Playful and whimsical stuffies, or small handmade stuffed toys, are becoming a trendy item to decorate the home and add personality to the office. Birds of all sorts are an excellent choice for a simple and primitive toy, and a fabric bird pattern is ideal for a beginner new to toy making. Your fabric bird should look handmade, so relax and enjoy the process of creating and making your stuffed toy bird.
Making a Pattern
Hand draw a simple bird shape to make a fabric bird pattern, working from a side view. Allow a 1/4 inch seam allowance around all sides. While a hand drawn bird is ideal for a whimsical stuffed bird toy, if you are uncomfortable with your drawing skills, a child's coloring page may be used for a basic pattern. Use a photocopier to adjust the size of your pattern as desired. Draw a narrow pointed oval to serve as a gusset in the pattern, making it long enough to reach from the neck to the tip of the tail.
Cutting and Sewing
Cut two side pieces for your fabric bird. Cut one gusset to add dimension to your stuffed bird toy. Stitch the two side pieces of the bird with the right sides of the fabric together from the tip of the beak to the tip of the tail. Trim the seam and clip the curves nearly to the stitching. Pin the gusset into place, leaving a small opening for turning. Stitch, carefully backstitching at the points. Trim the seam allowances, then turn to the right side. Stuff your fabric bird, then hand sew the opening closed.
Embellishing
While you can simply add small button or bead eyes and consider your fabric bird done, this fabric bird pattern offers far more options than just that. Consider hand painting or drawing wings, feathers and other details onto your fabric bird. You can also hand stitch a felt beak, wings and feet onto your bird. Experiment with adding actual feathers to create wings on your fabric bird. Hand embroidery can make a simple stuffed bird toy into something special. Try making several fabric birds to hang from the ceiling or add small wired feet and stand your fabric birds on a shelf.
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