 |  |  |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
Squirt the Whale Tutorial
COPYRIGHT 2014
The content and/or images from this page are to be used for a personal nature only.
Items created from the Free Squirt the Whale Pattern & Tutorial are not to be mass produced and sold for personal gain in any way.
Whale Facts
* There are 79 to 84 different species of whale.
* Whales that are found in both Northern and Southern hemisphere never meet or breed together.
Their migration is timed so that they are never in breeding areas at the same time.
* Whales love to sing! They use this as a call to mates, a way to communicate and also just for fun! After a period of time they get bored of the same whale song and begin to sing a different tune.
* A baby whale is called a calf. Whales form groups to look after calves and feed together. These groups are often made up of all female or all male whales.
Skill Level: If you have made one of my Soft Toys before you will have 'whale of a time' making Squirt. If you are new to soft toy making I suggest you start with the Scottie Dog or Little Pig Soft Toys Patterns to begin with. To make Squirt you will need to machine sew the body and fins and hand sew (Blanket-Stitch) the fins and features.
Requirements
Two pieces of fabric, 11 1/4 inches X 19 inches (28cm X 48cm).
Use 100% cotton quilting fabric, for the Body of the Whale.
Quilters Muslin or 100% cotton white or cream fabric for lining the Soft Toy. Two pieces of fabric, 11 1/4 inches X 19 inches (28cm X 48cm).
For the Fins, two pieces of fabric 100% cotton quilting fabric 7 1/4 inches X 8 3/4 inches (18cm X 22cm).
For the Fins, two pieces of wadding or thick Pelon, 7 1/4 inches X 8 3/4 inches (18cm X 22cm)
For the Ribbon Water Spout woven ribbons, one piece for the centre- 5 1/2 inches long, and two pieces which sit either side- 5 inches long.
For information about Making Soft Toys please read the following link.
For the Features on Squirt the Whale
Fabric for the Pupil in the centre of each Eye.
A white fabric with a black dot works well.
Pieces of Felt, Woolen-felt and/or Pure Woolen Blanketing Fabric. Use the Pattern Sheets as a guide for the amount required. The features on the Pattern Sheets are the same size they will be on the Whale.
Colours- One colour for the outer area on the eye (on my Whale a cream colour). A colour for the second outer area on the eye (on my Whale I used pink). A cream or white colour for the backing of the Pupils on the Eyes. A colour for the Whale's eyelids (I used a beige colour). Pink for the Whale's cheeks.
Additional Requirements
DMC Embroidery Thread to match the colours of the felt, woolen-felt or pure wool material chosen for the feature pieces on the Whale.
This will be used to blanket-stitch around each feature piece made and to sew each feature into position on the Whale. You will need a colour for the two outer eye pieces, white for the pupils, a colour to match your eyelid color and the colour chosen for the cheeks.
A small amount of Fusible Webbing. Enough to make all the Whale's features e.g. the outer eyes, eyelids, the pupils and the cheeks. Refer to the Pattern Sheet to work out the exact amount required. The features on the Pattern Sheet are to scale.
A Lead Pencil, Tracing Paper or Baking Paper, Sewing Machine, Cotton(s) (colour(s) to match the colour of the fabrics on the Whale's Body and Fins. Dress Making Scissors, Embroidery Needle and a Wooden Paint Brush for turning & stuffing.
Polyester Fill for stuffing the Whale.
For information on what stuffing to use, please read this link The 'Stuff' that Toys are made of!
The Handmade with Love Project
Permission is given for Squirt the Whale to be mass produced only for The Handmade with Love Project.
To find out how you can 'make & donate' a soft toy to a sick child at the Children's Hospital click on the heart images. Your donation will brighten a child's hospital stay and aid in their recovery.
Are you ready to create a splash and make a beautiful Squirt the Whale? Download and print off the Whale Pattern.
Trace the Patterns for the Whale's Body and Fins onto tracing paper or baking paper and carefully cut them out. Remember to transfer all markings including the open-seams on your traced pattern pieces too.
1.
2.
1. We will begin making the Whale's Body first.
2. Take the two piece of fabric for the body 11 1/4 inches X 19 inches (0ne piece is pictured here.)
Optional- Place a lining piece of fabric cut to the same size on the reverse side of each body fabric piece.
