We named him Franklin. It took only a few hours and is a great little project to keep your hands busy as you watch that Christmas movie you've already seen a hundred times.
You'll need:
- Fabric. It can be a yard of store-bought fabric OR an old t-shirt or sweater. As long as it's snuggly, it'll work!
- Scissors
- Needle and thread
- Stuffing. I used this kind for making a pillow and this bear. Still have over half a bag left.
- Straight pins
- Pattern that you sketch
- White chalk
Here's how to make it:
1. Sketch out a pattern of the animal you want to make. I did a teddy bear because it's simple and sweet. Thinking about doing an elephant for my next stuffed animal though! Feel free to get creative.
2. After you sketch the pattern, fold piece of paper in half. This way you know you're going to be cutting evenly. Don't cut on the lines of the actual sketch though. Make sure to leave room around where you sketch so that you can have room to pin the fabric.
3. Pin the pattern to the fabric you're using and cut around the pattern. If you're using a sweater or shirt, make sure that you've pinned through to the other side so you'll have two pieces of fabric to sew together. If you're using a piece of fabric that you bought a yard of, just fold it in half as if it's shirt and pin the same way.
4. Once you have both pieces of fabric cut from the pattern, turn the fabric inside out. Make sure the side you want facing out when you are done is not the side you see when you sew!
5. Pin the two pieces of fabrics together all around the edges. You'll be sewing inside where you pin. Remember that there is excess fabric beyond your intended pattern.
6. Take your needle and thread and start stitching! Here's a video to help if you don't have much sewing experience. Trust me, I don't have much sewing experience either!
*For this project, I started at the inside of the left leg and moved around the edges until I got to the right leg. I left the right leg open for stuffing. We'll get there in a second, but just wanted you to know where I started!
7. The arms and legs are pretty easy to follow but when I got to the head, I wanted more distinct lines to follow on the fabric. I sketched the neck, cheeks and ears on the fabric with the chalk. Then I got sketch happy and kept going all around the right side too.
8. Once your stitches get to the right leg, knot off your thread and turn your fabric inside out!
9. Now here's the part that was trickier for me than it had to be. When I stitched on the face, I had to keep putting my hand into the small hole that I left for the stuffing. A better idea? Stitch the face FIRST onto the fabric before the two pieces are joined together. Turn the fabric inside out and then stitch together as listed above.
*For the face: First I sketched it on with the chalk. Then I did small "x"s, like cross-stitching, for the nose. I did the nose first so that I could use it as the center of the face. Then I used a simple running stitch for the eyes and mouth.10. Once your face is complete, stuff that animal! Just keep adding stuffing in small batches, making sure it's evenly spread and not too lumpy...and not too full! You'll know when it's right.
11. Sew up the hole you used for stuffing! Make sure to start the stitch on the inside of the fabric so that the knot is inside the stuffed animal. Use a straight pin to join the two fabrics. This makes it easier to finish sewing - you won't have to keep putting the stuffing back in and juggle holding the fabric together while you stitch.
And you're done!
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| Already part of our stuffed family |
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a wonderful rest of the holiday season!
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