Knit Stuffed Animals

Happy Monday! Today I want to share some more gifts that I stitched up at the end of last year. One was a Christmas gift, and the other two were "congratulations!" gifts, but were given at Christmas.

When I was at Quilt Market in Houston this past Fall, I saw these softies sewn up in knit fabrics in the Cloud 9 Fabrics booth (see them here). They were so cute and soft, I could not get them out of my head. The patterns are all from Shiny Happy World, and I'll link them individually below. I think I bought the patterns in my hotel room after the show closed one of the nights. I thought it was such a fun way to use knit fabrics and I love stuffed animals, so it was the perfect match!


I also happen to have plenty of knit fabrics on hand! I have eight different knit prints with Art Gallery Fabrics, four from Geometric Bliss and four from Curiosities. I've been trying to focus on finding non-garment projects that use knits, in addition to slowly building a wardrobe of handmade shirts.

I made all three softies at the same time, assembly line style. I used my Janome Memory Craft 4800, which is my backup machine. It's easier for me to use when sewing with knits. I used a stretch needle to sew all of these, along with Aurifil 50wt cotton thread. I thought I might use my serger for parts, but didn't end up using it.


First up is Franklin the Fat Cat! As soon as I read the name of the pattern, I was in love. I love a good fat cat! This one was the easiest of the three patterns, and also the smallest. One of Michael's cousins had a baby in December, so of course I had to make one for the baby! I was giving them a baby quilt made with Curiosities, so I decided to make a softie to match.


I used the Sweet Nothings Fond Knit along with a little bit of the Amaranth Knit Solid for the ears. Since this was for a baby, I embroidered the face instead of using plastic eyes. I also reinforced the arms, legs, ears and tail. Instead of using plastic pellets, it's filled only with fiberfill.


Next up is Benson Bunny! This one might be my favorite, since it is a bunny! This one probably took the longest. It has soft and stable in the ears to give them shape. It also has a stuffed tail and felt nose, both of which are attached by hand at the end. This bunny went to live with baby's big sister! I figured it has to be hard sharing all the attention, so she needed a softie too.


I used the Radical Blooms Blush and Parallel Segments Quartz Knits from Geometric Bliss for this bunny. The head and ears are Peachy Custard Knit Solid. I was able to find the perfect matching mint felt from The Sewcial Lounge, score! I filled the arms and legs with plastic pellets and there is some in the body along with fiberfill. I also used safety eyes on the bunny. I am very thankful that I reinforced the limbs and ears on this one too, since upon opening he was already getting played with and tugged on!


Last up is Munch! He has a mouch that you can stick your hands (or his!) in, which is really fun. I thought the construction of this guy would be the hardest of the three because of the mouth, but it really wasn't. It came together easily in the end! I made Munch for my brother for Christmas!


For Munch I used the Spherical Buds Aqua Knit from Geometric Bliss. For his mouth and ears I used the Turquoise Knit Solid. As instructed, I used a mix of fiberfill and plastic pellets to fill Munch. I also used safety eyes for him. I had to be extra careful when cutting him out since I was using a directional print. Luckily I did it right!


I really enjoyed sewing these! It is always fun taking flat fabric and turning it into something three dimensional. It's so satisfying. I haven't sewn a lot of softies before, so this was a learning experience for sure. I have a few other patterns I'd like to try this year. I think the softies turned out so sweet, and they were well received. Now that I've made all three, I need to decide which to make for myself! :)

Happy Sewing!