SAFARI SHAKERS
Sew a duo of adorable animals to bring entertainment to a little one, with the king of the jungle and the cuddliest of bears
Sew a duo of adorable animals to bring entertainment to a little one
NOTES
■ Seam allowance is in throughout, unless otherwise noted.
■ Templates include seam allowances, where necessary.
■ For templates, see p86.
■ RST = right sides together.
■ Arrows on the pattern pieces indicate pattern direction for marking and cutting.
■ A child under the age of three should never be left unsupervised with this toy.
FABRICS USED
■ Kona Cotton Solids in Buttercup, Curry and Black by Robert Kaufman.
■ Stem Dot in Turquoise from Foxglove by Aneela Hoey for Cloud 9 Fabrics.
■ Spot On in Snow by Robert Kaufman Studio.
■ XOXO in Thistle by Cotton+Steel Basics.
CUTTING OUT
1
Begin by tracing and cutting out the template pattern pieces from paper or card. Next, draw out the pattern pieces onto the reverse of the fabric and cut out as follows. When the pattern specifies ‘cut 2’ or more of a pattern piece, after marking out half of the pieces required, the template needs to be turned over to mark out the remaining half so that the pieces are cut as mirror images:
2
From yellow fabric cut:
■ One (1) piece using the Middle Face template.
■ Two (2) pieces using the Side Face template.
■ Two (2) pieces using the Back Head template.
■ Four (4) pieces using the
Ear template.
3
From ochre/brown fabric cut:
■ One (1) piece using the Mane template, aligning the template on the fold.
4 From printed fabric cut:
■ Two (2) pieces using the
Handle template.
ONCE YOU’VE MASTERED THE BASICS, WHY NOT ADAPT THESE PATTERNS FOR MORE ANIMALS?
5
Trace one appliqué nose template on the paper side of the fusible web, and roughly cut out, leaving a border. Following the manufacturer’s instructions, fuse to the reverse of the black fabric and cut along your drawn line.
6
Peel the paper away from the nose and fuse in place on the right side of the middle face, using the placement marking as a guide. Sew two lines of stitching along the top of the nose to secure (Fig 1).
ASSEMBLING THE RATTLE
7
RST, place two ear pieces one on top of the other and sew around the sides, leaving the bottom edge open. Clip ‘V’ shaped notches in the seam allowance around the curve (Fig 2). Turn the right side out and baste the bottom edge closed (Fig 3). Repeat to make the other ear.
8
RST, close the dart at the top of the middle face. Sew a side face piece to its corresponding side of the middle face (Fig 4). Try to avoid sewing into the seam allowance at the bottom of the nose and finish in from the edge of the fabric. This will help to avoid it being lumpy or puckered when turned the right way. Repeat to attach the other side face piece.
9
RST, sew the side face pieces together below the nose, again avoiding sewing into the seam allowance at the bottom of the nose (Fig 5).
10
Baste the ears to the right side of the face in between the seam and the notch (Fig 6).
11
RST, place the back head pieces one on top of the other and sew together along the back (Fig 7).
12
RST, sew the bottom of the face to the top of a handle piece. Sew the bottom of the back head to the remaining handle in the same way (Fig 8).
13
RST, fold the mane in half lengthways and close the darts at either side, tapering the top of the dart that finishes on the fold (Fig 9).
14
Turn the mane the right way out and using a large stitch length on the sewing machine, sew all along the bottom open edge (through both layers). Tie the threads together at one end and pull lightly on one of the threads on the opposite end to gather the fabric (Fig 10). Evenly gather the bottom edge of the mane until it measures approximately 8 / in.
15
RST, start at the bottom of one side lion’s face (as the side of the mane is angled, locate the end of the seam allowance, not the end of the raw edge, and match that to the seam joining the handle and face). Baste the mane around the face, adjusting it to fit so that it finishes at the bottom of the face on the other side (Fig 11).
16
RST, sew the front section of the rattle to the back section, leaving an approximately 2in opening on one side just below the head (Fig 12). Clip ‘V’ shaped notches in the seam allowance at the bottom of the handle. As the ears are sewn directly into seams, it is advisable to backstitch over the joins to make sure they are well secured and reduce the likelihood of them being pulled out.
17
Stuff the rattle, fitting the rattle disc in the centre of the head so that it is buried within the stuffing and can’t be felt.
18
Embroider a mouth using a length of black embroidery thread (four-strand thickness).
19
Embroider black eyes using a colonial or French knot. Sew some internal shaping stitches between the eyes by taking the needle back and forth between them (this can be done with the embroidery thread as part of stitching the eyes) and pulling lightly on the thread to draw the eyes inward slightly, giving the face more character (Fig 13).
20
Adjust any filling that was disturbed whilst adding the facial features and then close the opening in the handle using a ladder stitch.
CUTTING OUT
1
Trace and cut out the pattern pieces. Then draw out the pattern pieces onto the reverse of the fabric and cut out as follows, remembering to cut out mirror image pieces as in the Lion instructions:
2
From white fabric cut:
■ One (1) piece using the Middle Face template.
■ Two (2) pieces using the Side Face template.
■ Two (2) pieces using the Back Head template.
3
From black fabric cut:
■ Four (4) pieces using the Ear template.
4
From printed fabric cut:
■ Two (2) pieces using the Handle template.
5
Follow steps 5–6 of the Lion instructions, also cutting out two Appliqué Eye Patch pieces. Position the eye patches using the template as a guide for placement, and then secure by sewing around the sides of each patch (Fig 14).
ASSEMBLING THE RATTLE
6
Follow steps 7–12 and 16–18 of the Lion instructions to construct the rattle.
7
Backstitch small circles in white embroidery thread for the panda’s eyes (Fig 15). Add internal shaping as for the lion in step 19, either with the white thread whilst embroidering the eyes, or separately once they are done, using black thread through the centre of the eyes. Also embroider the mouth as shown.
8
Adjust any filling that was disturbed whilst adding the facial features and then close the opening in the handle using a ladder stitch.