project // 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.



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!



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



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.



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



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.)



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



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.



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



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.



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.



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



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.



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



Let your pet try out their new 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?




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

project // metallic felt c-3po plush figure

When Star Wars Day comes around (that's May the Fourth for those unfamiliar), I like to share some kind of Star Wars creation. Because I just love combining a bit of classic sci-fi with some DIY. And so this time around, I'm here with a pattern to make a soft C-3PO figure with metallic felt.

Metallic felt, you say? Yes indeed. It looks like metallic vinyl or even leather, but this is all felt.

My idea for this project started with the felt stormtrooper doll (inspired by Rogue One), which I made earlier this year. I realized that the construction would work well for a droid like C-3PO. And then I remembered that I had some gold metallic iron-on material from Benzie Felt. This was the perfect opportunity to try it out!

This IS the droid you're looking for!



You will need:

Golden wool blend felt (I'm using Benzie Felt in Ginger)
Gold metallic iron-on (optional, but it does make him look more authentic)
Dark gray or black wool blend felt
Embroidery floss - golden yellow, black, light gray, red, blue
Stuffing
Iron and press cloth
Scissors
Removable tape
Tracing paper and pen
Embroidery needle
Chopstick or thin paintbrush

C-3PO Plush Pattern PDF



Follow Benzie's instructions for ironing the metallic gold material to the felt. She recommends working with smaller pieces, which I did. To do this, I estimated some small sections based on the pattern pieces.

You'll know that it's fused to the felt when the texture changes from shiny to more leather-like. Peel away the clear protective layer.



When cutting the pattern pieces, you can't use pins to hold the templates to the metallic felt, as they'll leave holes that will be visible. Instead, attach the paper templates to the surface of the felt with rolls of removable tape.

Cut all of the pieces shown above from metallic gold.



Cut all of the pieces shown above from non-metallic golden felt. Note that the torso piece here has the rounded section squared off, but it's easier to assemble if you leave the rounded section as it is on the pattern piece.

Basically, these are all duplicates of the metallic pieces, but you won't need to cut hand pieces from this.

You also need to cut two connection pieces for the neck (the square-ish piece) and the stomach (the piece with the lines on it), as well as the two shoulder connectors (squares with one rounded edge).




Embroider the details on the metallic pieces, using the tracing paper method.

Use golden yellow floss and back stitch for everything but the mouth and the centers of the eyes. Use black floss for those. French knots work well for the eyes. For the mouth, I outlined the tiny rectangle with back stitch, then after removing the tracing paper, I filled it with satin stitch.

But here's the trick: If you poke a hole through the metallic material, the hole stays there. But if you gently press it from the back to the front, you can see where it will come through before it actually makes the hole. Practice on a scrap of material and then work carefully to avoid making unnecessary holes in your droid.



When stitching the small oval, hold it in place over the rounded edge on the torso, stitching through both layers.

Embroider the lines on one of the stomach connector pieces with black, light gray, red, and blue for the wires.

Carefully tear away the tracing paper from all of the embroidered pieces.



Now it's time to start putting all the pieces together.

Hold the two stomach connector pieces together so that the back of the stitching is covered and so the edges all match up. Sandwich these pieces between the two, um, droid underwear pieces.

Stitch around the edge of the droid underwear with running stitch and golden embroidery floss. Use the same technique for checking where to poke the needle through without making holes in the wrong places.



To assemble the arms, layer a metallic piece with a non-metallic piece. Start at the wider end and stitch down one side, place one of the hand pieces between the layers, and continue stitching up to the elbow.

Add some stuffing into the forearm, pushing it into place with a chopstick or a thin paintbrush handle. Continue stitching up to the top, leaving the end open and the thread attached.



Sandwich a metallic and non-metallic cone-shaped felt piece at the elbow and stitch through all the layers.



Add stuffing to the upper arm section.



Place one of the shoulder connectors in the opening, with the curved edge toward the outer edge of the arm, and stitch across the opening with the thread that's still attached.

I found that going back and forth with this means re-threading the needle a bit, but it goes together easier when you stitch and stuff in sections.

Repeat this for the second arm and set them aside.



The process for the legs is almost the same as for the arms, except that the feel are two layers, with the end of the leg sandwiched between them.



Stitch each leg to the bottom of the stomach connector piece. The angled line of the leg should align with the bottom edge of the "droid underwear", with a small gap.



Stitch around the two layers of the head, with the two neck pieces in place between the layers. Add a bit of stuffing inside the head.



Starting at one of the arm sockets on the torso, attach the first arm, stitch along the top edge, securing the neck in place, attaching the second arm and going down one side.

Place the stomach connector between the torso layers and stitch across the bottom. You'll need to gently lift the edge of the oval as you stitch so you don't catch it.



Fill the torso with a bit of stuffing through the gap in the side. Then, stitch it closed.



Now your own etiquette and protocol droid is ready to go!



I'm not gonna lie, working with metallic coated felt is challenging. But it's so good and worth the effort.



I think it's also worth pointing out that you could customize C-3PO to match how he looks in your favorite episode of Star Wars. He could have a metallic silver leg, a red arm, or you might even make a version with him in pieces. (Maybe let Chewy carry him around!)



