How to Make Stuff With a Sewing Machine

Stuffed kitty cat toys

"Stuff" made with a sewing machine can include a wide range of craft items, linens, clothes, gifts, bags and quilts. For example, make simple and cuddly stuffed animal toys or a crazy quilt tote with leftover fabric pieces. With a little imagination, basic and enhanced sewing skills can create items from decorations to wearable art.

Things You'll Need

• Fabric - assorted textures, styles, sizes
• Sewing machine
• Coordinated thread
• Batting
• Polyester fill
• Fusible webbing
• Pen
• Scissors
• Embellishments
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks
• Iron
• Needle (Sharp)
• Double-fold satin binding
• Straight pins

Instructions

Stuffed Cat Toys

1. Lay two fabric pieces together, right side in, large enough for the front and back of cat toy (see illustration in Introduction).

2. With a pen, draw the body and head of a cat with little ears. If desired, it can include a tail that will be stuffed later, or you can add a tail with a woven braid. Cut out the fabric with scissors.

3. On the sewing machine, straight stitch 1/4 inches in from the edges all around on the sewing machine, but leave about 3 inches open for stuffing. Turn the fabric right side out, using the point of closed scissors along the seam. Stuff with polyester filling, and close opening with overcast stitches with needle and thread.

4. With hot glue gun, add embellishments such as two buttons for eyes, fabric flowers, or ribbon to which bells are tied. If the toy is for a small child, use a needle and thread to sew on the buttons or other embellishments. The cat toy can be made larger and used as a decorative pillow on a child's bed.

Heart Ornaments

1. 

   Lay two pieces of fabric together, right side in. With a pen, draw a heart on one side and cut out the fabric with scissors.

2. Straight stitch 1/4 inch all around the heart on the sewing machine, but leave a 3-inch opening on one side of the heart. Turn it right side out, using the closed point of scissors along the seam.

3. Fill the heart with polyester filling and close the opening on the side with overcast stitches using a needle and thread.

4. Attach embellishments such as tassels, buttons and other decorations using a hot glue gun. Attach a ribbon loop at the top, long enough to slip over a door handle.

"Crazy" Lap Quilt

1. 

   Cut a piece of fusible webbing about 2-feet by 3-feet and lay it flat on an ironing board. Cover the webbing with small pieces of fabric, approximately 4-inches by 6-inches, in odd shapes that meet at the edges in a "crazy" fashion. With a hot iron (no steam), iron the fabric pieces to the fusible webbing.

2. Lay the quilt over batting and cut with scissors so that it is the same size as the quilt.

3. Lay the quilt over a large fabric piece the same size as the quilt. Put the batting in between the top and bottom fabric pieces. Use straight pins to secure in place, mainly around the sides and in the middle.

4. Starting with the center of the quilt and working toward the edges, use zig-zag or decorative stitching on the sewing machine in narrow widths that follow, but overlap, the edges of the small fabric pieces fused to keep them secured to the quilt. Do this with all the fabric pieces.

5. Slip the edge of the quilt into the double-fold binding tape. Straight stitch close to the top of the tape to give the quilt a neat finish. Iron the quilt with an iron to smooth out any wrinkles.

Tips & Warnings

• If desired, paper patterns can be made before drawing a cat form or heart on the fabric.

• If a child is participating in any of the above projects, an adult should handle the iron and hot glue gun.