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See me sew my Bulldog Pattern!

I have made a photo tutorial so you can see how to sew my Bulldog Stuffed Animal Toy Pattern. Butch the Bulldog has LOTS of pieces but he’s sewn with a simple straight stitch. He’s not one of my EASY patterns – he just takes a little bit longer to make and he’s so cute it’s definitely worth the extra time! 😀

Bulldog stuffed animals toy pattern design

*** PLEASE NOTE – this is ONLY a PHOTO TUTORIAL ***
The FULL PATTERN IS NOT included here. It is NOT A FREE PATTERN.

I have made this photo tutorial so people who have purchased the pattern can SEE how to sew this stuffed toy bulldog! (I wanted to explain this so you are not disappointed if you have found this page via a search engine and not from the link in my Butch Bulldog sewing pattern!)

Right, let’s sew a stuffed toy BULLDOG!

WE’LL START WITH THE FACE…

STEP 1a

Sew the JOWLS PIECES together from A – B. Leave the top edge open for turning.

Bulldog -sewing pattern phototutorial

TIP: I like to use a matching thread so you don’t see the stitching of the seams when your toy is stuffed. If you don’t have white, brown, black and light brown thread for the bulldog you can just use white for everything! 🙂

STEP 1b

Trim the seam allowance (the fabric outside the sewing line) down to about 3mm (1/8inch). This helps to make the seam easy to turn and nice and smooth.

Bulldog sewing pattern phototutorial

STEP 1c

Turn the JOWLS PIECES right sides out and pin the open edges together.

Bulldog sewing pattern phototutorial

TIP: I use a wooden chopstick to help me turn the seams nicely! Run the chopstick along the stitching of the seam inside the JOWLS PIECES.

STEP 2a

Pin and sew the FOREHEAD PIECE to the FACE PIECE from C – D.

bulldog pattern sew forehead

STEP 2b

Pin and sew the FOREHEAD PIECE to the other FACE PIECE from C – D.

bulldog sewing pattern face

STEP 3a

Sew the LIP PIECES together leaving the edge open for turning as shown on the pattern markings. Trim the seam allowance down to about 3mm (1/8inch).

bulldog lip Pauline McArthur

STEP 3b

Turn the LIP PIECES right sides out and use the wooden chopstick to turn the seams nicely!

bulldog turn lip - Pauline McArthur

STEP 3c

Pin the open edges of the LIP PIECES together.

bulldog pin lip - Pauline McArthur

STEP 4a

Sew the EAR PIECES together in pairs, leaving the bottom edge open for turning. Trim the seam allowance at the top of each ear. This reduces the bulk of the fabric so the ears will be nice and pointed. (Be careful not to snip through the stitching.)

Bulldog sewing pattern trim ears - Pauline McArthur

STEP 4b

Turn the EAR PIECES right sides out and use the wooden chopstick to turn the seams nicely and pin the open edges together.

Bulldog pattern sewing ears-Pauline-McArthur

TIP: Transfer the dot pattern marking to the ears. The dots are to guide you so the ears are position the right way. I used a blue charcoal pencil – this will disappear with time and won’t leave a mark on the bulldog’s ear!

STEP 5

Place all the pieces for the bulldog’s head on the table in the the following order – CHIN, LIPS, SNOUT, JOWLS, WRINKLE FACE&FOREHEAD and finally, the EARS! This is the order in which you will put them together.

Bulldog head pieces - Pauline McArthur

STEP 6

Pin the CHIN PIECE to the LIP PIECES, matching point E.

Bulldog sewing lip - Pauline McArthur

STEP 7

Sew the centre dart of the SNOUT PIECE at E.  *** Do NOT sew the top darts now – this makes it easier to sew.***

Bulldog sewing pattern black snout - Pauline McArthur

STEP 8

Pin the SNOUT PIECE to the CHIN & LIP PIECES, matching E.

Bulldog photo tutorial - pin snout

STEP 8b

Sew the SNOUT PIECE to the CHIN & LIP PIECES – this is how it will look . (Check that the LIP PIECES are between the CHIN PIECE and the SNOUT PIECE.)

Bulldog lower lip - Pauline MArthur

STEP 9

Pin and sew the top darts in the SNOUT PIECE at F.

Bulldog sewing pattern snout darts - Pauline McArthur

STEP 10a

Turn the pieces over. Pin and sew the small darts in the CHIN PIECE at G.

Bulldog pattern chim dart - Pauline McArthur

STEP 10b

This is what the pieces should look like now. (The pin is at the centre of the SNOUT PIECE at H.)

