Mr & Mrs Love Bird Hanging Decoration

This shabby chic-style hanging is made from a little cream felt and coordinating scraps of pretty printed linen fabric, and would make a delightful gift for a newly wedded couple. Personalise your make using letter stamps and ink for a truly bespoke token.

Essentials

Fabric: floral prints, two
Felt: cream; pink
Fusible interfacing, medium weight, 15cm x 21cm
Fusible webbing
Thread: sewing, cream; embroidery, pink; thick, cream
Bead, seed, pale pink, one
Letter stamps, 1cm high
Ink, pink
Paper, cream, 2cm x 8cm
Cord, 8cm
Glue, fabric

Dimensions List

13cm x 18cm, including hanging loop

Stitch a decoration

Cut rectangles of cream felt and fusible interfacing each measuring 15cm x 21cm. Iron the interfacing onto the felt. Download the template and print out. Trace the outlines onto the felt piece, but do not cut out at this stage.
Iron fusible webbing onto the back of two floral fabric pieces. Using the template provided, cut bird shapes from one design and two symmetrical wing shapes and a rectangle from the other. Iron all elements in place on the felt shape except the wings, using the picture as a guide.
Set your sewing machine to a wide zig zag stitch and work around the edges of each shape. Add the wings and sew in place as before. Using deep pink embroidery thread, embroider the bird beaks along with French knots for the eyes.
Use the template to cut a heart from pink felt. Use a little fabric glue to hold in place, then use thick thread to blanket stitch all the way around the edge. Sew a seed bead to the centre top of the heart.
Using letter stamps, print ‘MR & MRS’ onto thick paper. Cut out and use a little fabric glue to position it in the centre of the patterned fabric rectangle. Machine zig zag around the edge.
Carefully cut out the whole hanging, leaving a 4mm border around the outer edge. You may need to use small, sharp embroidery scissors to get into the apertures. Round off the corners.
Snip a length of cord measuring 8cm and glue each end behind the bird heads to form a loop. Cut another rectangle of felt measuring 12cm x 19cm and stick the hanging onto this.
Cut around the shape of the hanging, taking care as before. Set your sewing machine to a slightly narrower zig zag stitch and work all the way around the edge, including the two small sections either side of the heart.