Tutorial: Sew a Little Buddy

November 29, 2017

Hey everyone!

Welcome to our Little Buddy tutorial! Little Buddies are a great way to learn the basics of hand sewing. Little Buddies also make great gifts, because who doesn’t love receiving a wonderful hand-made present? Making a Little Buddy doesn’t take too long and uses everyday materials that you may already have at home. Here’s a list of the materials that you’ll need:

Fabric (about 1 sq. foot)
Fabric scissors
Fabric markers
Dull #6 Needles and thread
Stuffing
Buttons (optional)
Pins (optional)

Once you have gathered your materials you can get started!

Step 1

Start by deciding what you want to make.

Step 2

Fold the fabric in half and draw an outline of your chosen buddy.

In this example, I’m making a bunny.

Step 3

Next cut out the shape that you drew about 1/2 in outside of the line while keeping both halves of the fabric together. Pin if necessary.

Step 4

Take the thread and measure from the tip on your right fingers to the tip of your left shoulder and cut. Thread the needle and make a knot on one end. Leave the other end of the thread about 2 inches shorter than the end of the knot.

Now we’re ready to start sewing! There are different kinds of stitches but today, we’ll be using one called the whip stitch. It’s simple and it’s good for this kind of project because it will help hold the stuffing inside of the finished little buddy.
Note: the side that we are working on is the inside of the little buddy.

Step 5

Start at the bottom right of the fabric. Push the needle up from the underside and through both layers of the fabric. Then pull the thread all the way until the knot is underneath the fabric. This is one stitch. Notice that the other end of the thread is loose. If you hold the fabric and pull the needle, the thread will come off the needle so make sure you don’t pull too hard after every stitch.

Step 6

For the next stitch, place the tip of the needle about half an inch to the right of the original stitch and push the needle up. Again, pull the thread all the way until the stitch is secure. Keep an eye on the loose end of the thread to make sure it does not unravel.

Step 7

Repeat this sewing technique until you’re about halfway around the entire little buddy. Remember to always start the stitch by pushing it from the underside up.

Now that you’re halfway there, it is a good time to add any designs or decorations you want. Adding things like buttons once it’s already stuffed is possible but more difficult.

Step 8

If you wish to add buttons, add some thread on another needle and tie both ends into a knot. Take the fabric, separate the layers, and turn it inside out.

Step 9

Position the buttons the way you would like for them to go. Hold one of the buttons in place with your hand. Separate the layers once again and push the needle with the new thread from the underside of the top layer all the way through one of the holes in the button.

Step 10

Push the needle back down through a different hole in the button. Make sure it’s only the top layer of fabric. Repeat up and down motion until the button is secure in place.

Step 11

In order to tie off the thread, hold the fabric on the underside of the button. Push the needle through the fabric as shown. Pull the thread most of the way through.

You’ll notice a loop that is formed. Pull the needle through that loop, tighten, and cut the thread.

Repeat steps 9 and 11 with each button.

Step 12

Once all of the buttons are in place turn the fabric inside out once again. It is time to keep sewing around the fabric. Leave a hole on the bottom in order to add the stuffing before closing it up.