A DIY Stuffed Tortoise Toy

Giant tortoises have a dinosaur-like appearance.

Part of what makes a tortoise a tortoise, and not just a turtle, is the shell. A tortoise has a more-textured shell with a higher dome. However, the biggest difference is in the legs. Turtle legs have webbed feet and are relatively straight, but a tortoise has longer legs that bend to allow them to walk on land and clawed feet for dry terrain. To create these distinctions in a stuffed toy, the shape of the shell and the feet are exaggerated.

Things You'll Need

• Fabric
• Iron-on interfacing
• Iron
• Pins
• Stuffing
• Sewing machine
• Disappearing ink fabric marker
• Foam sheets
• Small buttons or beads
• Embroidery floss
• Needle and thread

Instructions

Cutting the Pieces

1. Cut an oval for the belly of the tortoise. The size of this oval will determine the size of the finished tortoise and the size of the rest of the pieces. A 4-inch by 6-inch oval will create a tortoise that is 8 inches to 9 inches from head to tail.

2. Cut two more ovals that are twice the size of the original. For a 4-inch by 6-inch bottom oval, these top ovals should be 8 inches by 12 inches.

3. Cut four pieces of fabric in the shape of an "L." These pieces should be made according to the dimensions of the first oval. The long side of the "L" should be half the length of the long side of the oval and the short side should be half of the short side of the oval. The fabric should be as wide as the long side of the shape. For a 4-inch by 6-inch inch oval, the long side of the "L" would be 3 inches, the short side would be 2 inches and both sections should be 3 inches wide. These pieces will be the legs of the tortoise.

4. For the head of the tortoise, cut one piece of fabric shaped like an arrow with rounded corners. The straight portion of the arrow should be half of the length of the original oval by one-quarter of the width of the original oval. The arrow should be one-third of the size of the original oval. For the second piece of the head, cut a similar shape that is approximately twice the size of the original. For a 4-inch by 6-inch oval, the smaller head piece would be 3 inches by 1 inch for the shaft of the arrow and the arrow should be 2 inches by 1.33 inches.

5. For the tail, cut two pieces of fabric in a sickle shape approximately one-third the length of the original oval. For a 4-inch by 6-inchoval, the tail pieces should be approximately 2 inches long.

Preparation

1. Iron the following pieces to fusible interfacing: Smaller piece of the head, one of the larger ovals and the small oval

2. Trim the interfacing from the around the edges of the fabric pieces and cut a piece of interfacing to make an oval ring that will reach 1 inch inside the outer edge of the other large oval and iron into place.

3. Fold the leg pieces in half, front side together and pin the edges.

4. Place the tail pieces front sides together and pin.

5. Place the head pieces front-sides together and pin the edges of the fabric together. This will leave extra fabric loose in the center of the top piece.

6. Stitch the legs, tail and head pieces along the pinned edges. Leave the end that will attach to the tortoise open.

7. Turn the pieces right-side out and fill with stuffing. Stitch them closed.

Creating the Shell

1. On the back of the large oval that is not fully faced with interfacing, draw a pattern for the tortoise shell with disappearing ink starting 1 inch inside the faced portion of the fabric. Draw the pattern with exaggerated shapes that are larger than the desired shape.

2. Stitch a loose basting style stitch along the drawn lines with a needle and thread. Use a separate piece of thread for each shape. Leave a 2-inch tail of untied thread at the end of each section.

3. Pull the loose threads to make the shapes the desired size and tie off the threads. This will create gathered bubbles of fabric that are open on the bottom.

4. With the front sides of the fabric facing together, pin the large ovals together. The piece with the gathered bubbles will be smaller than the fully faced oval. Center the smaller oval over the larger one and pin the edges of the smaller oval .

5. Stitch along the pinned edge with a zigzag stitch on the sewing machine. Leave a 2-inch opening for turning the shell right-side out. Stitch just inside the zigzag stitches with a straight stitch and then turn the shell right-side out.

6. Place a small amount of stuffing around the outer 2 inches of the shell. This section should not be stuffed full, only use enough stuffing to provide this section of the shell with a little shape and body.

7. Top-stitch around the outside edge of the patterned portion of the shell. Leave a 2-inch opening to allow the center to be stuffed.

8. Stuff the center of the tortoise shell with stuffing. Be careful to completely fill each bubbled section of fabric with plenty of stuffing and to stuff the center portion of the shell full with stuffing to create a solid shape.

9. Top stitch the openings closed with the raw edges folded in.

Assembling the Tortoise

1. Pin the legs, tail and head onto the back side of the smaller oval and stitch into place.

2. Fold the outer 2 inches of the shell up towards the top of the shell. With the right sides together, pin the smaller oval to the outside edge of the textured section of the tortoise shell. Be careful that all of the legs, tail, head and the outer edge of the shell are between the ovals of fabric.

3. Stitch around the outer edge of the smaller over with a zigzag stitch and then a straight stitch. Leave the back end open for turning and stuffing.

4. Turn the tortoise right side out and stuff the body of the tortoise. The shell should stand up off the back of the tortoise in a high dome with a distinct pattern. Stitch the opening closed.

Finishing the Tortoise

1. Cut clawed feet out of the foam sheets and stitch them to the bottom of the legs with a needle and thread.

2. Sew small buttons or beads onto the head for eyes.

3. Stitch a mouth and any other desired details onto the tortoise with embroidery floss and a needle.

Tips & Warnings

• Layers of fabric can be appliqued onto the outer shell to provide more depth and design to the shell if desired.