Here is another project I made this week. This cute turtle was made with the free pattern, Myrtle the Purl Turtle, from Purl Soho. What a fun tutorial this is.
The shell is a piece from Flea Market Fancy by Denyse Schmidt. I love this fabric and have had it on the shelf for a bit now. I used a linen blend by Andover (available in my shop) for the head and the tops of the feet (or are they paws?) The linen adds a great textural component. Along those lines, the wool felt used for the belly is so soft, adding yet another texture. Two black buttons were sewn on for the eyes. The pattern doesn’t include a mouth. I thought about it for a bit but didn’t come up with a way to add a mouth that I liked. So, eyes only it is!!
Putting the turtle together was really simple. Stuffing the turtle was another story altogether. I couldn’t get the seams at the feet and head stuffed to my liking. If I really packed in the stuffing, everything got really stiff and lost the cozy appeal I wanted. But when I loosened the stuffing these little creases developed. After playing around with it for a while, I opted for the creases and the softer stuffing.
I was happy to see my grand daughter’s excitement when I gave her the turtle. She patiently watched as I sewed the eyes on and then she happily took ownership! I tried to get her to name the turtle but she is too young and just didn’t get it. She calls it Turtle and that is good enough for me.
If you haven’t tried making a stuffed animal, this is a fun one to start with. The joins at the neck are a little tricky but other than that, easy peasy. Thanks to Purl Soho for this fun pattern. They have several other cute stuffed animal patterns (a teddy bear, super cute bunny, penguin and a cat) on their site that I look forward to trying. If you have any stuffed animal patterns you’ve used, I would love to hear about it. Always looking for the next project, right??
Linking up with my favorites. Check them out at the top of the page under Link Ups.
Be sure to check out my shop this weekend where you will find a 20% off sale on ALL fabrics in the Clearance & Remnant section
Turtle is adorable! Thanks for the link. There are times when I wished I had a relatively simple softie to make. I like to gift books to children but I like to pair each book with something related…a soft toy, a pillowcase…I’m heading over to Purl’s site right now to check it out. If it’s granddaughter-approved, that’s good enough for me! XO
That is such a good idea – to find a coordinated book and stuffed animal. I think you will enjoy making these. It is also amazing how far one bag of poly stuffing goes! There is a ton in there. Have fun Karen.
Those little toes with the turtle are so cute! What fun that H loved the turtle; it makes all the work of putting it together worth it, right?! My grandmother made frogs for all of her grandkids. I still have mine tucked away somewhere. Hers were filled with either rice or birdseed (the birdseed ones were either tossed or emptied, I think). I inherited the patterns, and seeing the turtle makes me want to pull one out and make it. Enjoy your time with H!
There is a frog on Purl Soho too and it looks like it is also filled with something like rice. That would be fun – kind of like those beanie babies that were popular a while ago?
Oh how sweet – and her with her turtle! too cute!
Thanks Alycia. Sweet finish for a sweet girl!
So sweet—and who knew it could be a footrest? I think Turtle is a great name. And I like how the feet came out with the little creases. They do look like turtle feet. It looks like your time with H is going wonderfully—and you even have authentic seasonal weather!
Seasonal weather for sure!! Yesterday we went for a long walk down town. I mentioned it was such a nice morning out – Andrew laughed and said mom, it is only 36 out. If I was home, I would not choose to go for a walk when it is 36 out. But after walking in much colder weather, it seemed pleasant. However, today it is super windy and that makes it too uncomfortable – so we are inside today! Doesn’t matter tho – it’s still tons of fun. We played with a glue stick today – I cut up pictures from a mail catalogue and she loved it. Simple pleasures.
So cute! Glad to now this is fairly simple stuffed animal pattern. I do not do well with more 3-dimensional projects but this is just so cute! Oh, and my son is five and has NO imagination when it comes to naming stuffed animals, even now. We have Puppy, Doll, Panda, Giraffey, Elephant….at least the giraffe got an extra letter? H looks pretty happy with Turtle!
Maybe when she is older, she will think of names??? If I called the turtle something, she would mimic it and use the name, but she couldn’t come up with it herself. It is just a turtle. The pattern is not all that difficult. If you try it and get stuck, I am happy to help!!
Turtle is so adorable. It looks like he’s getting a lot of love already.
Thank you Anja – You should make a stuffed animal for your little niece. She’d love it!!
Turtle and sweet little girl are adorable ;)) If it’s not too complicated, I may give it a try!
Hi: The turtle pattern is quite easy to make. It has held up well now that she has had it for a couple of years. Give it a try! I am sure you will enjoy making it!
Hmm. Now you’ve set me a challenge. My six month old grandson Franklin is named after the turtles his parents saw hatching on Fraser Island last year when they discovered they were pregnant for the first time. I can feel a Franklin Turtle coming on 🙂
That seems like a wonderful idea! The pattern is not difficult. You might want to embroider the eye since the baby is so young (rather than sew buttons on – which could become detached). Also, are you aware of the Franklin book series? My kids loved them when they were small. Just in case you don’t know this “Franklin”, here is a link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_the_Turtle_(books)