3. Place the two bady fabric pieces right sides together, with one of the reverse sides of the fabric facing towards you.
4. Place the Whale's Body Pattern on top of the fabric pieces and pin to Pattern to the layers of fabric.
3.
4.
5. Carefully trace around the paper pattern using a lead pencil following the outside edge of the paper. Mark the three 'V' areas and the open-seam onto the fabric.
6. Remove the paper pattern and cut out the Body shape a good half an inch away from your drawn pencil line.
5.
6.
7. On the Body piece is three 'V' shapes. These areas will later be sewn. About 1/4 inch out from the point at the bottom of each 'V', mark a dot on the fabric body piece with your lead pencil. Now you have prepared one side of the Whale's Body.
8. Seperate the two Body pieces, if you are using lining fabric pin the lining to the Body fabric on each piece so they do not move. Turn your paper Whale Body Pattern over and trace the paper pattern onto the reverse side of the other Body fabric piece cut for the Whale's Body.
7.
8.
Making the Whale's Body
Before you sew the two sides of the Whale's Body together, you will need to sew each of the 'V's on the body fabric pieces. Sewing all the 'V' will create dart like sections on the Whales body which make the sides of the Whale less flat and more three dimensional when it is stuffed. You will need to sew each 'V' on both of the Whale's Body pieces in the following manner.
9. Take one of the body pieces and one of the 'V' areas on the Body piece.
10. Using your scissors cut all the way down to the lead pencil point on the 'V'.
11. Fold the 'V' area right side together.
9.
10.
11.
12. Match up the pencil lines on either side of the fabric and make a line of pins which starts at the pencil drawn dot and gradually goes all the way up to the outside edge of the fabric roughly 1/4 inch in from the 'V' s pencil line.
13a & 13b. Sew the area on the sewing machine using a small stitch and a cotton thread which matches the colour of your body fabric. Sew starting at the dot and along the line of pins all the way to the outside edge of the fabric. Sew this area 'twice' on the machine.
11.
12.
13a.
13b.
14. Trim the seam just sewn down to 1/4 inch.
15. Make snips along the sewm roughly 1/4 inch between eavh snip.
16. Trim excess fabric on the seam again.
14.
15.
16.
17. This image shows how the seam just sewn and trimmed looks on the reverse side of the body piece.
-
17.
18. This image shows how the seam just sewn looks on the right side of the body piece.
19. Sew the remaining 'V's on the body piece in exactly the same manner. This image shows how one Whale Body piece will look on the right side once all the areas have been sewn.
20. Sew all the 'V's on the other Whale's Body piece in exactly the way. This is how the two Whale's Body pieces will look when you have finished sewing.
18.
19.
17.
Making a Ribbon Water Spout for the Whale
20.
21. Take the 3 lengths of ribbon, one piece for the centre 5 1/2 inches long and the two pieces which will sit either side which are 5 inches long.
22. Fold over the longest ribbon this will be in the centre of the water spout.
23. Fold over the other two ribbons place them either side of the centre ribbon and pin the three ribbons together.
24. Sew along the end of the three folded ribbons on the sewing machine to keep them in place.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25a & 25b. Pin the group of ribbons in position on top of the head of the Whale on one of the body pieces, so that the sewn section on the ribbons is poking out, from where your seam will be sewn on the body of the Whale.
This is how the ribbons look pinned on the reverse side of the body piece.
This is how the ribbons look pinned on the right side of the body piece.
25a.
25b.
26. Place the two Whale Body pieces right sides together you are going to pin the two pieces together so they can be sewn on the sewing machine.
27. Begin by matching the seams where the ribbon spout is. Butt the seams together. Make sure the two seams match up neatly with the seam on one side going in one direction and the seam on the other body piece going in the opposite direction.
28. Pin the two Whale Body pieces together match up the pencil lines drawn on either side of the body pieces.
29. Butt all the seams together at all the sewn 'V' areas on the body pieces.
26.
27.
28.
30. The Whale's Body pinned and ready to be sewn on the sewing machine.
31a & 31b. Begin sewing the Whale's body on the sewing machine starting at the open-seam on the bottom of the Whale's Body. Use a small stitch on the sewing machine and a cotton thread which matches the colour of your Whale's body fabric. Carefully sew following the drawn pencil line around the body.
32. The Whale's Body sewn together.
29.
30.
