How to Make an Elephant

Here’s a tutorial for a plush elephant. It requires just a basic level of sewing skills (it’s recommended you use a machine for most of it), and can be made out of repurposed materials — old sweatshirts, sweaters, flannel shirts, upholstery fabric, anything that has some sturdiness to it.

You’ll need to choose two main fabrics: Fabric A, for the main body, Fabric B, for the underbelly. Avoid anything sheer, flimsy, or too stiff — you want something durable, flexible, and soft.

You can find the pattern pieces for download (along with these instructions as a tidy little pdf booklet) for $3.00 at Etsy here. If you have any questions, just write to razblint(at)gmail(dot)com.

Here we go!

The materials you need:

Fabric A, 1/2 yard

Fabric B, 1/4 yard

Felt squares: 1 white, 1 Green, 1 Blue, 1 Purple, 1 Red

Polyfiber stuffing

Part 1: CUT

Cut the pattern pieces from the downloaded sheets (and if you then trace & cut them from a light stiff cardboard, like a cereal box, then they will be easier to use).

Cut 2 Body Pieces from Fabric A

Cut 1-on-fold Underbelly Piece from Fabric B

Cut 2 Ear Pieces from Fabric A

Cut 2 Ear Pieces from Fabric B

Cut 2 Eye Pieces from White Felt

Cut 2 Eye Shadow Pieces from Green Felt

Cut 2 Eye Balls from Blue Felt

Cut 4 Paws from Purple Felt

Cut 1 Snout from Red Felt

Part 2: APPLIQUE

Sew Eyeball onto Eyepiece, repeat

Sew Eyepiece onto Eye Shadow piece, repeat

Sew Eye onto Body Piece, as marked, repeat for other set

Part 3: EARS

Sew One Fabric A Ear Piece to One Fabric B Piece, from point X to point Y. repeat

Turn the ears right side out

Stuff them until they are plump

Turn the raw edges in, pin them close

Sew along pins

Stitch the ears to the body piece, on the marked line, using an overcast stitch if possible

Part 4: BODY

Sew one Body piece to the Underbelly piece, from point A to B, then from C to D, then E to F (Be sure to leave gaps at the leg openings!). Repeat for other Body piece and second half of Underbelly