How to Make a Stuffed Bearded Collie

A stuffed bearded collie needs to have the same shape and coloring of the real kind.

The round, long-haired body of the lovable bearded collie (or “Beardie”) is an ideal model for a stuffed toy dog. The stuffed beardie will need to be created in the shape and colors of an actual beardie. Its long, thick hair can be made out of yarn.

Things You'll Need

• 18-inch-by-36-inch piece of felt
• Needle and thread
• Pins
• Dressmaking pen
• Sewing scissors
• Poly-fill (polyester fiberfill) or cotton stuffing
• 1 black or dark gray ball of thin yarn
• 1 white ball of thin yarn
• 3 1/2-inch round pieces of black felt or black velvet
• Fabric glue

Instructions

1. Find a photo of a bearded collie in profile. Use it as a guide for drawing an outline of your stuffed beardie. Cut out the outline of the dog. Fold your 18-inch-by-36-inch piece of felt so that it is an 18-inch-by-18-inch square.

2. Place the outline cutout of the dog's profile onto one side of the fabric. With your dressmaking pen, draw closely around the cutout so that the top of the dog's body is at the folded part of the material. Cut out this outline, cutting both halves of the material at once.

3. Pin the cut parts of the fabric together. Use a whip stitch (a straight across outer hem) to sew the felt together. Leave a 2-inch gap at the hindquarters.

4. Push the poly-fill or cotton stuffing into the body, head and legs first. Push it in tightly using the eraser end of a pencil. When your dog is full and round, stitch the end closed. Sew or glue on the round pieces of black felt or velvet for the eyes and nose.

5. Wrap the black yarn around the 12-inch-by-12-inch piece of cardboard six or seven times. Bend the cardboard so that the yarn comes off of it easily. Tie up the middle of the looped yard with a 6-inch long piece of yarn and tie it tightly in a bow.

6. Cut the ends of the tie so that there are now six strands of loose yarn in the middle of the looped yarn. Stitch this center knot onto the body of the beardie, starting at the bottom of the body or the legs.

7. Repeat Steps 5 and 6 as much as needed to cover the middle and end of the dog’s body, the sides of the head and the hind legs. The rest will need white yarn -- refer to your dog photo to see where you will need white fur. Generally, the front paws, back of head, nose, throat and chest area are white.

8. Add as many loops of yarn as needed to give your beardie thick, full "fur." You can leave the loops as is for maximum thickness or cut them (at the top of the loops) for straighter hair.

Tips & Warnings

• Photos of a bearded collie in profile can easily be found online or in an encyclopedia of dog breeds.

• If the stuffed dog is a gift for a child under the age of seven, do not use black buttons for the eyes and nose, due to a possible choking hazard.

References

• The Daily Puppy: How to Make Stuffed Dog with Yarn for Hair
• Into Baby: How to Make a Stuffed Animal Dog for Baby
• Bearded Collie Club: The Breed