Ornament 2013 is going to be a hit Thanksgiving afternoon.

Oh, I just want to squish them and squeal at their cuteness...don't you?  And of course I had to go with a chicken design this year.  2013 is the year of the chicken for my family.

Here's how to make them, easy and quick...a bit feather-y...but so much fun!  This post is a bit picture heavy, but trust me, this project is so easy to make and the kids love em!

Supplies needed:

Craft Glue. Styrofoam balls, mine are 3" or 76 mm, white feather boa and red feather boa to be cut up and any add'l feathers if you so choose.

Scissors, tiny craft pins, small black buttons, ribbon for beak and feet, embroidery floss to make a loop to hang on the tree and a curved needle, often used for tying quilts and/or suturing festering wounds....

Thread curved needle with floss, insert into what will now be the top of the chicken, curve it around and back out...so easy, and no styrofoam balls were broken during this procedure...which is what I thought a straight needle might do.

Pull thread through, remove needle and proceed to tie in double knot.

1.  Cut cute chicken cheeks out of fabric.  Be creative.  Have fun.  My cheek circles are just a touch bigger than a quarter.

2.  Thanksgiving day, you could have several cheeks pre-cut and let the kidlettes choose their favorites.  I am also going to have all my balls pre-strung with the floss.

3. Cut a length of ribbon for the beak, approximately 3 to 4 inches.  Be generous because you can trim it later if too long.  In the middle of the ribbon, you are going to bend it like in the picture.  This is so you can pin the beak on.  I can't describe this move in words....Just look at picture. 

4.  Pin beak on.  One pin in the top loop, and one in the bottom loop.  Arrange beak so it is open wide.

5.  Position cheeks in a way that is pleasing to you.  for me, this is slightly below the top of the beak.  Glue in place.

6.  Glue on eye buttons.  Position them so they are in the top corner of the cheek, with the edge of the button slightly hanging over the cheek.  This is for optimal cuteness.

7.  Take another 3 inch length of ribbon, fold it in half in the shape of a V.

8.  Pin feet ribbon on in 3 spots.  One at the top and one on each foot.   This is so your feet stick out at the appropriate angle.

9.  Cut off a bit of red boa...glue to top of head, be careful of thread.  The reason I have you glue on the comb before the white feathers is so you know where the top is.  Be careful and hold the comb up when you're putting the white feathers around it, or you will glue the comb down.   Enjoy the adorableness you have made thus far.  Ohhhhh I just want to squish you! 

10.  Time to start on the feathers.  If you choose to use some colored feathers, put them on first so you can overlap them with the white ones.

11.  Cut a bit of the white boa off...separate into feather and fluff...chunks.  The face needs smaller bits of feather and fluff, but you can cover wide swaths of backside with larger pieces.

12.  Start gluing.  I just glue a small section and stick on feathers.  I start around the face first.  After the entire ball is covered in feathers and fluff, I trim around the eyes if they are being obscured like in this picture.

13.  Be prepared for feather fluff to go....everywhere.  Up the nose, in your hair...use this extra fluff to cover any glue-y spots that aren't covered in feathers.

Using a small piece of muslin, put the year and name of whoever made the chicken.  Glue it on.  I just wrote in pencil.  I find markers bleed, and it's not going to be washed, so I figured pencil is just fine.

While feasting, let these little fluff-balls dry.

 Who's pretty?

 Yes you are!

 Gotta love the green cheeks.  Not my kids, of course, but some child who likes green.

This chicken, was sprayed with glitter spray paint.  Hard to see, I know.  This is a fun idea to add a little shimmer but I found that it matted down the feathers a bit...which I didn't like the most.  So I decided against spraying them all with it.

Thanks for reading!!

Heather

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