Today’s pattern is one I designed many years ago for my son. He left for college this past week, leaving behind some things to be sorted. I found the “original” dinosaur among his things & thought it would be fun to share the pattern. This stuffed dinosaur pattern will be great for upcoming Christmas gifts or birthdays. I think I may make some more little stuffie patterns & maybe some larger ones too! If y’all have any suggestions, just let me know in the comments. Now, let’s make a dinosaur!
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The Original
My son had a fascination with dinosaurs from an early age. He used to ask me to read dinosaur fact books as bed time stories – which almost put me to sleep! The original dinosaur has lost it’s hind legs over the years. I designed the legs to be movable, so maybe they were twisted a little too far!
The finished dinosaur measures about 5″ tall by 8 1/2″ long. Here’s what you’ll need to make one ~>
- the pattern
- a fat quarter ~ more than enough!
- stuffing ~ just a little needed
- needles ~ regular sharp & upholstery needle
- button thread ~ for sewing on the legs
- buttons {optional}
- ballpoint pen or favorite tracing tool
- fabric scissors
- pins {optional}
I like to trace my pattern onto a piece of light weight cardboard. An old cereal box or gift box is perfect! I find a ball point pen works great for tracing templates where the traced edge won’t be seen. My fabric is folded in half & I just placed a pin in the centers to help hold things together when cutting.
You will need to cut two body pieces & 8 leg pieces – this is on the pattern. Once everything is cut out, it’s time to sew it together!
Sewing the Dinosaur
I used my 1/4 foot to sew this, to help keep a more accurate seam. When going around curves, keep an eye on the back edge across from the needle. This will help maintain that 1/4″ seam. I also go slower around the curves, taking a few stitches & then turning slightly. When you come to an inside curve the edge will want to go over the foot. Make sure the needle is down & lift up the foot to get the fabric back under it.
You will need to leave an opening in each leg & the body, backstitching at each end. I left my opening on the bottom of the body & legs, however, I suggest leaving an opening on the backs of the legs. The opening on the bottom of the legs was too small & it was a booger trying to turn everything!
I used a bodkin & “that purple thang” to help turn things right side out.
The purple “thang” also came in handy when it came time to stuff everything. I found the square end helped grab the stuffing & push it into smaller spaces.
Once he was all stuffed, I slip stitched the openings close with regular needle & thread.
Attaching the Legs
You will use the upholstery needle & button thread for these steps. I double threaded the needle & knotted the end.
- Insert the needle about centered on the top of one leg & pull through to the knot.
- Take a small stitch & pull the needle back through the back side.
- Insert the needle about midway through the upper torso, just behind where the neck meets the body & pull through to the other side. There are no location marks for this, since I just eyeball it.
- Grab a second leg & insert the needle through the back, pulling everything closer together. Take a stitch & go back through everything to the opposite side.
- I went back through to the other side, over the same stitch & came back thru once more up behind the leg to knot the thread. Basically you’re going through everything twice.
Repeat steps 1 thru 5 for the back legs. These are attached close to where the tail starts to taper.
Finishing Up
Now my dinosaur has legs to stand on!
These legs a movable, which means he can do downward dog!
I decided to add buttons to cover the stitches & now my dinosaur is ready to strut his stuff! ; D
The buttons can be added when stitching on the legs, but that was too much for me to juggle at once. ; ) This was fun to make & didn’t really take that long. Maybe I’ll sneak one in my son’s Christmas stocking this year – just for fun! Hope y’all are having a marvelous Monday!
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