Soft Body Mouse Tutorial

Little Stuff by Liz

STEP 1- Adjust pattern to size you desire. Cut out all pattern pieces from gray or brown 100% wool felt.

STEPS 2 – Using matching color thread, sew the darts on each of the head pieces and the dart on the bottom of the body front piece. Make sure that the darts are on the opposite sides of the head.

STEP 3 – Make an internal body support from pipe cleaners or wire. Make another support piece for the mouse’s tail. The support is inserted into the felt body after the mouse body is sewn together. If arms and legs are too long, they can be cut off later after fitting the support into the felt body.

STEP 4 – SEW MOUSE BODY; with matching color thread, sew all the pattern pieces together using a back stitch.

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(4-a) With right sides together, sew a single stitch at the tip of the nose to hold the 2 pieces together while attaching the body fronts and top of head pattern pieces.

(4-b) Stitch one side of the top of head starting at the center tip of the nose.

(4-c) Sew the opposite side of top of head.

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(4-d) Sew front body panel on starting at the tip of nose to end of arm.

(4-e) Sew the same side from end of the bottom of the arm to the bottom.

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(4-f) Sew the other side of front the same way.

(4-g) Sew from rear portion of head part way down the back. Leave an opening in the back. The tail support will protrude out the back opening. Sew the bottom completely shut; the leg wires will by poked through the stitching.

STEP 5- Turn mouse right side out.

STEP 6 - Insert support into body through the gap in back seam. Poke leg wires thru felt where you want legs to come out.

STEP 7- Stuff mouse with poly stuffing through the back opening, working from the bottom up. Keep support (spine) towards the body’s back seam. Sew up back opening.

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STEP 8 - Bend leg/foot support using the guide on the pattern page. Legs will bend up and forward to allow them to be extended when mouse is in a sitting position. Cut arms and leg to length desired.

STEP 9 - Using paper, air dry clay or oven-cured polymer clay, form the hands and feet. Bake if using polymer clay. Glue on to ends of supports.

STEP 10- Use a wire brush to pull up felt nap (fuzz) and then brush back down to cover seams and create directional ‘fur’ on face.

STEP 11 - Create highlight on belly, chin and around nose using either acrylic paint or wool roving. Nose can be made from a small ball of wool roving formed into a ball or from embroidery floss. Eyes can be made from beads or round top paper fasters. Whiskers can be made from thick thread, transparent thread or other stiff fiber.

STEP 12 – Pleat ears by stitching each ear pattern piece to fold and then sew onto head.

STEP 13- Roll tail piece around a support and glue together, sew or glue onto body.

STEP 14 - Where the support meets the hands and feet cover by needle felting wool roving to the felt or by gluing on flocking.

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