Lollipop Plush Creature

Project by Renetta Sitoy from Tacoma, Wash.

Renetta stumbled upon a perfectly functional sewing machine from the 1950s at a thrift store and taught herself how to use it. Her first project was a stuffed animal, and she hasn’t looked back. Renetta’s cute original creature has a pouch to hold a removable lollipop.

Materials:

sewing machine
felt
card stock for doll pattern of choice
embroidery thread
sewing thread
chopstick
tweezers
poly stuffing
disappearing ink pen
embroidery needle
regular needle
flat-headed pushpins
fabric scissors
fabric glue

Steps:

1. Create your pattern by folding a piece of card stock in half and drawing one side first. Make sure to leave at least 1-1/2 inch between the legs. You will need this space to turn the doll inside out once finished sewing. Cut around this shape for a symmetrical pattern.

2. Use a hole punch to punch out holes where you would like the eyes to be on your doll. Likewise, cut out a triangular shape for the nose.

3. Trace pattern onto first piece of felt, and draw in eyes and nose with disappearing ink pen. Sew on facial features using embroidery thread, by hand.

4. Draw in where you would like pocket to be. Cut out pocket shape from desired color felt and sew on with embroidery thread. Tip: Pierce flat-headed push pins through the centers of the eyes and nose you have sewn on. This will be your guide when you draw the pattern on the reverse side of the felt.

5. Flip felt over so that the wrong side is facing you. Using the push pins from the previous step as a guide, carefully place pattern onto the felt. The pointed ends of the push pins will now be sticking through the eyes and nose holes you cut out in step 2.

6. Trace pattern onto the felt that is now facing inside out. You must not sew the space between the legs so that you can turn the doll inside out. Pin second piece of felt to first piece.

7. With sewing machine, sew the two felt squares together using thread that matches color of felt. Don’t forget not to sew up the space mentioned in step 8.

8. Carefully cut around pattern with fabric scissors. Gently turn doll inside out. Use chopsticks and tweezers to help with the arms, legs and ears. Stuff as desired with poly filling. Hand-sew shut with matching thread and needle.

9. Cut from felt two small circles for top of lollipop and small rectangle for lollipop stick. Hand-sew lollipop swirl pattern (with red sewing thread) into one circle.

10. Sandwich lollipop stick piece between the two circles. Use a bit of fabric glue to help keep circles together and stick in place. Stick lollipop into your creature’s pocket.