The holiday weekend is over, but hopefully
this free sewing
pattern will ease your transition back into the work week! I must confess, I never fully
recovered from
my childhood fondness for stuffed animals, and I returned from the
Quilting
Arts TV taping overflowing with creative juices thanks to all of the
inspiring
artists and projects that I encountered. I’ve also always had a weakness
for
elephants—and all of these influences combined to inspire me to
create
this little patchwork stuffie. This is a great project to personalize
for a
friend—or, of course, yourself. I think mine will reside on my bureau;
seeing
him every morning will surely brighten up my day. This little stuffie
also as
simple as can be to whip up in an afternoon—and all the directions are
below!
First, click here for the Patchwork Elephant
Pattern Pieces: 4628.Elephant_Pattern.pdf
Materials
-
¼ yard main fabric (I used a striped gray cotton
fabric)
-
Scraps of patterned fabrics for the patches
- Sewing machine
- Hand-sewing needle
-
Tapestry needle
-
Matching and contrasting thread
- Grey yarn
-
Two small blue buttons
- Fiberfill
stuffing
- ¾ cups of rice
Directions
Note: ¼" seam
allowances are used throughout. Press all seams as you go.
1. 1. Print out the pattern pieces and use them to cut
out the required pieces of fabric. Note that the bottom and head pieces
are the
same, but you should cut the two head pieces along the dashed line.
2. 2. Cut up lots of little squares/rectangles from
your scraps of patterned fabric, with edge lengths ranging from 1½" to
2". Arrange these on top of the right side of the main piece fabrics
until
you are pleased with their placement. (Keep in mind the ¼" seam
allowance
when placing these pieces.)
Pi 3. Pin each fabric piece in place and,
using
the machine and contrasting or matching thread, edge stitch each
fabric piece
in place. I didn’t sew any patches onto the nose, hands/feet, or face.
3. 4. The arms and feet are the only tricky
construction in this project. First, fold the arm/leg pieces in half so
the
short sides aligned and the right sides are facing, then stitch the
short sides
together. You now have a small fabric tube. Pin one of the circular raw
ends of
this tube around the perimeter of one of the arm/feet pieces. This is a
little
finicky (and may be easier to stitch by hand), but if you go slowly and
precisely,
adjusting as you sew, it will come together. Don’t worry too much if you
don’t
end up stitching an exact circle—imperfections just add character.
4. 5. Sew the front and back body piece together,
right sides facing, leaving about 2" open at the top. Stitch the bottom
of
the body to the bottom piece in the same way you stitched the arms/legs
to the
hands/feet.
5. 6. Stitch the two nose pieces together with right
sides facing, leaving the top of the nose (the end that will attach to
the
face) unstitched. Trim the seam allowance down to a scant 1/8". Turn the
nose piece right-side out through the opening, using a blunt-tipped
object to
press out all the edges and the tip of the nose. Do the same for the two
ears
and the tail.
6. 7. Place the two ears on the right sides of the
face piece according to the ear placement marks.
7. 8. Place the other head piece on top so the two
head pieces are laying with their right sides facing and the ears in
between.
Pin around the perimeter and stitch the pieces together, leaving the
bottom
open. Turn the head piece right-side out; the ears will now be secured
in
place.
8 9. Stitch the two small buttons onto the face for the eyes.
10. Stuff the arms/legs, head, and nose (no need to
stuff the tail). Leave a bit unstuffed at the ends of each piece to
allow for
easier slip stitching. I placed approximately ¾" cups of rice in the
bottom of the elephant body so he would sit sturdily, then stuffed the
rest of
the body with fiberfill.
11. Slip stitch the nose to the center of the face.
Pin the arms and legs in the desired locations and slip stitch them in
place as
well, then slip stitch the head to the body
12. If you would like to add yarn to the tail,
thread an approximately 2" strand of grey yarn on a large tapestry
needle.
Tie a knot at one end of the thread and pull it through the tail, from
the
inside and out through the tip. Repeat with two additional strands of
yarn, tie
the three strands in a knot at the tip of the tale, then trim them to
about
½".
13. Slip stitch the tail to the back of the body.
Give your little patchwork elephant a name,
and enjoy!