100 Days of Stitching Birds

I just finished embroidering 100 birds onto a thrifted linen dress. Spread out over 100 days, this was my bird-a-day project. This project became a little more consuming than I anticipated, with each bird taking anywhere from 1-3 hours to stitch. You’d think doing this sort of practice each day might make me quicker, but I don’t think it did. Although I do think my decision making muscles have improved. In the beginning I would spend so much time deciding exactly where each bird should live, and next to whom, but in the last month I find I can decide what to work on each day in seconds. 

I found this linen shift dress at my local thrift store, and what a find! It’s really well made, the fabric is just perfect for embroidery, and it felt like a blank canvas just waiting to be decorated. I did of course have to do a little bit of work on the dress before I got started (I find that just about everything I thrift needs some love). I un-did the alterations that the previous owner had made to the dress (they took it in at the waist), and then I wore it a couple days to see what needed to be done. The buttons go all the way down the back of the dress, and I found when I walked they would pop open. This would not do! So I hand-stitched that seam closed so the buttons basically are just for looks now, which feels much more secure. I also shortened the dress an inch or two, replaced a couple missing buttons, and added a waist tie. I love adding waist ties to my thrift finds, it helps give me that hourglass shape without making any time-consuming and more permanent alterations to the clothes. Now that the dress was perfect for me in terms of structure, I could start to think about decoration.

The pattern book I used is a Japanese craft book I found on Etsy. I’ll link to the shop I ordered it from at the bottom of this post. I don’t read or speak Japanese, but the pictures are all I really need. And the odd time I needed a little more help I just used Google Translate, so handy!

I used my go-to thread (dmc cotton embroidery floss) and started stitching birds in no particular order. I do try to keep themed birds in roughly the same area on the dress. There is a scene of penguins hanging out near the hem and I just love how they look all together. But I try not to stress too much about getting them all in the perfect spot. I’m so happy with how it looks at this point, the birds are small enough that you can barely tell what they are unless you’re right next to me, which gives it a more delicate and whimsical feel. It’s not too flashy.

There are still a lot of empty spaces though! I could definitely see myself adding another 100 birds, maybe a sequel challenge for later in the year. For now I have an upcoming deadline for a very important project, my wedding dress! So I will take a step back from the birds for now, and see if I can whip up a wedding dress by April. Wish me luck!

Little Bird Embroidery: I bought my copy here