Bulldog pattern chin sewn - Pauline McArthur

STEP 11a

Pin the JOWLS PIECES to the SNOUT and CHIN PIECES matching point H.

Bulldog pattern pin jowls - Pauline McArthur

STEP 11b

The JOWLS PIECES should line up with the dart on the CHIN PIECE at G on each side.
Bulldog-pin jowls up to dart -Pauline-McArthur

STEP 12a

Fold the WRINKLE PIECE in half length-wise and pin it with fabric right sides out.

Bulldog-pattern-wrinkle-Pauline-McArthur

STEP 12b

Pin the WRINKLE PIECE to the JOWLS, SNOUT and CHIN PIECE, matching point H again.

Bulldog-pattern-pin-wrinkle-Pauline-McArthur

STEP 13

Pin and sew the darts in the FACE PIECES at J.

Bulldog pattern face darts - Pauline McArthur

STEP 14

Pin and sew the FOREHEAD & FACE PIECES to the WRINKLE PIECE, JOWLS, SNOUT and CHIN PIECE matching point H and K.

Bulldog pin face to wrinkle - Pauline McArthur

STEP 15a

Pin the EARS to the FACE PIECES with the dots of the pattern markings nearest to the FOREHEAD PIECE (not the sides!).

Bulldog toy design pin ears - Pauline McArthur

STEP 15b

Check that he tips of the EARS point OUTWARDS. I have used red highlighter to show you how it would look if the ears are positioned with the dots to the sides. The tips of the ears will point UP – this is WRONG!

Bulldog ears - Pauline McArthur

STEP 16a

Sew the HEAD PIECES together from L – M.

Bulldog toy design head - Pauline McArthur

STEP 16b

Pin and sew the HEAD PIECES to the FOREHEAD & FACE PIECES, with the EARS sandwiched in between, matching point L and O.
Bulldog toy pattern design head - Pauline McArthur

STEP 17

If you are going to embroider his eyes, do them AFTER the head is stuffed. If you are using craft eyes, insert these NOW.  I used a circle of felt behind the eyes because I thought these craft eyes were a bit dark for a Bulldog. 😀

Bulldog pattern eyes - Pauline McArthur

TIP: I have a photo tutorial for inserting craft eyes on my blog ~> https://www.funkyfriendsfactory.com/blog/safety-eyes-picture-tutorial-for-great-looking-peepers/

STEP 18a

Sew the TAIL PIECES together. Clip the seam allowance especially at the very curved parts.
Bulldog sew tail - Pauline McArthur

STEP 18b

Stuff the TAIL with a little bit of toy stuffing.
Bulldog stuff tail - Pauline McArthur

STEP 18c

Pin the TAIL in position on one of the BODY PIECES. Look at the pattern markings to guide you. Make sure the tip of the tail touches the edge of the BODY PIECE, that way it will be caught in the seam as you sew the BODY PIECES together and you won’t have to sew the bulldog’s tail tip down by hand after you have stuffed the bulldog. (I think this is a lot easier than hand-sewing!)

Bulldog pin tail - Pauline McArthur

STEP 19

Pin and sew the BODY PIECES together from P – Q, with the TAIL sandwiched in between.

Bulldog pin body - Pauline McArthur

STEP 20

Pin and sew the FRONT OUTER LEGS to the BODY PIECES, matching the single cross pattern marking.

Bulldog front legs - Pauline McArthur

STEP 21

Fold, pin and sew the darts in the BACK OUTER LEG PIECES.

Bulldog back legs dart - Pauline McArthur

STEP 22

Pin and sew the BACK OUTER LEG PIECES to the BODY PIECES, matching the double cross pattern markings.

Bulldog front legs - Pauline McArthur pin back legs

STEP 23

Pin and sew the TUMMY PIECES together from P – R.

Bulldog front legs - Pauline McArthur - tummy piece

STEP 24a

The FRONT INNER LEGS are made up of 2 parts. Pin and sew them together in pairs from S – T.

Bulldog sewing pattern - Pauline McArthur front inner leg

STEP 24b

Pin and sew the FRONT INNER LEG PIECES to the TUMMY PIECES, matching the single dot pattern marking.

Bulldog sewing pattern - Pauline McArthur pin inner front leg

STEP 24c

Pin and sew the BACK INNER LEG PIECES to the TUMMY PIECES, matching the double dots of the pattern markings.

