I have made this photo tutorial so you can see how to sew my Bulldog Stuffed Animal Toy Pattern ~> scroll down for step-by-step photos!
*** 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 START WITH THE HEAD:
STEP 1a
Sew the JOWLS PIECES together from A – B. Leave the top edge open for turning.
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.
STEP 1c
Turn the JOWLS PIECES right sides out and pin the open edges together.
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.
STEP 2b
Pin and sew the FOREHEAD PIECE to the other FACE PIECE from C – D.
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).
STEP 3b
Turn the LIP PIECES right sides out and use the wooden chopstick to turn the seams nicely!
STEP 3c
Pin the open edges of the LIP PIECES together.
EARS and EYES:
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.)
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.
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.
STEP 6
Pin the CHIN PIECE to the LIP PIECES, matching point E.
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.***
STEP 8
Pin the SNOUT PIECE to the CHIN & LIP PIECES, matching E.
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.)
STEP 9
Pin and sew the top darts in the SNOUT PIECE at F.
STEP 10a
Turn the pieces over. Pin and sew the small darts in the CHIN PIECE at G.
STEP 10b
This is what the pieces should look like now. (The pin is at the centre of the SNOUT PIECE at H.)
STEP 11a
Pin the JOWLS PIECES to the SNOUT and CHIN PIECES matching point H.
STEP 11b
The JOWLS PIECES should line up with the dart on the CHIN PIECE at G on each side.
STEP 12a
Fold the WRINKLE PIECE in half length-wise and pin it with fabric right sides out.
STEP 12b
Pin the WRINKLE PIECE to the JOWLS, SNOUT and CHIN PIECE, matching point H again.
STEP 13
Pin and sew the darts in the FACE PIECES at J.
STEP 14
Pin and sew the FOREHEAD & FACE PIECES to the WRINKLE PIECE, JOWLS, SNOUT and CHIN PIECE matching point H and K.
STEP 15a
Pin the EARS to the FACE PIECES with the dots of the pattern markings nearest to the FOREHEAD PIECE (not the sides!).
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!
STEP 16a
Sew the HEAD PIECES together from L – M.
STEP 16b
Pin and sew the HEAD PIECES to the FOREHEAD & FACE PIECES, with the EARS sandwiched in between, matching point L and O.
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. 😀
TIP: I have a photo tutorial to show you how to insert craft eyes HERE on my blog.
TAIL:
STEP 18a
Sew the TAIL PIECES together. Clip the seam allowance especially at the very curved parts.
STEP 18b
Stuff the TAIL with a little bit of toy stuffing.
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!)
STEP 19
Pin and sew the BODY PIECES together from P – Q, with the TAIL sandwiched in between.
LEGS:
STEP 20
Pin and sew the FRONT OUTER LEGS to the BODY PIECES, matching the single cross pattern marking.
STEP 21
Fold, pin and sew the darts in the BACK OUTER LEG PIECES.
STEP 22
Pin and sew the BACK OUTER LEG PIECES to the BODY PIECES, matching the double cross pattern markings.
STEP 23
Pin and sew the TUMMY PIECES together from P – R.
STEP 24a
The FRONT INNER LEGS are made up of 2 parts. Pin and sew them together in pairs from S – T.
STEP 24b
Pin and sew the FRONT INNER LEG PIECES to the TUMMY PIECES, matching the single dot pattern marking.
STEP 24c
Pin and sew the BACK INNER LEG PIECES to the TUMMY PIECES, matching the double dots of the pattern markings.
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.
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.
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.
PAWS:
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.
TIP: I have a tutorial to show you how to sew the FOOT PADS in place. Click HERE to check it out!
FINISHING THE EARS:
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.
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.
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.
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!
FACE:
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.
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.
NECK SEAM:
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.
STEP 29b
Here you can see the head pinned inside the bulldog’s body ready to sew in place.
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!
STUFFING:
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.
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.
SEWING THE TOES:
STEP 32
Follow the diagram below to sew the bulldog’s toes.
Your Bulldog is ready to LOVE!
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Till next time,
Happy Sewing,
Pauline
xxx
