I was fascinated by sewing a plush toy after having great pleasure in making a turtle pincushion sewing kit, piggy pillow, and tiger softies.
To keep the momentum going and try out other free patterns, I searched around and found this little puppy plush toy in Woman’s Day (Get the free puppy pattern & instructions here). This puppy is too cute to let go, so… a pair of them were born here, a male and a female puppy. I added a yellow tie for the male puppy. Aren’t they a lovely couple???
Also, I made and contributed 5 female puppies to a charity event to raise funds for the hearing-impaired students in my country. I am glad to have some of them sold to help in raising the fund…. or fun?
As usual, here is my tutorial or pictorial, but you must read the full print-out detail because my photos go with the instructions steps.
What’s Next
- Start sewing and share your completed handmade on Facebook and/or Instagram. Remember to tag us, @craftpassion, so that we are able to see them.
- Pin it to Pinterest for future To-Sew List
- Share with your sewing groups for a sew-along event.
- Learn more about the basics of hand sewing and how to choose a sewing machine for beginners.
- Browse more free sewing patterns to sew, especially the stuffed animals sewed from socks.
Puppy Plush Toy Sewing Pattern
I was fascinated over sewing a plush toy after had great pleasure in making a turtle pincushion sewing kit, piggy pillow, and tiger softies. To keep the momentum going and trying out other free patterns, I searched around and found this little puppy plush toy in Woman’s Day (Get the free pattern & instructions here).
Enjoy sewing them!
Materials
- Body fabric – a 25 cm × 25 cm (10 in × 10 in) piece of plain lightweight fabric, such as linen or 100 percent cotton.
- Extra fabric – a 20 cm × 15 cm (8 in × 6 in) piece of patterned fabric for the ears, inner arms, and gusset; a scrap of white felt for the eyes and a scrap of black felt for the nose.
- Thread – colored sewing thread to match body fabric; extra-strong thread, such as quilting thread, for attaching the arms; white, black, and pink embroidery thread for the face details.
- Stuffing – polyfill and plastic pellets.
- Decorations – two black 13 mm (1/2 in) buttons for eyes; two clear 10 mm (1/16 in) buttons for securing the arms.
- (Optional) soft fusible interfacing
Tools
- Tracing paper
- Fabric marker
- Scissors
- Pins
- Sewing needle
- Doll needle
- Sewing machine
- Stuffing stick (or chopstick)
- Iron
Instructions
- Instruction Step 1:
a. Download and print the free pattern and instructions here. You can enlarge the pattern if you want to make a bigger size, but I follow the suggested size.
b. Choose your favorite matching fabrics.
c. I included a piece of soft fusible interfacing to further stabilize the fabric. Fuse it in the right angle direction against the textile grainline of the fabric.
- Instruction step 2, 3, 4 & 5: Sew ears, arms, and tail. Clip curve and turn.
a. Position and sew the ears to the body.
b. Join the body with the head gusset.
c. Pin and sew the inner body to the main body. I find this part quite tedious, you need to be careful to get the piece to attach nicely.
d. Clip curve and turn inside out.
- Instruction step 6 & 9:
a. Place some plastic pellets at the bottom then fill the body with polyfill. I used silica beads instead of plastic pellets so that it can help to dehumidify a little in such a high RH% here.
b. You may also add aroma essential oil and dried flower into it to become a fragrance doll.
c. Sew and close the opening.
d. Fill arms and tail with polyester fill, sew and close the opening.
- Instruction 7, 8, 10 & 11:
a. Sew white felt eye with blanket stitch, then sew the black button onto it.
b. Embroidery the mouth.
c. I made all the threads start and end at the nose. Attach nose and cover all the thread ends.
d. Attach arms and tail. I didn’t use a clear button, instead, I sew the arm to the body with slip stitches (or ladder stitch), just like the way to attach the tail.
e. I then make a small yellow tie with felt for this little cutie puppy.
Update [05 December 2012]:
Credential
From the paragraph above, I hope that I have clearly stated that I am not the original designer for this puppy plush toy, I never think of claiming any credit or confuse you that it is my design. When I saw the pattern at Woman’s Day, they didn’t link to the original writer of this pattern as it is part of the book publisher marketing to promote the book. So, I wasn’t informed that My Little Mochi is the original designer. Woman’s Day just mentioned that the pattern is from a book: More Softies Only a Mother Could Love: 22 Hapless but Lovable Friends to Sew and Crochet. Today, the original designer, My Little Mochi, wrote to me and asked me to remove the tutorial pictures and credit her when she found out that my Puppy Plush Toy photos are on the hit in Pinterest. So, here is the credit back to her, but, no… I am not going to remove the progress photos as they are my own photos to show you how I made the puppy, it is my property and not copied from My Little Mochi. Well…. I know the intellectual property copyright very well and I hate when people steal from me, in this case, I am not stealing, it is just due to a misunderstanding for the matter of fact that I wasn’t well informed about who is the original writer of this book. I didn’t offense or steal any of them, this is just sharing, you will still have to go back to Woman’s Day to get the pattern and detail instruction. If “My Little Mochi” doesn’t like the pattern to be shared in Woman’s Day for free and let crafters make it and show off, that’s too bad, she has to talk to her book publisher in the first place!
Buy the book for more plush patterns:
Madeleine
Wednesday 14th of September 2022
Thank you for your instructions. I started this pattern yesterday. Your way of attaching the ears is much better than the original pattern. Thank you again. Your mask pattern was the first one I used when the Covid Pandemic began.
Craft Passion
Wednesday 14th of September 2022
You are most welcome. Glad to know you love the face mask pattern.
Andrew
Monday 3rd of August 2015
Hi! I was wondering if anyone would happen to have an updated link for the Pup cut out pattern template to make the puppy (or be able to send me the file itself). The link on the Woman's Day site doesn't work and I want to make this soo badly :(
Craft Passion
Wednesday 5th of August 2015
I terribly sorry about the broken link. Seems like Woman's Day has taken them down. Sorry that I do not have the pattern copy to share.
Becky Jorgensen
Saturday 16th of May 2015
Hi! I'm so in love with this plushie! I added this tutorial to my blog... if you want to check it out: http://www.plushiepatterns.com/puppy-plushie-pattern-by-craft-passion/ My followers in Facebook also love it! Thanks for sharing!
Sewing Stars
Thursday 21st of August 2014
This puppy is quite cute. I think it's odd that My Little Mochi would contact you like that, especially since the body of that plush looks remarkably like a pattern I drafted years ago now. [http://makezine.com/craft/craft_pattern_podcast_mouse_by/]
cute puppies
Friday 27th of December 2013
I love it when folks get together and share views. Great website, stick with it!