The joints make him a little stiff, which is good for a droid, right? That means he doesn't sit very well, but he will stand when propped against a wall. I love it!



And now C-3PO joins the other characters and creations in my Star Wars DIY collection!

NOTE: This character is copyright Disney/LucasArts, and I'm only sharing this pattern as fan art. Please do not sell items made with this pattern.

project // maz kanata star wars plush

May the 4th be with you! I love Star Wars. I mean, I'm not quite the crazy fan my brother is (he knows so many details about so many things related to all of the storylines and so on), but I just love watching these movies and taking in these characters.

Since my brother is such a fan, I try to make him something Star Wars related each year for his birthday. After The Force Awakens came out, I knew that this year needed to be a new character and Maz Kanata won out. She's just so much fun!



Plus, a while back I made Draw Pilgrim's Chewbacca plush and thought that the two would be a fun pair. You know...I like that wookiee!

Oh, and if you'd like to take a look at the other Star Wars posts I've done through the years, you can scroll through them all here.




The Maz plush is quite small. She nearly fits in the palm of my hand! There's no need to make yours this small; you can enlarge the pieces. The size of mine was guided by the Chewie doll, because I wanted them to look similar to the height proportion in the film.

Going back to the fact that I made this as a gift for my brother, my step-by-step photos for this are lacking. This is what happens when you are struggling to get something made in time for gifting and without the recipient seeing. Also since I made some tweaks to the pattern along the way, there's a chance that pieces may a little off.

Thankfully, the assembly is fairly simple, so I hope you'll forgive the minimal photos and any errors.

Now, here's what you need:

Felt - light & dark gray
Fabric - choose colors based on Maz (there's a good pic here)
Clear vinyl
12mm safety eyes
Embroidery floss - dark gray
Stuffing
Basic sewing tools

Maz Kanata Template PDF



The pattern pieces have cutting instructions on them, so look at those and look at the photos in this post for a cutting guide. When pieces say to cut something reversed, flip the pattern piece over for cutting.

Okay, let's start sewing!

Sew the hands to the arms and the feet to the legs. There should be two arms facing one way and two facing the other way. The same for the legs. Press the seam allowance to one side (use your judgement based on your fabric).



Pin and sew arm pieces with right sides together, and repeat with the other arm and legs. Turn them right side out and fill with stuffing. Set them aside.



Place the felt "hood" on the fabric head and sew around the inside of the hood. You can do this by hand or machine. It's not necessary to sew the outside edge, as it will be sewn into the main seam.



Now it's time for the face.

Cut out the goggle rings from felt, then cut out the vinyl pieces as a circle, not a ring. You may need to trim it down just a tiny bit, but start with it the same size as the outside of the ring.

Place the rings on the head to help with placement, then mark where you will install the safety eyes and go ahead and attach the eyes. (You can make the eyes from felt, but I love the dimension the safety eyes create.)

Embroider the nose and mouth in the middle of where the goggles will go.

Place a vinyl circle over an eye and a goggle ring over that. Stitch around the outside of the ring with a whip stitch. If you can, catch some vinyl with these stitches to secure it. But if you only catch the felt and fabric, the vinyl should still hold in place. Repeat with the other eye.

Place the "ear" pieces on the sides and sew around the curve. Embroider two lines connecting the ear pieces to the goggles. Sew the ear pieces to the back head piece, and take care that they are all positioned the same so they match up when the front and back go together.



Sew the shirt to the belt and the belt to the pants. Sew a front vest piece to each side of the shirt, and sew the buckle to the middle of the belt.

Maz wears some awesome jewelry and has some great accessories hanging from her belt too. I wanted to add some of these with embroidery or even metal charms, but ran out of time. Consider adding these!

Sew the head to the body.

Repeat this for the back of Maz. Instead of two vest pieces, you'll have just the one and no buckle. But the rest is pretty much the same process.



Place the arms and legs on the back as shown. You might want to baste these in place.

Pin and sew the front and back with right sides together and leave an opening for turning. Be sure to backstitch when you start and stop. I left the opening in the top of the head, and that worked well.



Turn it right side out and fill her with stuffing. Sew up the opening with ladder stitch.

And then give Maz a hug, because she's all finished!




If you've done this right, the sides will match like the ear pieces here.

If your fabric doesn't cooperate, they might not match so well, like the belt here. I tell ya, my sewing machine decided it wasn't a fan of that linen, and it wasn't liking the Liberty from Maz's shirt either!



Speaking of her shirt, I think we can all agree that Maz would choose to wear Liberty if she lived in our galaxy, right? I know she wears a sweater, but since I wasn't up for knitting a tiny garment, this is the next best thing.



With any of these elements, go for as much accuracy as you want. I knew that I could have found fabrics that were a closer match, but I had all of these on hand, and they were close enough.

I think finding a fabric that is a good skin color is one of the most important elements, because that and her facial features are what really make her Maz.





Ahh...a match made in Heaven! If you want to ruffle the Star Wars fan in your life, be sure to share theory with them: Rey is the love child of Maz and Chewie. She's just had a bit of laser hair removal.

Have a wonderful Star Wars Day, and May the 4th be with you!