Family Tree With A Feathered Twist

It all started with a sudden urge to hand-stitch birds using free templates that were quite easy for a not-so-skilled sewer like me to understand. As I finished one bird after another, I thought the flock would look really nice perched on a dried tree branch, which I had sawn off a small tree in my yard. Then the idea evolved into making a bird for each member of my nuclear family and, altogether, for it to become my family's Family Tree! Of course, I just had to incorporate my love for paper blooms--in particular, cherry blossoms--into the project, and this is how it turned out. I can't wait to give this to my Mom as a present! (I can't say exactly how much time I spent making this, but, collectively, an entire day sounds about right.)