Birds of a Feather Table Runner

In the past few months, I've learned how to sew. I like pushing myself to try new things pretty often (read: I get bored easily). My mother's graduation/Christmas gift to me this year was a sewing machine just like the one she has at home.

I bought a book at JoAnn's that had a lot of cute patterns, and also an engaging history of sewing over the past hundred years (I'm a sucker for learning disguised as fun stuff). I highly recommend this book, Sew Retro, if you are a beginner sewer. It has fairly simple projects that contain techniques to build up one's sewing repertoire.

I'm also a sucker for birds on stuff. What a ridiculous attraction.

I really loved the main fabrics I picked out--the willow branches and the delicate flowers definitely reminded me of spring. 

I had never done an applique before (top-stitching the bird  and the bird's wing to the fabric using a zig-zag stitch), but it was surprisingly easy!

Proud to have all my ducks (I mean birds..) in a row!

Now this little fella lives on my buffet, at least until another big change in season (i.e. the winter holidays)...