Sew a Softie: Pocket Pals

It’s Sew a Softie month, so get out your needle and thread and make something cute and squishy. I was asked to create a softie project and join in with 30 bloggers from around the world in this year’s softie blog hop. The aim of the Sew a Softie Project is to encourage non-sewing adults and children to give hand sewing sewing a go. You can read about the Sew a Softie movement here.

My creation are these pint sized Pocket Pals, mini softies that fit right in your pocket and travel with you wherever you go. Perfect for kids to play with when out and about, to give as a gift to a special friend, or as a comforting companion to a child that may need some extra love.

See the 2017 Sew a Softie Tutorial list – There’s a new project added every day – Have fun sewing!

How to make a Pocket Pal mini Soft Toy

You only need the tiniest scrap of felt and some embroidery floss to make one, and because they are small you can finish several in just an hour or so. I’ve just freehand sketched my own shapes, you can make yours as simple or elaborate as you like.

You will need:

• Felt scraps
• Thin card
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Embroidery floss to match felt and Black
• Embroidery needle
• Toy stuffing

How to:

1/ Sketch out a few simple shapes for you Pocket Pals onto white card. Keep the details as simple as possible to make cutting and stitching easy later on.

2/ Cut out the card shapes to use as templates.

3/ Use the template to cut out 2 identical pieces of felt from each shape. One piece will be the front, the other the back.

4/ With black embroidery floss, stitch on face features or other details onto the front piece of felt.

5/ Line up the back and front felt pieces and stitch together with matching thread colour. Leave a small opening and insert a small amount of toy stuffing.

6/ Stitch the opening closed and you’re all done!

Make as many Pocket Pals as you like. Think about creating little characters that have some meaning to you. Make a sun for a friend who brings light to your day, or a heart for someone you love.

If you are feeling extra motivated to sew, try making a Portable Pocket Pouch to keep your Pocket Pals in, it’s a great recycling project to use up old jean pockets.