November Stashbusting: An All-Purpose Plushie Pattern

Friends, meet the snootiest looking cat plushies ever:

Can't you just feel the disdain dripping from their downturned mouths?

And their friend, the most derp-faced generic dinosaur of no particular species:

"Hallo there, I don't believe you've had the pleasure of making Sewasaurus Rex's acquaintance!"

He's a much friendlier guy.

There's also a Golden Retriever (or a Yellow Lab...I'm not entirely sure which) in the neighborhood.

You can tell they're all friends because their arms are around each other. 

As you know, November's stash busting is about making things to donate to charities. This last weekend, a bunch of ladies from my church came over and I taught them to sew little stuffed animals. Only a couple had ever used sewing machines before, and even then only for home dec type straight line sewing, so it was a bit of an adventure explaining concepts like "right sides together," or keeping the needle down while raising the presser foot in order to pivot while sewing, and how to do a ladder stitch.

Ladder stitching: necessary for doing up dino butts.

Since they were all new to plush-toy-sewing, I decided to draw up a simple pattern that involved easy to sew shapes without tricky joins like the mole pattern I tried last month. And because we all have different personalities (and not all people are cat-obsessed like I am), I decided to design it around a generic body pattern and then include easy modifications for paws and such in order to make it into different animals. With just one pattern, you can make a cat/dog/mouse/penguin/bunny/dinosaur/sheep!

Not pictured: the mouse and the bunny.

Ah, there they are. Not the best shot, but I just snapped this really quickly before they left with their makers that night. The mouse's butt has yet to be sewn up, and the bunny certainly looks disapproving about it. 

Even with all the options, the pieces are basic enough that it can be good practice for someone getting used to sewing curves on a machine (kind of like when you practice cutting wiggly lines with scissors in preschool). Alternately, if you don't have a machine, the pieces are small enough that hand-sewing won't take too long either.


Download the pattern here.

Since my plushies were made in a cat-haired home, even with all my lint-rolling and laundering, I unfortunately won't be able to donate these to children with compromised immune systems. However, they'll still go to (hopefully) good homes, to brighten the day of someone who needs some whimsical cheer, through Operation Christmas Child.

"I say! Are you acquainted with my dear friend, Juglans regia?" Snooty cat is snooty.

Sewasaurus gossips with his pal Walnut. 

So, how are you using your stash to give back to your community? Anyone up for making a snooty cat, disapproving rabbit, or derp-faced dinosaur of their own for adoption to a good home?