Flora is a really easy make, a great softie project for a beginner. The success of your elephant depends upon choosing the right fabric, careful cutting out and stuffing fairly firmly. Flora stands around 9” tall and 11” long from tip of trunk to tail.
If you’d like this tutorial as a free pdf file, then click the button below and I’ll send it to you. (If you already receive our free newsletter then you’ll find the tutorial waiting for you in your newsletter readers pattern library).
Materials:
● 1 Fat quarter printed medium weight cotton fabric
● 12” square felt for underbody and ear linings – choose a colour that coordinates with your fabric
● 2 x ¼” (6 mm) black beads for eyes
● 4” chunky twine for tail
● Toy stuffing
Method:
● Templates include a 1/8” seam allowance. Download your templates HERE.
● Using the full size templates provided (you will need to join them together) cut out two body shapes (one reversed), two ear shapes (one reversed) and the gusset from your printed cotton fabric. Cut out two under bodies and two more ear shapes from the pink felt.
● With right sides together join under bodies to side bodies from X to Y around the legs leaving the top curved edges open.
● Join top gusset to one body side from A to B, then repeat on the other side.
● Stitch around trunk from A to X and then join the underbodies along the curved edge for 2”.
● Join the side bodies from B to Y – inserting the tail at B and again join the underbodies along the curved edge for 2”.
● Clip curves and trim corners, being VERY careful not to cut your stitching.
● Turn right side out, press and stuff. You will probably find a stuffing stick very useful for this – especially for the
trunk. Just use a bamboo skewer with the point broken off and the end “frayed” so it grabs the stuffing. Use small pieces of stuffing to avoid lumpiness and mould Flora with your hands to make sure you’re happy with her shape. Stuff quite firmly to avoid any floppiness, but not too much so that her shape becomes distorted. Close the stuffing gap with ladder stitch.
● Join ear pieces along curved edge with right sides together, clip curve and turn right side out. Press firmly, turn in raw edges along straight side and slip stitch closed.
● Make a small pleat in the centre of the straight edge and then curve the ears around the sides of the head aligning the tops with the gusset seam and stitch into place.
● Stitch beads into place for eyes. Do take your time over this and experiment with the positioning to ensure your Flora has a nice friendly face. A common mistake is to place the eyes too far back, high up and wide apart. As a general rule of thumb the lower down the head they are the cuter your softie will look. Be sure that the eyes are level from all angles.
● When you’re happy with the positioning sew the beads into place. Pull the thread quite tightly to make little hollows or sockets for the eyes to sit in – Flora doesn’t want frog eyes!
● Your elephant is now finished!
If you’d like this tutorial as a free pdf file, then click the button below and I’ll send it to you. (If you already receive our free newsletter then you’ll find the tutorial waiting for you in your newsletter readers pattern library)
