How to Sew a Stuffed Animal With a Pattern

Making a stuffed animal is a fun project that will provide hours of entertainment for children. Not only will they enjoy this project, but they will have an adorable stuffed dog to play with when they are finished.
This project requires adult supervision and assistance. This article will explain how to sew a stuffed animal with a pattern.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 1/4-yard fabric for dog Paper Pencil Ruler White, Black and Red Embroidery Floss Needle Scissors Fiberfill

Sew a Stuffed Dog With a Pattern

1. 

   Make the pattern for your dog. From the front of the dog under the head to the back under the tail is 5 inches. From the top of the head to the bottom of the front feet is 5 1/2 inches.The legs are 1 1/2 inches wide. The tail is 1 inch wide. The nose is 1 1/2 inches wide at the bottom. From the tip of the nose to the point where the head and the back intersect is 3 1/2 inches.
   These measurements are given to provide a general idea for a pattern size. Create a pattern, according to how you want your dog to look.

2. 

   Fold the pattern so that the legs are on one side of the fold. The head and tail are on the other side of the fold. The fold line should be just slightly under the halfway point.

3. Place a blank piece of paper over your pattern piece. Fold the blank piece of paper along with the pattern piece along the fold created in Step 2. Trace the portion of the pattern, under the fold line, onto the blank piece of paper.

4. Remove the original pattern piece. Cut the second pattern piece you just traced. This pattern will be on a fold and will resemble a capital "I" shape when you open it out.

5. 

   Make the ear pattern by taking a 3-by-3 inch piece of paper. Hold the small piece of paper over the original pattern in the approximate position of an ear on the dog. This positioning will help you achieve the proper scale of the ear. Draw an ear shape on the small piece of paper.

6. Cut out the patterns for the dog, its legs and its ears.

7. Fold the fabric with right sides together.

8. Pin the patterns for the dog body and the ears to the fabric and cut.

9. Pin the leg pattern to a single layer of fabric and cut one leg piece out of fabric.

10. Thread and knot your needle with white thread.

11. Place the wrong sides of two ear pieces together and right sides facing out. Stitch the two ear pieces together with a whip stitch. Knot the thread and clip. Repeat with the other two ear pieces to make another ear.

12. Position one ear onto one dog body piece (at least 3/8 inch from the top of the head). Pin in place. Repeat with the other ear. Make sure the ears are placed so that they will be symmetrical.

13. Stitch the ears to the dog. Pull the threaded needle up from the back side of the dog body piece and through the ear along the top edge. Run a simple running stitch along the top of the ear. Knot the thread on the wrong side of the dog and clip. Repeat with the other ear.

14. Place the dog body pieces together with wrong sides together and right sides facing out. Place pins on the dog pieces at the fold line created in Step 2 to help you remember to stitch only the upper body. You will only be stitching along the upper portion of the dog body piece now, from under the dog's chin up and around to just under the dog's tail.

15. Use a whip stitch all along the upper portion of the dog body piece. (The same way you constructed the ear piece). Knot the thread and clip when you reach the second pin (fold line).

16. Pin the leg piece (I-shaped piece) to the half-sewn dog piece. Open out the unsewn edge of the dog body piece. Notice that when you are looking at the spread-apart dog body piece it resembles the leg section in shape. (Both are capital "I" pieces ). Place and match up the leg piece onto the dog body piece with the right side of the leg piece facing out. Pin in place.

17. Stitch the leg piece to the dog piece around the leg edges. Leave one area between two legs open for stuffing. Use a whip stitch all the way around the leg area in the same way previously done. Don't forget to leave the opening for stuffing. Remove all pins.

18. Stuff the dog with fiberfill through the opening left between the legs. Stuff the nose first, then the head. Next, stuff the tail and each leg. Stuff the body last. For a firmly stuffed animal, push the stuffing in tightly. If you want a more squishy stuffed animal, do not stuff the dog as tightly. Use the eraser end of a pencil to help push the stuffing all the way into small areas of the dog, if necessary.

19. You are now finished stuffing your dog. Stitch the opening closed with the same whip stitch used on the rest of the dog.

Sew the Eyes, Nose, and Tongue

20. Thread and knot the needle with black embroidery thread. Push the needle into the dog under the dog's chin at the seam. Direct the needle to come out where you want one of the eyes. Pull the thread all the way into the stuffing so that the knot becomes buried in the middle of the dog. Make two small stitches in the eye position. Pull the stitches tight to create a small indentation.

21. Insert the needle and direct it to come out at the tip of the nose. Take as many stitches as necessary to make a nose, using a satin stitch.

22. Insert the needle and direct it to come out at the position of the other eye. Make this eye the same way you made the first eye.

23. Thread and knot the needle with red embroidery thread. Push the needle in under the dog's chin at the seam and direct the needle to come out where you want the tongue to be under the nose. Pull the thread all the way into the stuffing so that the knot becomes buried in the middle of the dog. Take two or three small satin stitches to make the mouth. Knot the thread and direct the needle toward a seam. Pull the needle and thread all the way out. Clip the thread to finish the dog.