Bulldog sewing pattern - Pauline McArthur- underside

STEP 25a

Pin the TUMMY & INNER LEG PIECES to the BODY & OUTER LEG PIECES. Use a few pins to get all the pieces lined up. Sew the pieces together at the back first and sew one seam at a time. Sew up the back of the BACK LEG PIECES on one side and along the back of the BODY and TUMMY PIECES. Then sew down the back of the BACK LEG PIECES on the other side.

Bulldog legs on top

TIP: Use lots of pins on the seam you are sewing. This will help to line up the pieces and stop them slipping as you sew.

STEP 25b

Pin and sew up the front of one of the front legs and along the BODY and TUMMY PIECES from U – V. Repeat on the other side.

Bulldog sewing pattern - Pauline McArthur - pin front

STEP 25c

Pin and sew up the front of the BACK LEG PIECES, along the sides of the BODY and TUMMY PIECES and down the back of the FRONT LEG PIECES. Repeat on the other side.
Bulldog pin sides - Pauline McArthur

STEP 26

Pin the PAW PIECES to the LEG PIECES making sure that they are not back to front! They are slightly wider at the front but it is easy to get muddled.

Bulldog pin paws - Pauline McArthur

TIP: I have a photo tutorial on my blog with step-by-step photos how to make perfect feet! https://www.funkyfriendsfactory.com/home/sew-plush-toy-feet/

How to sew perfect plushie feet

STEP 27a

Transfer the star pattern marking to the front of the EARS and measure and mark the centre of the EARS at the base.

Bulldog toy design sew ears Pauline McArthur

STEP 27b

Fold the EARS down and pin them to the FACE PIECES so the star pattern marking is positioned just in front of the centre of the base of each EAR.
Bulldog pin ear - Pauline McArthur

STEP 27c

Lift the EAR and hold it back so you can hand sew the EAR to the FACE PIECE. Repeat for the other ear.

Bulldog sew ear - Pauline McArthur

TIP: Use a matching thread and try not to sew through both layers of the EAR PIECES. If you sew with small, neat stitches you won’t see any stitches from the front of the ears when they are sewn in place!

STEP 28a

Cut the NOSE from wool felt and pin and sew it in place on the WRINKLE and JOWLS PIECES. Cut the TEETH and TONGUE PIECES from wool felt, pull the LIP PIECES down so you can position them in place on the SNOUT PIECE. I like glue the bottom of the TEETH and TONGUE PIECES to the SNOUT PIECE because you don’t sew all the way around.

Bulldog teeth tongue - Pauline McArthur

STEP 28b

Hide the knot for your thread ‘behind’ the LIPS then flap the LIP PIECES back up and hand sew the LIPS to the SNOUT PIECE. Try to catch the TEETH and TONGUE PIECES in your stitching.

Bulldog - pin felt -pieces for face

STEP 29a

Pin the bulldog’s head to the body at the neck seam. I find the best way to do this is to place the head between the BODY PIECES, so it is facing back into the body then pin and sew it in position.

Bulldog Sewing Pattern - head - Pauline McArthur

STEP 29b

Here you can see the head pinned inside the bulldog’s body ready to sew in place.

Bulldog Sewing Pattern sew head to body

STEP 30

Pull the head back out of the body. Pin and sew the bulldog closed from Y (on the CHIN PIECE) to W (on the TUMMY PIECES). Don’t forget to leave a gap open on the TUMMY PIECES for turning your bulldog right side out!

Bulldog sewing pattern - sew neck seam - Pauline McArthur

STEP 31

Stuff the bulldog nice and firmly! I start with the LEGS, then then I do the head. I make sure the SNOUT and CHIN areas are firmly stuffed, then the FACE, then the rest of the BODY.

Bulldog Sewing Pattern - toy stuffing

TIP: I use a long, round, child’s paint brush to push small bits of toy stuffing into the legs. It helps me get the toy stuffing right down into them and makes it easier to stuff them firmly.

STEP 32

Sew the stuffing opening on the bulldog’s tummy closed using a ladder stitch.

How to do a ladder stitch - Pauline McArthur

SEWING THE TOES:

paw sewing diagram

 

Your Bulldog is ready to LOVE!

I can’t wait to see

YOUR

Bulldog…

Bulldog feedback collage - Pauline McArthur

Want to win a FREE PATTERN?

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Facebook badge - Pauline McArthur

When you’ve made your own stuffed animal bulldog – please come and paste a photo of your NEW Funky Friend on my Funky Friends Factory Facebook page for me to see!


Pauline McArthur

 

Till next time,

Happy Sewing,

Pauline

xxx