How to make a Crooked and Crafty Critter

We are Crooked and Crafty! This blog will show you how to cook fun recipes, make cool crafts and refresh and decorate you home, with fun projects for family and friends. Today, we will show you how to make your own Crooked and Crafty Critter.

  Here is where we got our inspiration:

 

Meet One-eye and Tufts.

 

One-eye was a kit that I got from a friend. I made Tufts with my friends as a Christmas gift for my Mom. Unlike One-eye, Tufts did not have a pattern. I invented her. I had a lot of fun making One-eye and Tufts so I decided to make more of these Critters. My family and I got together to make these critters. I really fun because we all made our own Critter and each was as unique as us. Because these were so fun to make, we want to share our idea with you!

Meet Crooked and Crafty:

 

 

If you to make your own Crooked and Crafty Critter, gather your family, friends and the following supplies:

 

 

Fleece is the best fabric for the body because the edges won't fray.

It also is soft and easy to work with.

 

We chose colorful fabrics to add detail.

These fabrics are not fleece so we recommend pinking shears to minimize frayed edges.

You may choose any kind of fabric.

 

 

You will also need scissors, embroidery floss, pins, tissue paper, buttons, pipe cleaners, fiberfill stuffing, and a sewing needle.

You can use a embroidery hoop if needed. 

 

 Now you are ready to draw your pattern. First, choose what you want your Critter to look like. It can be any shape you want. Second, draw the shape that you chose on white tissue paper. We got ours from the local dollar store. It is okay if you make a mistake. Just draw over it and cut out what you want. You might want to make your drawing a little bigger because once it is stuffed, it will be smaller than your drawing.

 

 

Cut it out and pin it down to your chosen fabric. When you pin it, make sure to fold the fabric in half so you can cut out the back and front at the same time. Cut the Critter out.

 

 

Now, think about what details and embellishments you want on your Critter.

Cut out any shapes you want to applique on to your Critter.

You can either make a pattern for these or you can cut them out free hand.

Pin these down on to the front side of your Critter.

Set the back piece of your Critter aside, until you are ready to sew your Critter together.

 

 

  

Now you are ready to decorate the front side of your Critter.

There are many ways to do this.

You can applique the shapes, sew on buttons and embroider.

I would love to see all your ideas!

When you do this you can give your Critter some personality.

Here are some of our ideas:

 

 

 

 

 

To applique fabric on your Critter, pin the fabric where you want it and sew, using your favorite stitch. In my next post I will link you to some good "how-to" sewing and embroidery videos.

Continue decorating your Critter until it is the way you want it.

After that, you are ready to sew the body of your Critter together.

 

 

Pin the back side to the front.

Using whip or blanket stich, sew the body.

Start at the side of your Critter's base.

Go all the way around your Critter, leaving the bottom open for stuffing. 

As you sew around the edges, you will run out of thread.  

Allow enough room at the end of your thread to knot the ends.  Always knot in between the front and back of your Critter, so that the knot won't show.  

 

 

Now, it is time for the stuffing.

Open the gap wide. Stuff some fiberfill in to the Critter. You may want to use a pencil or stuffing tool to get the stuffing deep inside the Critter.

 

 If your Critter has a tail, follow these fun steps to make a bendable tail for your Critter:

• Grab three to five pipe cleaners and twist them together.
• Bend the ends down to make a rounded point.
• Steep on the rounded point.
• Grab the pipe cleaners and put them up the Critter's tail.

Now your Critter has a bendable tail! 

I hope you will enjoy posing the tail in different directions.

 

 

 

You are now ready for the last step!  Sew your Critter closed using the same color of thread and the same stich you used to sew it together.   Congratulations!   You've finished your very own Crooked and Crafty Critter.  Make some more, and you will have a whole group of Critters.  Even better, invite some friends, or get together with your family and make some Critters together! We had a blast making ours and spending time with each other.

 

This is our family of Critters!

 

 

 

Have fun and be sure to comment and post on our blog!