Make a Stuffed Tardigrade

It’s October 3rd. You know what that means?

Here’s what you’ll need to get started.

Materials and Tools

• Fleece Fabric - 1/2 yard
• Matching Thread
• Plastic Claws (optional)
• Sewing Machine (recommended)
• Sewing Needle
• Sewing Scissors
• Sewing Pins

Instructions

Step 1: Print sewing pattern

Print the pdf at 100% scale.

Step 2: Cut out pattern

Cut along the solid lines to prepare the pattern. Assemble larger pattern pieces by lining up the dashed lines and taping the pieces together.

Step 3: Lay out pattern

Place each pattern piece on the fabric and trace the outline with a fabric marking or chalk pencil*. Each pattern is marked with the intended fabric color and quantity of pieces, if more than one. *You can use just about anything, really, but make sure it won’t bleed through your fabric or smudge onto everything else. You can also just pin the pattern to your fabric while you cut, but it’s harder to keep track of lines.

Step 4: Cut fabric to pattern

Cut around each pattern piece leaving about one-quarter to half an inch of fabric around each edge. (This will go in the seams.) Pay special attention to the body and belly pieces - you’ll need to fold the fabric and place the straight edge of the pattern along the fold before cutting. The final piece will be symmetrical and twice the size of the paper.

Step 5: Sew

Once everything is cut out, it’s time to assemble! Let’s start with the head.

5.1 Head and Snout

Line up and pin the head pieces in pairs. Sew one side of each pair, then open both set and line them up to each other. Pin and sew both sides to form a sort of misshapen tube. Find your snout and fold the longer side in half (hamburger style). Stitch one side to form a tube, then turn it inside out. Slide the snout into the smaller opening of the head and stitch up the seam with a needle and thread. (This seam won’t be visible, so don’t worry if your stitching isn’t pretty.) Find the other end of the snout and stitch the opening closed. Now we’re going to set the folds. Starting at the snout, turn the face back so it flat against it. Find the first place where the width changes and fold it back toward where the body will be. Line up each corner and use your needle and thread to add a few stitches into the seams to tack them together. You don’t have to be exact here, but you do want to make sure these are secure at all four corners. Fold the head in the opposite direction at the next shift in width, and continue the process until you have a wrinkly tardigrade face.

5.2 Legs and Belly

Line up and pin all eight of the legs to the Belly. This may be a little tricky because they curve in opposite directions, but that’s how we get a little more shape. Stitch them all up.

5.3 Body and Belly

Now take your modified Belly and line it up with the Body. The Legs should line up pretty easily here. Pin them together and stitch it up, leaving the neck and booty unstitched. (You’ll be using the latter to turn it inside out.) If you’re using our recycled plastic claws, leave an opening at the tip of each leg just large enough to insert the back ends.

5.4 Attach the Claws (optional)

Grab a claw and place it inside your inside-out tardigrade body. Maneuver it to one of the legs and push the back end through the opening you left for it. Take your needle and thread and stitch it securely to the inside of the leg. If there’s extra space around the plastic piece, stitch up the seam so it’s nice and snug, too. Repeat until all of your legs are clawed.

5.5 Attach the Head

With the head right side out and the body inside out, slide the head into the body and line up the seam. Pin it and stitch it, then turn everything right side out.

Step 6: Stuff

Begin by filling the extremities and small features with fiber fill, pushing it in with a pencil or chopstick if necessary. Work your way outward, squishing the plush from the outside to even out the filling. Once you’re happy with the feel, stitch up the booty with a needle and thread using a slip stitch or invisible stitch.

Ta da! You’ve got a new friend. High five, y’all.

Show us how you did by tagging us @themaddollar and #makeitmad (Just make sure your post is public so we can see it.)