31a.
31b.
32.
33a &33b. Sew the Whale's Body again on the sewing machine. Sewing twice will make your Whale stronger and more durable. Trim around the Whale roughly 1/4 inch out from the stitching sewn on the machine. At the open-seam on the Whale cut roughly 1/2 inch out from the opening.
33a.
33b.
34. Snip the seam on the Whale's body making small cuts along the seam roughly 1/4 inch between snips. Be careful not to cut the sewn seam.
35a & 35b. Carefully cut away some more of the seam around the Whale's body.
34.
35b.
36. Turn the Whale's Body to its right side through the open-seam at the bootom of the Whale's body. Now you are ready to stuff your Whale.
35a.
36.
Stuffing the Whale's Body
Detail of stuffing the Whale.
Please read the tutourial The 'Stuff' that Toys are made of! before you begin stuffing the Whale. It has important information about what type of fill to use, useful tools to help you stuff and it will show you how to sew up your soft toy.
Once the body of the Whale has been stuffed sufficently you can sew the open-seam closed.
I like to use two strands of DMC Cotton the colour used should match the colour of the fabric being sewn. Take your needle through the inside of the body to the outside edge of the open-seam, and continue sewing the needle up and over the two sides of the open-seam, pulling them together as you sew the seam closed.
Stuff the tail area first.
Stuff all the way down the neck of the tail, then begin stuffing the body area.
Detail of sewing up the open-seam on the Whale's Body.
Making the Whale's Fins
The Body of the Whale finished.
With the Body of the Whale complete you will now need to make two fins for your Whale. You will need two pieces of cotton fabric 7 1/4 inches X 8 3/4 inches and two pieces of wadding or pelon cut to the same size 7 1/4 inches X 8 3/4 inches.
36. For each Fin, place one piece of cotton fabric on top of one piece of wadding.
36.
37. Fold the fabric and wadding right-sides together. Pin the traced Fin Pattern to the folded fabric.
38. Sew around the Fin Pattern on the sewing machine, using a colour thread on your machine which will match the colour of the fabric being sewn. Use a small stitch setting on the machine and sew the fin twice. Remember to leave the open-seam open for turning.
39. Cut around the Fin shape 1/4 inch out from the sewn seam. Cut small snips around the outside roughly 1/4 inch between each snip.
40. Turn the Fin to its right side. Make the second Fin in exactly the same manner.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
41. Stuff each Fin but not too firmly.
42. Sew up the open-seam on each Fin using 2 stands of DMC Thread which match the colour of the fabric being sewn.
43. Pin each Fin to either side of the Whale's Body.
44.
45.
46.
44, 45 & 46. You will need to secure each Fin to the side of the Whale's Body, to do this you will need to Blanket- Stitch the top of each Fin to the body of the Whale. The way you do the Blanket-Stitching is done in exactly the same manner as when you Blanket-Stitch a Woolen Shape to a tTy. Click on the link below and it will show you how to start and finish the Blanket-Stitching on the Fins. Remember that you only need to sew the Fin's to the body around the top of the Fin as can be seen in image 45.
46. With the Whale almost finished now you will need to make and sew on the features of the Whale.
Making and Sewing on the Features
If you are new to my Soft Toy making tutorials please read the information on the page Using Fusible Webbing & Woolen-Felt, as it will show you how make the features for your Whale. Specifically read and follow the instructions in paragraphs 3a, 3b & 3c to make the Pupils for the Eyes on for the Whale.
The Eyes prepared and ready to be Blanket-Stitched..
Detail of making the Pupils for the Eyes using white fabric with a black dot.
Detail of the Outer Eye applique pieces. The fusible webbing shapes being pressed onto woolen-felt.
Cut out the Pupil circles, peel off the backing paper and press onto woolen-felt.
Detail of the Outer-Eye pieces cut out.
With your woolen-felt features prepared you will need to blanket-stitching around each of the woolen-felt shapes.
Below are a series of tutorials which will show you how to layer and sew your woolen shapes, blanket-stitch around them and sew them onto the body of the Whale.
Work through the information and instructions in the tutorials to help you sew on the features and finish off your Squirt the Whale.
Detail of the Eye features being sewn.
Detail of the appliqued features pinned to the Whale ready to be sewn onto the Whale.
Squirt the Whale
Sew Handmade
