Owl Tutorial: These are Fun...

If you could see these in person, you wouldn't need a tutorial, they are that simple.
We found this free needlepoint pattern and took it to a copy center to enlarge it. We enlarged them in 3 sizes. I wanted to sew two layers of fabric together to make it stronger & add another layer for the tummy for visual interest. But you can make these any way you want and that's what the kids have done, which has made it fun. BTW.. we didn't want the tail or feet, whichever that is in the picture. I have a few copies left of the pattern, if you are interested.. I would be happy to mail them to you. Just leave me a message.

One you cut out your pieces, you will have two layers for the front and two for the back as you can see here. The blue here is the tummy. Then you cut out nose and eyes. We found some buttons to play with from our craft stash, but you could use felt or fabric or even paint.
Then, you sew on the tummy, the wings, and the beak. The eyes are my favorite part. I start at one end of the eye and sew straight across to the other end. Then, I use the reverse setting and go all the way back and then to the middle where I reposition the needle and repeat until I've made a pizza wheel all the way around.

Then, we hand sewed button eyes, pinned our wings and then all four layers we pinned carefully together. We made sure that the pins went through all the layers and then sewed around. For our project, we used only the machine and we found that it was easier to sew from one ear to the other leaving the top open to stuff. This way we could put the beans in the bottom and they wouldn't be falling out as we sewed up the top.

We used poly pellets in the bottom, but you could use dry beans or rice if you wanted or you could use fiber fill for the whole project. I like the heft that the pellets give to a toy, but don't recommend them for small children who chew on everything... It's probably a safety hazard.

Then, you just sew up the top. It looks VERY homemade and has a childlike charm. It's a great project if you've got a stash of random scraps you'd like to use. We had a 9 year old boy that needed a little help with the machine, but everyone older was able to make their own. I hope to have a photo of all the owls together at some point. If you make them.. Let me know. I'd love to see how your owls turn out!

If you want one and don't want to make one, the 3 I made are all for sale in my Etsy Shop..

Love Boxes SHoP..