Muumade’s The Little Felt Peacock is a sewing pattern & tutorial to make an elegant felt peacock. The finished bird is approximately 14 cm (5 1/2″) tall from the top of its fan to its feet, and the fan is 19.5 cm (7 3/4″) wide.
Perhaps the most well known kind of the peacock is the blue peacock, which is originally from India. But there is also a similarly magnificent type of peacock from Southeast Asia that is green. Either way, only the male birds have the famous fan of tail feathers.
By the way, did you know that the actual name of this bird is the peafowl? Technically, peacock only refers to the male bird, while the female is called a peahen.
Undoubtedly, the most outstanding feature of the peacock is its dazzling fan of feathers. Their beauty was so striking that Alexander the Great forbade the killing or any disturbance of these wild birds in ancient India! These eye-catching birds even excited the imagination of the ancient Greeks! In Greek Mythology, the peacock’s eyespots are described as coming from the hundred seeing eyes of Argus, a trusted watchman of the Goddess Hera. When he was killed, Hera gathered his eyes and put them onto the feathers of her favorite bird, the peacock, in his honor.
While real peacocks have more than 100 eyespots (between 165 and 170 eyespots according to one study), the Little Felt Peacock proudly displays 38 eyespots made of sequins and seed beads. Stitching on these numerous eyespots (along with sewing together the 15 tail feathers) is the most time-consuming part of this handsewing project. But, as you can see in the images on this page, their brilliant effect is well worth your time and patience!
Another detail to note of these remarkable birds is the crest on top of the peacock’s head. While it looks purely decorative, according to this report it might have a more practical function. When a peacock spreads open his fan of tail feathers and begins to shake it to impress a peahen, she may not only ‘see’ his value in his plumage but also might ‘feel’ it through the resulting resonance of her crest!
The Little Felt Peacock‘s crest is made of a few strands of thread, and therefore does not resonate like a real crest. But you will be surprised with how important this tiny feature is to the peacock; as soon as you add this small detail to your Little Felt Peacock in the very last step of its making, the bird suddenly looks a lot more dignified and complete!
This download item is available from my online shop, muumade.etsy.com. You can also click on any photo above to go to the item page and download the instructions instantly upon purchase.
If you are interested in the Little Felt Peacock, you may also like other Little Felt Animals.