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project // guinea pig cushion

Guinea Pig Cushion


When I heard that July 16 is Guinea Pig Appreciation Day, I knew that I needed to do something to show my own appreciation for these sweet little critters that have captured my heart. Last year I made a pouch for them to laze about in, and they love it. So it seemed like time for another DIY designed for guinea pigs. Although this one would also be fun for humans too!

The idea for this came when one of my piggies was sitting comfortably in a bean bag chair watching an old episode of Scarecrow and Mrs. King on DVD. She was nestled in there and just so very cute. True story.

So I thought, what if they had their own piggy bean bag? Well, this isn't exactly a bean bag, but it is a soft and slightly squishy spot for piggies to watch some Netflix.

Guinea Pig Cushion

Of course, even when you're crafting for critters, you can make things cute. So I made my cushion look like a guinea pig. It's styled a bit like the stuffed guinea pig in my book, Stitch Love: Sweet Creatures Big and Small. Because of this, I think it would just as fun to make this as a little pillow for a piggy fan!

Guinea Pig Cushion

You will need:

No-pill fleece - guinea pig colors
Wool blend felt - black and pink
Embroidery floss - black, pink, and white
Sewing notions
Sewing machine

DOWNLOAD THE GUINEA PIG CUSHION TEMPLATE PDF

Guinea Pig Cushion

Cut two large body pieces from fleece. I used cream for the top and brown for the bottom.

To do this, place the pattern piece on the fold, paying attention to the stretch arrows on the template (not shown above). I extended my pattern piece to the edge of the paper, but you can cut it off for a stubbier guinea pig.

Cut around the edge adding a 3/8-inch seam allowance.

Guinea Pig Cushion

Cut the front and back accent pieces with an added seam allowance around the curved ends, but not on the swerve.

Guinea Pig Cushion

Pin the accent pieces to the top body piece and sew along the swerve. (That's officially now my technical term for that wavy bit.)

Guinea Pig Cushion

Cut out two eyes from black felt, and two ears and one nose from pink felt.

Guinea Pig Cushion

Arrange the face pieces so they look cute and start stitching them down. Use three strands of matching thread to tack down the edges of the felt.

Embroider the mouth with pink embroidery floss. I used chain stitch to make a thicker line, although satin stitch would probably be better for making super cute and smooth guinea pig lips. I did use satin stitch for the teeny tongue.

Guinea Pig Cushion

Use all six strands of white and a french knot to stitch the highlight on the eyes.

Guinea Pig Cushion

Pin the top and bottom together, wrong sides facing. If the edges don't match up exactly, don't worry. You can trim them down later. Just be sure that you are able to catch the fabric as you sew.

Sew around the edges, leaving one of the sides open.

Guinea Pig Cushion

Cut a few more pieces of fleece using the body template. This time, don't add the seam allowance. Also, you don't need to follow the stretch guide, so cut them however it fits on your fabric.

I cut four pieces, but you can do more or less.

Guinea Pig Cushion

Slide the fleece pieces inside the guinea pig so they fill the body.

Guinea Pig Cushion

For some extra stuffing, I cut up a bunch of fleece scraps that would have gone in the trash. These, I put between the layers of fleece.

By the way, I opted to fill this with fleece because it won't be as soggy/lumpy as stuffing when it gets washed. That said, I expect that it will shift a bit when washed. I haven't tested it yet, but will update here when I do. I plan to just scrunch it around to keep my piggies comfy.

As an alternative, you could tack through the layers to make it a little quilted and keep the layers from moving. I may still do that. Or, if you're making this into a pillow for you, just use regular stuffing.

Guinea Pig Cushion

Sew the opening closed and trim the seam allowances as needed.

Guinea Pig Cushion

Let your pet try out their new cushion!

Guinea Pig Cushion
Guinea Pig Cushion

Lieutenant Nibbles is definitely enjoying her new comfy spot, and looking cute at the same time. Do you think she's noticed that her cushion looks a little like her?

Guinea Pig Cushion
Guinea Pig Cushion

No time to notice that she's sitting on a guinea pig...she just wants to know if you have any food for her!

7 comments:

  1. This is the cutest little thing EVER! Thank you for the pattern! I miss my piggers terribly, so I'm going to make pillows to cuddle!!!

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  2. I LOVE this, how flipping' cute! And your guinea is so sweet. I will definitely be giving this a go, maybe I will make one fro my friend as she adores guinea pigs - ooh how exciting.

    Holly from The Art of Being Holly
    x

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is such a sweet D.I.Y project!

    https://www.bluelabelsboutique.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. I loved this the moment I saw it and today I'm making a few (and some of the book bands) for an upcoming guinea pig fundraiser I organize annually - Bay Area Pignic. I just can't get over how cute this it ha! I love seeing Lt Nibbles and Capt Cuddles in your stuff too :) Thanks for sharing your ideas!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Mollie
    This Guinea Pig Cushion project is just too cute! Thanks so much for sharing your tutorial. We've included it in our latest creative craft inspiration roundup. https://craftylikegranny.com/more-creativity/ Cheers Jodie :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Where is the main body piece?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The body piece is on the third page of the pattern PDF (which is linked just under the supply list). Because of the size of it, the template is half of the body, so you will place the straight edge on the fold when you cut out the fabric.

      Delete

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