Colourful Bird Applique
Original design by @灿灿
A flat crocheted bird appliqué with a fan tail built from four small hdc circles, a surface-crochet wing and an embroidered eye. The pattern comes as both a symbol chart and full written English rows.
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Time
- 2-4 hours
Materials
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Stitches used: ch, sc, hdc, dc, tr, sc2tog, BLO, sl st
Colourful Bird Appliqué — Symbol Chart This chart shows all four panels of the bird: the head and wing panel (top left), the body panel (rows 1-21, worked in orange), the tail panel (rows 1-9, worked in pink) and the four tail-feather fans (red, at the right edge). Symbol key + or × = sc T = dc oval = ch ∨ = 2 sc in one stitch (inc) ∧ = sc2tog (dec) The tall bracketed groups at the right = fans of tr worked into the end of the tail panel. How to read it Row numbers are printed up both sides of each panel. Read odd-numbered rows right to left and even-numbered rows left to right, turning at the end of each row. The body panel is worked first, the head is joined to row 11 of the body, and the tail panel is joined along the back edge. The legs are chains worked down from the underside of the body, each finished with a small chain foot. The full row-by-row written version of this chart follows on the next pages of the pattern.
Notes
Symbol chart for a flat crocheted bird appliqué. Colours are lettered A-E in the written pattern: A = orange, B = pink, C and D = body and head shades, E = the contrast used for the surface-crochet wing line and the French-knot eye.
Colourful Bird Appliqué — Symbol Chart (clean version) The same chart as the previous page without the finished-piece photo, so the stitch symbols are easier to follow. Panels shown - Head and wing panel: rows 1-9, with the beak chain worked off the top left corner. - Body panel: rows 1-21, the largest section, with row numbers on both sides. - Tail panel: rows 1-9, joined along the right-hand edge of the body. - Tail feathers: four fans of tr with ch loops between them, worked into the end of the tail panel. - Legs: two chain legs hanging from the underside of the body, each ending in a small chain foot. Symbol key + or × = sc, T = dc, oval = ch, ∨ = 2 sc in one stitch, ∧ = sc2tog. Read odd-numbered rows right to left and even-numbered rows left to right; ch 1 and turn at the end of each row.
Notes
Second copy of the bird symbol chart, printed without the sample photo. Use it alongside the written English rows on the following pages.
Colourful Bird Appliqué — Tail and Body Using A, ch 5. Circle 1: Skip 2 ch, 5 hdc in the third ch, skip 1 ch, sl st in the first ch, rotate to work into the other side of the foundation ch, skip 2 ch, 5 hdc in the next ch, skip 1 ch, sl st in the next ch. Circles 2 to 4: Ch 5 and work as for Circle 1. Fasten off and weave in the ends. With RS facing, join B in the second hdc of circle 4 (the top circle). From here the work is in rows across the circles. Row 1: Ch 1, [3 sc BLO, skip 1 st, dc in the space between the circles, skip 1 st] 3 times, 3 sc BLO, turn (15 sts) Row 2: Ch 1, sc2tog, 11 sc, sc2tog, turn (13 sts) Row 3: Ch 1, 13 sc, turn Row 4: Ch 1, sc2tog, 9 sc, sc2tog, turn (11 sts) Row 5: Ch 1, 11 sc, turn Row 6: Ch 1, sc2tog, 7 sc, sc2tog, turn (9 sts) Row 7: Ch 1, 9 sc, turn. Fasten off B. Row 8: Join C, ch 1, 9 sc, turn Rows 9 and 10: Ch 1, 9 sc, turn. Do not turn at the end of Row 10. Row 11: Ch 7, skip 1 ch, 15 sc, turn (15 sts) Row 12: Ch 1, 15 sc, turn Row 13: Ch 1, 2 sc in the next st, 14 sc, turn (16 sts) Rows 14 and 15: Ch 1, 16 sc, turn Row 16: Ch 1, 15 sc, 2 sc in the next st, turn (17 sts) Row 17: Ch 1, 15 sc, sc2tog, turn (16 sts)
Notes
Written English rows for the bird's tail circles and body. Four small hdc circles form the tail fan, then the body is worked in rows across them. Colour A = red, B = pink, C = orange.
Colourful Bird Appliqué — Body Rows 18-21 and Head Body, continued Row 18: Ch 1, 16 sc, turn Row 19: Ch 1, 14 sc, sc2tog, turn (15 sts) Row 20: Ch 1, 15 sc, turn Row 21: Ch 1, 6 sl st, 3 sc, 2 hdc, 2 hdc in the next st, 1 hdc, 1 sc, sl st in the last ch, do not turn. Edging: Work sl st evenly around the bottom and tail, changing colour when the body colour changes. Fasten off and weave in the ends. Head With RS facing, join D in Row 11 of the body. Row 1: Ch 1, working into the row ends, 10 sc, turn Row 2: Ch 1, sc2tog, 6 sc, sc2tog, turn (8 sts) Rows 3 to 6: Ch 1, 8 sc, turn Row 7: Ch 1, sc2tog, 4 sc, sc2tog, turn (6 sts) Row 8: Ch 1, 6 sc, turn Row 9: Ch 1, skip 1 st, 1 sc, [2 hdc in the next st] twice, 1 sc, sl st in the last st. Fasten off. With RS facing, join D in the row end of the first st of Row 1. Edging: Work sl st evenly around the head. Fasten off and weave in the ends.
Notes
Second page of the written English pattern for the bird. The head is worked directly into the row ends of the body, so no sewing is needed.
Colourful Bird Appliqué — Beak, Feet and Finishing Beak With RS facing, join A in the row end of Row 8 of the head, behind the sl st edging. Ch 6, skip 1 ch, 1 sl st, 1 sc, 2 hdc, 2 hdc in the next st, join in Row 6 with a sl st. Fasten off and weave in the ends. Feet Left foot: Join A in Row 18 of the body, ch 13, skip 1 ch, 3 sl st, ch 1, 8 sl st, 1 sc, join in Row 17 with a sl st. Right foot: Join A in Row 11 of the body, ch 12, skip 1 ch, 3 sl st, ch 1, 7 sl st, 1 sc, join in Row 10 with a sl st. Fasten off and weave in the ends. Finishing Using E and referring to the photo, add a curved line of surface crochet for the wing. Using A, embroider straight stitch lines on the tail and zigzags on the neck in arrow stitch. Using E, work the eye as a French knot.
Notes
Final page of the written English pattern. The wing is surface crochet rather than a separate piece, and the eye is embroidered as a French knot.
Crochet Diagrams
Frequently asked questions
How is the tail made?
Four small circles of 5 hdc are worked on a chain base, then Row 1 of the body is worked across them, joining them into a fan.
Do I sew the head on?
No. The head is worked directly into the row ends of the body starting at Row 11, so the bird comes off the hook in one piece.
What are the letters A to E?
They are the colour codes used in the written pattern — A is used for the tail, feet and embroidery, B and C for the body, D for the head, and E for the surface-crochet wing and the French-knot eye.
How do I read the symbol chart?
+ or × is sc, T is dc, an oval is a chain, ∨ is 2 sc in one stitch and ∧ is sc2tog. Read odd rows right to left and even rows left to right.
