I made this photo tutorial so you can see how to sew my Guinea Pig Sewing Pattern ~> scroll down for step-by-step photos!
This easy toy pattern looks fantastic in ANY fabric too!
*** 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 my Guinea Pig pattern can SEE how to sew a Guinea Pig toy! (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 Guinea Pig pattern)
Let’s get started!
STEP 1
Choose some fabric for your guinea pig. Guinea pigs look great in any fabric.
BODY:
STEP 2
The body of the Guinea Pig is made up of 3 PIECES on each side –
- FRONT PIECE
- SIDE PIECE
- BACK PIECE
STEP 2b
Sew the FRONT PIECE to the SIDE PIECES, from A – B, matching the dot pattern marking.
STEP 3
Sew the SIDE PIECES to the BACK PIECES, from C – D, matching the double dots pattern markings.
TIP: I like to finger-press the seams open so they lie nice and flat.
STEP 4
Sew the FRONT, SIDE & BACK PIECES together from E – F.
HEAD:
STEP 5
Sew the FACE PIECES, at the front, together from H – J.
BODY:
STEP 6
Sew the FOREHEAD PIECE to the FACE PIECES from K – H – K.
TIP: Use lots of pins, especially around the curved ‘nose’ area to ease the pieces together. Sew this seam with the FOREHEAD PIECE facing down, so you can smooth out any wrinkles (puckers) as you sew!
STEP 7a
Sew the CHIN PIECE to the FACE PIECES from L – J – L.
TIP: Like before, use lots of pins, especially around the curved ‘mouth’ area to ease the pieces together. Sew this seam with the CHIN PIECE facing down.
STEP 7b
Clip the last 2 seams really well especially the really curved bits around H and J.
EYES:
STEP 8
If you are using CRAFT EYES, insert them now. I used 18 mm (¾inch) black CRAFT EYES. If you don’t have big craft eyes you can cut a circle of brown felt to put behind the eyes. You could also sew on some buttons instead of CRAFT EYES.
TIP: I have a tutorial to show you how to insert craft eyes on my blog.
LEGS:
STEP 9a
Trace the LEG PIECES onto a double layer of fabric. The dotted lines that you trace for the LEG PIECES are the sewing lines.
STEP 9b
Sew the FRONT LEG PIECES and BACK LEG PIECES, leaving the straight edge open for turning.
STEP 9c
Cut out the LEGS with a seam allowance of about 3mm (1/8inch) around the sewing line, don’t add extra seam allowance to the straight edge or the LEGS will be too long!
TIP: Trim the ‘tips’ of the ‘toes and clip the seams in between the ‘toes’ to help them turn out nicely.
STEP 10a
Turn the LEGS right sides out. I use a wooden chopstick to make sure the seams are turned out nicely, especially at the pointy tips!
TIP: The FRONT LEGS can be hard to turn. I have a blog post to show you how to turn small softie pieces.
STEP 10b
Stuff all 4 LEGS, using little bits of toy stuffing for the ‘toes’. Leave the top 12mm (½inch) unstuffed (flat) and pin each LEG closed at the straight edge.
STEP 11
Pin the BACK LEGS to the BACK PIECES, and the FRONT LEGS to the FRONT PIECES, using the pattern markings to guide you. (The pointy ‘toes’ should be facing the front.) Sew the LEGS to the BACK and FRONT PIECES with a 3mm (1/8inch) seam allowance to hold them in place.
TIP: I like to sew the LEGS to the BACK PIECE and FRONT PIECES with a 3mm (1/8inch) seam allowance to hold them in place and when the toy will be for a small child I also sew across the top of each LEG with a zig-zag stitch so they are nice and secure!
TUMMY:
STEP 12
Sew the TUMMY PIECES together from G – F, leaving the gap open for turning your Guinea Pig.
STEP 13
Sew the TUMMY PIECES to the FRONT, SIDE & BACK PIECES from L – F – L, with the LEGS in between.
TIP: Check if any LEGS have slipped out as you sewed. Unpick, push them back in and sew that bit of the seam again, if they have. It is easier to fix this NOW than once your Guinea Pig is all sewn up.
EARS:
STEP 14
Sew the EAR PIECES together in pairs, one pink EAR PIECE to each EAR PIECE cut from the BACK PIECE fabric.
STEP 15
Trim the seam allowance to 3mm (⅛ inch) at the tip of the EARS and turn them right sides out.
STEP 16
Fold the EAR PIECES using the pattern markings to guide you.
STEP 17
Pin the EARS to the FACE PIECES matching the star pattern marking.
SEW THE NECK SEAM:
STEP 18
Pin the Guinea Pig’s head to the body at the neck seam matching points M, L, K and E. Sew the neck seam from M – L- K – E – K – L- M on the other side!
TIP: I find the best way to do this is to turn the head right sides out and position it ‘inside the body’ so you can pin the pieces together at the neck seam, with the fabric right sides together.
STEP 19
Pull the head back out of the body and pin and sew the guinea pig closed underneath from O on the CHIN PIECE to M – G on the TUMMY PIECE.
ASSEMBLY:
STEP 20
Turn the guinea pig right sides out through the turning gap in the TUMMY.
STEP 21
Stuff the FACE first so it is firmly packed. Stuff the BODY making sure the BACK PIECES are firmly stuffed to get rid of any wrinkles!
TIP: I like to use a children’s paintbrush to push the toy stuffing into the guinea pig nice and firmly.
STEP 22
Sew the gap on the TUMMY PIECES closed with a ladder stitch.
FACE:
STEP 23
Cut the NOSE and MOUTH PIECES from felt and pin them in position. Sew the NOSE in place with embroidery thread and a blanket stitch.
TIP: Hide your beginning knot under the NOSE felt piece!
STEP 24
Sew the MOUTH in place with embroidery thread and a blanket stitch.
*** If you are embroidering the eyes, sew them now. You can sew long stitches for some guinea pig’s whiskers if you like… but I think it looks cute enough without!
Your Guinea Pig Toy is ready to LOVE!
Come join the fun on Facebook!
I LOVE to see how your Funky Friends toys turn out!
When you’ve made your own stuffed toy guinea pig you can come show it off ~>
Post a photo on my Funky Friends Factory Facebook page for me to see and YOU could win a FREE PATTERN!
Till next time,
Happy Sewing,
Pauline
