Flamingo Parrot and Toucan Appliqued Mini Bags

Bright and fun, these mini bags made from a variety of coloured felts provide the warmth of summer all year round. Let your daughter choose either a flamingo, parrot or toucan design, and be sure to finish it off with flex frames so she can safely store her favourite things away.

Essentials

Felt: green; yellow; orange; black; white; brown; pale pink; bright pink
Thread, embroidery, coordinating
Fusible webbing
Beads, seed, black
Frames, flex
Pliers

Dimensions List

Flamingo bag: 13cm x 17.5cm
Parrot bag: 12.5cm x 22cm
Toucan bag: 15cm x 16cm

Stitch a flamingo bag

Download the templates, print them, and cut out the pieces for the flamingo. Iron fusible webbing to the back of pale pink felt, draw around the flamingo and cut out. Do the same for the beak template with white felt.
Place the purse pattern onto the fold of blue felt and cut out. Fold the top rectangle down so 5mm is below the neck of the purse, creating a channel. Stitch across in matching thread using a 4mm seam allowance. Repeat on both top sections of the purse.
Press the felt purse out flat with right sides up. Peel off the fusible webbing on the flamingo and position on top of the felt, then iron in place. Press the white beak onto the head. Back stitch around the beak tip and mouth using black embroidery thread, then use satin stitch to fill in the tip. Attach a black seed bead for an eye.
Using two strands of pale pink embroidery thread, sew around the body of the flamingo with small stitches, catching 2mm of the pink felt and 1mm of the blue felt. Sew diagonal lines across the body to represent the wing.
Fold the purse in half, wrong sides together, and sew around the body of the purse using a 5mm seam allowance. Press and trim the felt all the way around to even up the edges. Attach a flex frame by threading the metal strips through the top tubes, then butt up the ends and thread through the pin. Using pliers, bend over the catches to hold the pin in place.

Embroider a parrot bag

Place the templates for the parrot onto yellow, green and blue felt backed with fusible webbing, then cut out. Create the body of the purse from the template using bright pink felt. Sew the top sections of the purse to make tubes for the flex frame as before, then press.
Iron the yellow body of the parrot to one side of the pink felt. Place the green face section on top and iron in place, then repeat for the white eye and yellow circle on top. Attach a black seed bead for an eye.
Put the blue tail feathers on top of the body, then the green feathers, followed by more blue ones, then press. Using matching embroidery thread, sew around each piece close to the edge. Create long stitches on the wings, then add extra detail to the face with green and blue thread.
Press both sections of the bag, then place them wrong sides together and sew 5mm from the edge. Trim the edge to neaten and add the flex frame.