I started this project for my new niece Lilly. She is a month old and has been in the hospital since birth with complications. Because WE can't be there with her we wanted something that could sit by her side on our behalf. Thus, The Owl.
I found these great fabrics at Hobby Lobby and had to bring them home for the owl. I chose a minky dot fabric because it is so soft and will be soothing to the touch. The floral fabric had great colors that I couldn't pass up. I already had the muslin in my fabric box.
First I folded the minky in half with the soft side facing in.
Then I made an outline of what I wanted to owl to be. You could probably find a picture online that would work as a template. I wanted mine to have a more homemade look so I freehanded it.
Next I cut out the 2 sides together so they would be the same shape. (If you found a stencil or template you can do them 1 at a time. I didn't trust my hands to draw it the same twice.)
The eyes are a 2 part process.
1. I cut small inch wide strips of the muslin. On one side I did a basting stitch all the way to the end and pulled it tight. By doing this I was able to connect the small ends to each other creating a circle.
2. Place the button on top of the muslin circle and sew it where you want the eye to be.
(If you aren't a sewer you can simply glue the circle to the minky body and then glue the button on top of that)
This is what the eyes look like up-close. I took a liquid stitch to the edges so that they won't unravel anymore than they already have. I didn't fold around the edge and make a seam because, again, I wanted a more homemade look.
The feet I cut out freehand. You can draw them or find some to trace. Then I just did a simple stitch around the perimeter to fasten them to the body. (Don't place them too close to the bottom because you'll need an edge when you sew the back on.) You'll do the same basic thing with the beak.
For the skirt, I started with a 6" strip of material. You'll want it to be between 1 1/2 times the width of the owl to twice the width of the owl depending on how ruffled you want the skirt. With the strip I folded it in half hot dog style. by doing this is kept the pattern of the fabric on both sides rather than giving it a hem and having the fabric on 1 side. Next I inserted a basting seam along the top joining the 2 ends together. At first I tried a pleat, but the skirt is too short and it looked silly. Once I pulled tight gathering the fabric, I tied it off. Then I pinned the ruffle to where I wanted it on the owl. Then take it to your sewing machine and sew. Even though I thought I was being careful I still sewed it on a little crooked. :) oops!
After you sew the skirt on you'll need to attach the back of the body to the front.
1. Place the face of both the front and back of the owl together and sew. You might need to fold the skirt a little so as to not sew it into the seam. I didn't do that on this but have before. It's very frustrating to fix. When sewing them together make sure to leave a little hole so you can stuff it. I kept mine at the top by the ear because i'll be disguising it with the flower.
2. Then stuff away. Here is what it looks like laying down.
Once you have it stuffed as best you can sew down the side of the ear but not all the way closed yet. This way you'll be able to fill this ear before closing it completely. As you finish the seam keep adding an necessary stuffing to make sure it's nice and plush.
This is the little flower that I made for her "hair".
Lastly, I glued the flower up by the ear and voila! It's finished.
She's a lot quirky but I absolutely love how it turned out and is definitely a 1 of a Kind!
