Recommended
Tools And Supplies:
- felt fabric
- faux fur fabric
- toy stuffing
- doll eyes or embroidery thread
- wire or pipe cleaners
- needle and thread
- small scissors
Begin by cutting all of your felt pieces as directed by the last page of the pattern. The easiest way to cut felt is with a small sharp pair of scissors. For the greatest precision you could choose to trace the pattern pieces onto the felt, iron some wax paper to the felt then trace onto that and cut, or tape the pattern pieces to the felt with some wide clear tape, cutting through both tape and felt simultaneously.
FUR FABRIC: I recommend tracing the pattern onto the back of the fabric with a marker, then trim by cutting on the lines. Just a warning, cutting fur fabric is messy! I find it cuts down on the mess by trimming as close to the backing as possible.
Begin by cutting all of the pattern pieces from your felt fabric. Each piece will be labeled which kind of fabric to use.
Cut all pieces of felt as instructed per the stuffed hedgehog pattern. You should have two “body” pieces, a “front face” piece, a “under-body piece” and 2 ear pieces, all cut from felt.
You will also have 3 pieces cut from fur fabric. These would be 2 “side” pieces, and one “top”piece.
Next add some eyes to the hedgehog. Use the sewing pattern to help determine placement.
Install the black plastic doll eyes by poking a hole to insert the post. Insert the post through the hole making sure the eye is facing to the outside. Press the clear washer onto the post at the back of the eye.
(You could optionally choose to sew/embroider in a pair of eyes, use small buttons or beads, or even paint them on.) Match the front face piece to the under-body piece and stitch together at the snout.
Match one of the main body pieces to the under-body piece at the legs. These pieces should be matched together so that the stitches made at the snout will face to the inside.
Begin stitching them together starting from the back (as shown in figure #3) and stitching moving forwards towards the snout. Continue stitching until you have reached the top of the head. Continue by pinning the opposite side in place and repeating the above step (figure #3).
Match the fur fabric pieces together so that the furry parts are facing to the inside. Pin the pieces to hold them together, removing pins as you sew. Pin the sides to the top piece and sew at both edges from front to back. Turn right side out.
Next we’ll insert wire to the legs for limited pose-ability as well as shaping and stability. My favorite type of wire to use is pipe cleaners (or sometimes called chenille wire). It is easily to work with, inexpensive, and can be cut with scissors.
Begin by folding in one end by about 1/4 of an inch. Hold the folded wire to the hedgehog to gauge just where it will fit, and where to cut next. Cut the wire just a little longer than the end of the leg so that you may fold the opposite end in.
Insert the wire into the limbs, then repeat for the opposite set of limbs.
Next stuff the feet and legs with a very small amount of stuffing. You will need something small and pointy, such as a toothpick to assist in pushing the stuffing in with the wire down into the limbs.
Use some embroidery floss or colored thread to sew in a nose. Make a knot on the end of the thread, and pass it from the inside of the head out just next to where you want the nose to sit. Bring the thread over and back into the head on the opposite side. Repeat this over and over until you are happy with the size and shape of the nose.
Pin the upper fur fabric part of the body to the lower by matching seams at the head and rear. Sew the two layers
together with a blanket or ladder stitch and thread matching
the color of the fur fabric.
Begin stitching from the back end of the hedgehog, sewing all the way around the body leaving a space open for stuffing.
Stuff the head and body full. You may want to use a popsicle stick or similar implement to push stuffing into all of the crevices. When the hedgehog is full stitch the last opening shut.
Now to add the ears!
Begin by pinching a fold into the bottom part of the ear, and adding a stitch to hold the fold in place. Tie the thread off from behind the ear and trim close.
Pin the ears into place and stitch at the bottom only.
You’re done! Admire your work!