Summer Travelers TUTORIAL

These little guys are around 9" tall. They are perfect to snuggle with, laugh with, and to show the world too. They love to be tucked into bags, blankets, suitcases, and little people arms. They find the world facinating and want to see and experience it all.
Pick your fabrics:

6 X15 inch piece of Fleece, or anything else soft

6 X 15 inch piece of cotton or whatever else you would like to use

Print your Pattern:

CLICK HERE

Transfer your pattern:

Cut out the printed pattern and lay on the RIGHT SIDES of the fabric and trace. The edges will fray and make them fuzzy and cute. You will need to do this for the body, ears--choose just one kind per little guy, arms and legs.

Sewing Arm and Legs:

Lay the cotton fabric RIGHT SIDES UP on top of the fleece fabric. You want to make sure that the fleece stretch is going up and down. You want it to stretch long and skinny, not short and fat.
Now you need to sew on the drawn lines. This will keep you straight and nice.

Cut:

Now cut all the pieces out just under a 1/4 inch outside of the sewn line. This area will fray. Make sure you aren't too close to the seam line. It is easier too to cut out with the cotton on the bottom. It won't shift while cutting. no funky edges.



Body:
On the right side of the fabric you can add a belly. I used a piece of the fleece. I fussy cut the little spiral thingie. Sew this to the front along the edge. Cut your fleece for the back of the body 6 X 5 1/2" with the stretch going up and down the 6" length. Here are all your pieces and parts:

Stuff:
ONLY the legs. Just a bit. Not too much, not too little. Leave a little space at the top. This will make it much easier to sew into the body later. Believe me.

Pinch and Pin:
Pinch the ears just a bit and before pinning in place.




Pin the ears, and arms onto the front piece of the traveler.




Pin again:
Pin the front to the back fleece piece. Notice that the fleece is not cut to shape. It will stretch and move just a bit. Perfect for getting everything just right.




Sewing again:
Sew around the body edge 1/4 inch inside. Watch those pins!! There will be a few parts that are fat and chunky and hard to get through. Just keep going.





Take your pins out and then turn it right sides out. I know i am not having you clip it yet...hold on. You want to make sure that the ears and arms are all sewn in perfect. Nothing should be loose, or dangeling, or sewn into the other side seam. Everything ok? Then pop it all back in and trim around the seam.


Look how cute:
Now stuff it.



Pinning again, again:
Stick the legs in place and PIN. These legs love to run away and move. They are little guys and little guys are wiggle worms, so pin those in.


*That doesn't look to comfortable, does it?*
Sewing again, again and again:
Sew right across this bottom. 1/4 inch is perfect. Then turn over and make sure you got both front and back sides. Then sew across it again.




Trim it:
Bend the legs down and trim this just past the stitching. There is large and small parts of fabric everywhere. Even them all out. Make their bum cute people. People will be looking at them!

Face Please:
They would love to have a face either stitched on or use button for thier eyes, red pucker lips, a crooked sneaky smile, starry eyes, eyelashes...whatever you think this little guy/gal needs.
Admire:



Admire Again:


Make More:
Make sure you make one per child. They all want their own! And they don't like to share! And they won't fight while you are on vacation! Have fun... oh, and i would love it if you shared them too!!
Flickr it baby!