Spring of last year, I developed a design-your-own stuffed animal pattern, with the help of my artist husband, as an aid to teach basic hand-sewing skills. It is not looking like I’ll be teaching that class again, so I thought I’d share the pattern and instructions.
The animals are all basically snowman-shaped, with an optional front pocket (for treasures or lost teeth) and features designed by the creator. They require fleece and felt and a knowledge of whipstitch, running stitch, mattress stitch, and beginning and ending knots for hand sewing.
You can download my pdf stuffy pattern which includes the front/back, pocket, round- and square-end limbs, dragon wings/horns/ears, dog nose/ears, owl wings/face, and panda eyepatch. The simplicity of the overall shape lends itself to designing your own stuffy, though, or making variations on the ideas included – one of my students made a much cooler robot than mine, and another made an adorable panda, exaggerated like an animated character.
I’m putting this behind a cut because it got quite long. All photos can be clicked to bring up a larger version. Continue reading Hand-Sewn Fleece Stuffies