Fox And Cubs

About

You Will Need (8 things)

Steps (15 steps, 60 minutes)

1. 1

   Ccut out one head, one
   front body and one back body from orange felt,
   and one tail, one face and two eyes from white
   felt. Cut out two small circles for the pupils and
   an oval for the nose from black felt.

   Cutting out small shapes
   When cutting out very small shapes without a template, start by cutting out a small square of felt then cut out your shape out from the square. To cut small circles, cut into the felt in a spiral motion, turning the felt round slowly as you cut (using your thumb as a pivot) and gradually making the spiral smaller until you get the size of circle you want.

   I often cut two or three versions of a small shape before I get the one I’m happy with. Use leftover scraps of felt from other projects to practice cutting out the shape you want—fiddly jobs like this always get easier with practice!
   If you’re having difficulty cutting your small shapes accurately freehand, try drawing the shape you want onto a piece of paper, cutting it out and then using a piece of clear tape to hold it onto the felt (as above).

2. 2

   Position the head on the front body piece using the back body piece as a guide to ensure the front and back of the fox will line up neatly when sewn together. Whipstitch the head onto the front body using matching orange sewing thread.

   Whipstitch
   To sew two layers of felt together along their
   edges, start stitching between the two layers, so
   the knot is hidden, passing the needle through to
   the front. Sew a stitch that overlaps the edge at a
   slight diagonal angle, passing the needle through
   the felt at the back, and sewing through both
   layers of felt at another slight angle through to the
   front, so the needle comes out a short distance
   along from where you started. Repeat this to sew
   up the whole edge.

3. 3

   Whipstitch the tail and face in place using white sewing thread.

4. 4

   Cut a length of white embroidery floss and separate half the strands (so for six-stranded floss, use three strands). Switch to a larger needle if necessary and backstitch a line inside each of the fox’s ears, then sew a series of small single stitches on the fox’s chest.

   Backstitch
   Start with one straight stitch, then pass the needle through the felt a stitch length away from the end of the stitch, as if you’re starting a second straight stitch. Instead of moving “forward” along the line
   you’re sewing, sew back towards the first stitch and pass the needle through the felt as close to the end of the first stitch as possible, so they form a continuous line. Repeat this, each time starting your stitches a stitch-length away from the previous stitch, and then sewing back to it.

5. 5

   Whipstitch the eyes, pupils and nose to the head using matching
   sewing threads, then backstitch the fox’s smile using black sewing thread.

6. 6

   Sew the front and back body pieces together at the tail using whipstitch in matching sewing threads, starting from where the tail meets the body and sewing down the bottom edge and back up along the top edge. Switch between orange and white sewing
   threads as required and stuff the tail gradually as you sew up the second side.

7. 7

   Whipstitch around the legs using matching orange sewing thread, starting just below the fox’s head. Stuff the legs, then sew along the
   back and around the head, stuffing the fox gradually as you sew and switching to white sewing thread as you sew around the white
   section of the face.

   If liked, sew a line of running stitch flush around the edge of the fox’s head from bottom to top using orange sewing thread to improve the shape. Carefully sew through all the layers of felt and stuffing to pull the layers closer together. Turn the fox over and back again as you sew to ensure the stitching is neat on both
   sides and finish neatly at the back.

8. 8

   The Cubs

   Cut out one head, one front body and one back body from orange felt, and one face from white felt. Cut out a small oval for the nose from black felt.

9. 9

   Position the head on the front body piece using the back body piece as a guide to ensure the front and back of the cub will line up neatly when sewn together. Whipstitch the head onto the front body
   using matching orange sewing thread.

10. 10

    Whipstitch the face in place using white sewing thread.

11. 11

    Cut a length of white embroidery floss and separate half the strands (so for six-stranded floss, use three strands). Switch to a larger
    needle if necessary and backstitch a line inside each ear, then sew
    a series of small single stitches onto the cub’s chest and tail.

12. 12

    Whipstitch the nose to the face using black sewing thread. Sew on two black seed beads for the eyes with three or four stitches of
    black sewing thread, then backstitch the cub’s smile.

13. 13

    Backstitch lines onto the cub’s body to mark out its legs, as pictured, using matching orange sewing thread.

14. 14

    Sew the front and back of the cub together using
    whipstitch in matching orange sewing thread, starting by
    sewing around the tail and then stuffing it. Sew up the body and around the head, switching to white sewing thread as necessary
    and then back to orange for the final section.
    Stuff the cub gradually as you sew, until the final gap
    has been sewn up.

15. 15

    If liked, sew a line of running stitch around the bottom of
    the cub’s head using matching orange sewing thread, finishing neatly at the back.