Felt Penguin
December 20th, 2006 by Candace
This will be my son’s first Christmas, and I wanted to make him something special. I’m not really into stuffed animals, so I haven’t bought any for him. But since he’s taken an interest in the ones he already has, I decided to make him one using a fabric that’s inexpensive, washable, and easy to work with: felt.
You can make any animal you choose, I just chose a penguin since I’m really into birds right now, and I wanted his to be cute but also boyish. So first you’ll want to pick an animal, draw it out and then get it blow up using a copy machine, to however big you want it. Cut out the shapes and trace them onto cardboard, then cut those shapes out. When you’re cutting feet, arms, or anything that’s to go on the edge of the animal, you’ll want to add a little extra, maybe a quarter to a half-inch, to the place where you’ll adhere the piece to the edge.
Place your shapes on the pieces of felt you’ve chosen and secure them with a needle or pin. Cut around the shapes. Since you’ll need a front and a back, and you have sharp enough scissors, you may want to double up the felt to cut the pieces so the pieces match up perfectly.
Next you’ll want to stitch your top pieces onto the body of the animal. Place pieces in desire places and secure with a pin or needle. Here I put the belly on first, then the beak. I also added a little polyfil to the belly and beak to give the pieces a little more dimension. I used a blanket stitch for all the pieces but you can use any stitch you’re comfortable with. I then stitched the eyes on using a seed stitch.
Next you’ll want to stitch together the feet, adding a little polyfill to them before closing. Stitch the feet onto the piece that will be the backside of your stuffed animal.
After all your pieces are placed, then you can stitch the front and back side together, stopping when you’re almost done to add the polyfil. Add as much fill as you want. You don’t want to overstuff your animal, but you also don’t want it really flat either. If your animals has tight corners, use the end of a pencil or pen to push the fill into them. Place a pin or needle close to the edge of where you’ll stitch to keep it close together so you’re final stitches will be straight. Finish up the seam and voila! A finished (and adorable) stuffed animal.
From start to finish this project took about 3 hours so it’s something you can do while watching TV or if you have some spare time. And as always, have fun with it. Don’t worry if your animal isn’t perfect or even a little choppy (like mine). I think imperfections add to it’s character and cuteness, and I’m sure who ever you’re making it for won’t mind at all.
December 20th, 2006 at 2:20 pm
Is this penguin felt? It is now…
December 20th, 2006 at 11:36 pm
That is amazing! I just love penguins. I hope he adores it
December 21st, 2006 at 12:32 am
Thank you so much for the tuto, so clear and simple ! You’re definitely right “have fun” is the more important thing !
December 22nd, 2006 at 8:12 am
Thanks for the tutorial!! What a fun idea!
December 23rd, 2006 at 7:52 am
That is so wonderful! I love the blanket stitch ’round the edges. Is that craft felt like you find at art supply stores, or is it wool felt?
Keep up the awesome crafting!
guin
December 28th, 2006 at 5:15 am
thanks it’s totally awesome! SOOO CUTE!! Hope the holiday was a blast.
January 11th, 2007 at 4:47 pm
[…] This is my felt addiction pile. I’m telling you, if there was a felt shortage in the continental US, I fear I may be to blame. I can’t stop buying this stuff. Fourty sheets I have, plus six different yards of the yummy, delightful fabric. Such fun colors and great projects for so cheap! […]
May 15th, 2007 at 4:57 pm
Hi there, I’ve just discovered your blog - how wonderful. It’s my nephews birthday next week so I made him my own version of the penguin! Unfortunately I will have to post him today - I’m a bit sad to have to give him up now!!
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:23 am
sugar addiction…
…
November 16th, 2007 at 8:36 am
[…] Googling for some tutorials on penguins, I came across these ones: - Peter Penguin Ornament - Santa Penguin Miniature Ornament - Felt Penguin […]
December 10th, 2007 at 7:23 am
Thanks for sharing these guide on how to make that cute penguin. This is going to be a perfect decoration for my son’s room.
Kris
May 30th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Igot this site from a friend after Isaw her adorable stuffed penguim I cant wait to make one for myself! Felt projects are easy, un-expensive, and fun, thanks for having this site to introduce me to this type of craft