Beautiful Budgies by Melissa Horton

Here in Australia budgerigars are one of the most common pet birds you can come across.

It’s probably not an exaggeration to say that almost every family, or at least someone they knew, had a pet budgie or two.

They are highly likeable birds, yet perhaps in the same way that tulips are so common in Netherlands that the Dutch take them for granted, budgies have never really been considered much of a poster bird. Until now…

Australian designer Melissa Horton has done a superb job, with her piece Beautiful Budgies, in capturing the essence and charisma that make budgies so popular.

Rather than taking these stunning birds for granted like most Aussies, she has used her deft needlework skills to stunning effect with this cute pair of companionable budgerigars created using surface embroidery.

If you are not familiar with budgies, here’s a quick summary for you:

Indigenous to arid areas of Australia, the budgerigar is a type of small parrot and is the only species in the genus Melopsittacus.

Wearing plumage of yellow and green with black markings in the wild, these endearing little birds can mimic human speech and are now bred in captivity with blue, white, yellow and grey feathers and are sold as pets around the world.

This charming pair of blue budgies is worked with easy stitches using stranded thread on a ground of lavender cotton with the addition of sequins and beads for textural interest and a little sparkle.

Easy to look after and cheap to feed, this delightful pair would be equally at home in a hoop or a more ornate frame with the finished design measuring 14.5cm x 16.5cm wide (5 ¾” x 6 ½”).

Melissa is renowned for her ability to create stunning avian portraits and you may even remember her project Bush Beauties from Inspirations magazine issue #114.

As it turns out we actually have a few kits of Melissa’s stunning Cockatoo from that issue in stock, so if you’re looking for a pair of bird portraits to stitch and add to your home décor, the link below is for you.

Beautiful Budgies is a great example of taking a feel-good muse like the humble budgie and creating a wonderful project that is both a joy to stitch and a wonderful addition to your home.

Complete instructions for this project can be found in Inspirations magazine issue #123 and we also have limited stock of Ready-to-Stitch kits available to purchase online.

Make Your Own Beautiful Budgies

We have all the materials you need to re-create this project yourself, from easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions to a Ready-to-Stitch kit with everything sourced for you.

*Instructions – As this kit does not include instructions, for step-by-step directions on how to create this project, please refer to Inspirations magazine issue 123 or the Beautiful Budgies digital pattern, both purchased separately.