Step 1: Make Nest

To begin, pull about two continuous feet of wool off a cinnamon roving bundle. Shape into a 3-dimensional nest with your hands (approx. 4" in diameter). Cut a small piece of foam to fit the inside of your nest and place it inside. With your nest upside down on your foam mat, begin felting the piece by poking your felting needle into the wool and back out again (your needle will go slightly into the foam inside). Do this all over your nest for five to ten minutes until your nest has begun to firm up. Take the foam piece inside of your nest out and felt the inside with your needle for another 5 to 10 minutes. When you are happy with your nest's firmness, place it aside.

Step 2: Make Bird Body

For the bird body, pull a 12" by 1.5" strip of wool off the ampelopsis roving bundle. Roll the strip tightly like a little barrel and felt the tail end in loosely. Felt the loose edges in and concentrate on making a rounded egg shape using well placed pokes. (To avoid poking your fingers you can hold the wool ball with another felting needle instead of your hands.) When this is achieved, take another 12" by 1.5" strip and wrap it tightly around the original piece, but in the opposite direction. Felt the tail end down, the loose ends in, and all around the wool in order to make a nice, tight roundish shape.

Step 3: Make Bird's Head

For the head, get a 6" by 1" piece of ampelopsis roving and roll tightly. Felt the tail end in and only one side of your piece in order to make a gum drop type shape. Take the fuzzy, flat side of the head piece and place it on the bird body in the correct position. Felt all around the bottom perimeter of the head, poking the fluffiness to create a bond with the body

Step 4: Make Wings

For the wings, take a small tuft of ampelopsis wool, approximately half of what you used for the head, and shape it into a bird wing on your piece of foam. Felt all over with your needle until you have a flat, tight wing. Repeat this step to make the other wing.

Step 5: Make Eyes

For the eyes, take the tiniest piece of black roving and, using your fingertips to knead it, create a tiny ball that is smaller than a piece of rice. Repeat this step and poke both of your eyes into the correct position on the head.