Happy Hens!

Big fat hens in bold spring time brights - what's not to love? With only seven days to go until Easter Sunday it's time to get a move on and get decorating the home.

Now I know that strictly speaking a blue hen is hard to find. However, I really would recommend letting your imagination run wild with this lovely project. Be adventurous with colour! These lovely hens are so easy to make and are a lot of fun to have sitting around the house bringing a splash of bold bright colour at Easter.

Here's how to make them:

You will need:

Two squares of felt, (mine were 12cm x 12cm but you can adjust according to the size of hen you want to make), a red felt "head feather" shape, 2 small black buttons for eyes, an orange triangle beak, 2 felt wing shapes, coloured thread.

Step one:

Position the button eyes and felt wings as in the picture and sew in to place. I have given my hens a folk art feel by using coloured embroidery on the wings. Take a look at my decorative stitch guide for ideas by clicking here

Step two:

Position the beak and head feather on top of one of your squares as shown in the picture.

Step three:

Place the other square on top with the right sides facing each other and pin in to place making sure that the head feather and beak are secured.

Step four:

Sew around the three edges as shown in the picture leaving the back edge open.


Step five:

Turn your hen the right way round and add plenty of soft toy filling to make it nice and plump.

Step six:

Now take the top seam edge and bottom seam edge of the square and press them together. This will form a new seam and give your hen it's pyramid/triangle shape. Sew along this seam - I have used blanket stitch or you could use overstitch.

Your Easter Hen is now complete! As you can see it's a simple but effective Easter make - great for children and grown ups to make together. Happy making!