Last year, my brother (who took the photo) and I went exploring out at Tuttle Creek, a reservoir here in Northeast Kansas.

We take responsibility for ethical trading seriously and are a proud partner of GoodWeave, a not-for-profit organisation that ensures fair working conditions. Turning off the personalised advertising setting won’t stop you from seeing Etsy ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive. Personalised advertising may be considered a “sale” or “sharing” of information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have a right to opt out. I know I’ve often looked in wonder at this type of art and thought it would be too complicated for me to enjoy doing it. It’s hard to choose a favourite embroidered bird from the book although the Forest Kingfishers (page 15) are so striking, and the colouring and texture of the tree branch and Grey Strike Thrush (page 50) is amazing.There are chapters on how to sketch out your composition and design your project, with ideas for utilising photos as an aid. After learning a bit about how to create gradients and blend colors, anyone can create incredible embroidered masterpieces. Stumpwork, also known as raised work embroidery, was used to create the three-dimensional quality of this design such as the thread wrapped wired feet along with the padding underneath the body of the bird. Even though I’m not a devoted twitcher, I love to watch birds, and occasionally, I’ll even go to pretty good lengths to see particular birds in their natural environments. The author’s love of birds and nature is reflected throughout the book – the birds shown are native to Australia however this in no way detracts from its use.

I love making them, especially as I invested in a new sewing machine a couple of weeks ago (a wonderful Bernina) which is an absolute dream to work with.It was a turning point; the perfect match for her love of colour and pattern, combined with storytelling. I was attracted by the front cover that immediately grabbed my attention and I was not disappointed.

We only use the best, softest, easiest to use wool-mix felt (45% wool, 55% viscose) in distinctive shades that are often hard to find elsewhere and will bring your projects to life like no other. Our felt is also very forgiving which makes it a wonderful material to learn sewing and develop intricate embroidery skills.Etsy’s 100% renewable electricity commitment includes the electricity used by the data centres that host Etsy. They don’t hold the fabric quite as taut as a traditional hoop but they are ideal for small projects as it is so quick to move the hoop around. These 4 or 5-star reviews represent the opinions of the individuals who posted them and do not reflect the views of Etsy.