With some inspiration from various blogs and photos on the web, my friend Eliza and I set out today to make some little owl friends for our baby girls. We used fabric and felt scraps we already had, so the only thing we had to purchase was the stuffing.
Our main inspiration came from this photo on Etsy:
Our main inspiration came from this photo on Etsy:
(Click on photo to go to the Etsy page--where you can purchase a pattern to make this owl.)
I didn't take pictures of each step, so this isn't really a tutorial, but I will give a few brief and basic instructions. If you need a step-by-step, the pattern on Etsy is $10.00, or you can email me with questions. If you think you can do it from the photo like we did, I say go for it! :)
1. We drew a pattern by hand and cut out each piece and traced them onto the fabric. You'll need a head, a body, wings, eyes, and legs.
2. Trace all your pattern pieces onto the fabric, and cut them out (you need a back and a front for each piece so you can sew them together and make a doll.)
I didn't take pictures of each step, so this isn't really a tutorial, but I will give a few brief and basic instructions. If you need a step-by-step, the pattern on Etsy is $10.00, or you can email me with questions. If you think you can do it from the photo like we did, I say go for it! :)
1. We drew a pattern by hand and cut out each piece and traced them onto the fabric. You'll need a head, a body, wings, eyes, and legs.
2. Trace all your pattern pieces onto the fabric, and cut them out (you need a back and a front for each piece so you can sew them together and make a doll.)
3. Stitch the eyes to the head. (I stitched the red part to the head, and then hot glued the felt (white and blue) at the very end, but you can do either. Sewing it all on would work too, especially if you aren't using felt.)
4. Stitch around the edges of the wings and stuff them. Stitch the bottom of the wings so the stuffing doesn't come out while you are waiting to sew them to the rest of the owl.
5. Stitch the head to the body (front pieces and back pieces). Pin the wings so they are facing the inside (so when you flip the whole thing inside-out they are on the outside.) (Use THIS tutorial from Make It and Love It for more details if you can't figure out how to make the wings work--it's the same concept as the giraffe hair she does with the ribbons).
6. Once everything is pinned together, stitch it all up--all the way around, except for the bottom. Just hem the bottom like you would a skirt or something so that it has a clean edge on the bottom. Once you are done stitching, it will sort of look like a hand-puppet when you flip it inside-out. You should be able to reach your hand all the way up into the head. (In fact, at this point you could leave it as a puppet if you wanted.)
7. The legs. Basically you just cut a long, skinny (ish) piece of fabric (maybe 10-12 inches long and 2.5-3 inches wide), fold it, stitch up one side (and the bottom), then flip it inside out. Similar to making apron strings. (Check out THIS tutorial for apron strings.)
8. Stuff the legs.
9. Stuff the body of the owl.
10. Pin the legs to the bottom of the body on the inside, then sew the bottom, stitching in the legs as you go. Sorry if that's confusing, I don't know how else to explain it. Email me with any specific questions and I'll do my best to answer.
11. Now you are all done! (Unless you didn't sew on the eyes and still need to hot glue them.)
12. Give it to your favorite baby or child. They will love it. :)
4. Stitch around the edges of the wings and stuff them. Stitch the bottom of the wings so the stuffing doesn't come out while you are waiting to sew them to the rest of the owl.
5. Stitch the head to the body (front pieces and back pieces). Pin the wings so they are facing the inside (so when you flip the whole thing inside-out they are on the outside.) (Use THIS tutorial from Make It and Love It for more details if you can't figure out how to make the wings work--it's the same concept as the giraffe hair she does with the ribbons).
6. Once everything is pinned together, stitch it all up--all the way around, except for the bottom. Just hem the bottom like you would a skirt or something so that it has a clean edge on the bottom. Once you are done stitching, it will sort of look like a hand-puppet when you flip it inside-out. You should be able to reach your hand all the way up into the head. (In fact, at this point you could leave it as a puppet if you wanted.)
7. The legs. Basically you just cut a long, skinny (ish) piece of fabric (maybe 10-12 inches long and 2.5-3 inches wide), fold it, stitch up one side (and the bottom), then flip it inside out. Similar to making apron strings. (Check out THIS tutorial for apron strings.)
8. Stuff the legs.
9. Stuff the body of the owl.
10. Pin the legs to the bottom of the body on the inside, then sew the bottom, stitching in the legs as you go. Sorry if that's confusing, I don't know how else to explain it. Email me with any specific questions and I'll do my best to answer.
11. Now you are all done! (Unless you didn't sew on the eyes and still need to hot glue them.)
12. Give it to your favorite baby or child. They will love it. :)
This owl is perfect for hugging:
Or eating.
Or squeezing.
Or telling secrets to.
Okay, now I'm just making photo captions up to show off my cute baby. :) All done.
2 comments:
That turned out so cute Dani! I'm so impressed that you made it without a pattern. You should have an Etsy shop :)
haha... love the commentary.
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