project: animal pins

Although I haven't made any of the projects from yesterday's Stuffed Animals book review yet, it did get me inspired to make a few animals of my own to share. These are the kind of critters that you keep with you, even as an adult, pinned to your favorite sweater or bag. And the good news is, they don't take long to make, so you can stitch one up for yourself and one for mom too! (Mother's Day will be here before you know it, after all...)



You will need:

Linen (or another solid)
Cotton print fabric
Cotton batting
Embroidery floss
Pin back

Animal Pins pattern PDF



Print the pattern page and choose which animal you are making. For each pin, cut out one shape from linen, one from the cotton fabric and one from the batting.



Sew the pin back to the right side of the print fabric. I used a doubled piece of regular thread and took a few stitches on each side of each hole in the pin. You can also use embroidery floss for this.



Hold the linen and batting together and embroider the face and the fur. Because these are pretty small, I didn't like the way that a regular french knot looked. Instead, I used tiny satin stitch to form the eyes. Also, I freeform stitched the fur, because the pattern is more of a rough guide for something like this.



When the embroidery is done, place the print piece with the pin back behind the batting layer and stitch around the edge with running stitch. Go close to the edge, but not too close or it may fray too much.



Once you've made one, I can almost guarantee that you'll want to make more. They are cute and addictive that way!

A few notes on linen: First, this is a material that can be expensive. But with a sale or coupon, you'll be glad that you're treating yourself and having some on hand. Next, this is also a material with a weave that frays. Work with caution, while appreciating the charm that the fraying gives!



I wasn't lying about getting excited about making these. Not only did I make a set for me, but I made some extras to give away! Enter below using Rafflecopter, and 3 winners will each receive an animal pin. (I'll choose which animal to surprise you!) Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway