Hey everyone!
As you may know from this blog, I will be attending Anime Syracuse 2012 as Mami Tomoe from Puella Magi Madoka Magica. As I have been preparing for the convention I ran into a not so unique problem. How was I going to carry my stuff and still maintain a character-like appearance? My solution was to create a Kyubey Plush Doll with a pocket stitched inside accessible by a zipper on his back (after all Kyubey eats grief seeds through his back). This pocket can hold my camera, my phone, and my money.
Once again however, I ran into a problem…although there are many awesome examples of Kyubey plush dolls….
Not one of these dolls came with a patten so that others could recreate their own Kyubey. So I decided to make my own pattern for all of you wonderful people to use!
Kyubey Plush Pattern
Based on this pattern this is what your Kyubey will look like:
So using this pattern….let begin making the Kyubey Doll!
What you will need:
- ½ yard-1 yard of white felt (amazing fabric to work with) depending on the size of your Kyubey. I do not give any measurements rather the size of my Kyubey is based on the body size, which fits snugly on a 8 ½ x 11 sheet of paper.
- Square of yellow felt
- 2 Squares of pink felt
- 1 square of red felt (either with a sticker back or regular)
- 6 inch zipper (if you keep to my size Kyubey body)
- A small amount of another fabric that you want to use as the pocket (I recommend a smooth/soft fabric. I used a bed skirt)
- Black fabric paint
- A little bit of white Paint
- Stuffing
- Needle/Curved Needle/Thread/Sewing Machine
All of these materials cost about $15 dollars (other then the sewing machine) at Joann’s Fabrics. The great thing about Joann’s is the coupons, so I only spent $9.
So now that we have the materials let create the characters who most wants you to make a contract with him! /人◕ ‿‿ ◕人\
The first thing I started with the body. I made the body, tail, and head separately.
The Body
Using the body we first have to create the belly pattern. What you want to do is use the legs you drew for the body pattern. You fold the body almost in half so that you can be prepared to trace the legs.
Make sure that you trace the legs very thickly with pencil. You hen want to fold over the paper and use the pencil to shade the backside of the paper so the pencil will transfer onto the other side
Make sure you then add some paper to either side if you are only using 8 1/5 by 11 so that the belly piece like this:
You then what to pin the paper to the felt and cut out two body pieces and 1 belly piece. Make sure you leave some extra fabric. Also make sure you trace the original outline from the pattern as well. I used pen, but in hindsight I recommend pencil.
Like this:
Once you have cut the pieces out you need to pin and sew. Remember that you will be turning this inside out so keep the marked up sides facing out (or in the belly’s case down).
The first thing we are going to sew together is the legs.
As you can see this is pinned wrong, I had to re-pin it. The only thing that is wrong is that the belly piece should be faced down. Make sure when you are pinning to line up the traces. After it is pinned sew up the legs! Make sure you do one at a time.
Once the legs are sown up on both sides connect the rest of the belly to the body. The butt (leaving a space for the tail)
and the front.
In the end it should look like this after you turn it inside out
The next thing that you want to do is put stuffing in the legs and the lower part of the body. Don’t fill it yet if you want to add a pocket.
now before we can finish the body we have to add a pocket if we want one. This is the pocket I created.
All I did was cut out a rectangle of fabric, sew up the sides (leaving a few inches at the top) and then sewing the zipper on. This is why I left a few inches on the top. so I could fold over the top of the fabric to sew the zipper on. Make sure the fabric you choose is thin enough so that you can sew through it once for the zipper and twice to sew it into the back.
Once the pocket is mad put it into the back. I recommend that you open the zipper so that you can machine sew part of it in and then hand sew the ends in. This will close up Kyubey’s back.
This is what the zipper ends up looking like…
After you have sewed up the back (leaving the head and tail spots open) stuff the rest of the body!
The Tail
Next it’s time to make the tail! This is the easiest part of the Kyubey doll. All you have to do is take the pattern cut it out twice sew them together, turn it inside out, and stuff it. Make sure you leave the left side of the pattern in because you want some extra fabric for attaching.
Once you have the tail stuffed it’s time to attach it to the body. All you have to do is put the tail in the open tail hole you left and stitch around it by hand sewing.
The Head
The head is going to take the longest amount of time because it has so many details. The first thing I did was make the ear-hands Kyubey has coming out of his ears.
These are really annoying…especially when it comes to the time to turn them inside out. Well lets get to it then…
You will have to use the pink felt here for the finger parts and the white for the main ear. You can use white thread in the sewing machine for both it doesn’t make a difference to use pink on the finger parts. You will have to cut out for main parts, two that are reversed as well as four finger parts. What you want to do is once again leave the traces sides out and sew each white part to its own pink part. Then sew them together. After sew the ears up and turn them inside out. For turning them inside out I recommend using a pencil to help push it through.
Now I will tell you how to make the yellow rings around the ears. Because felt is amazing you can literally roll up some yellow felt, sew it into rings that are small enough not to go over one end, but large enough to look nice and slip them on!
Next you can add red felt to complete the look
Now it’s time to make the main head piece
Just cut out two pieces and sew them together! Make sure you leave holes so that you can slip the ears in.
Stuff and then attach the ears
Once the funky ears are done you can add the normal ears
add some pink that’s slightly smaller
Then sew on and you have ears!
Then add the eyes (using red felt)
And use the black fabric paint to finish the eyes and add the mouth. I waited to add these until I sewed the head onto the neck, but that is up to you
Use the white paint to finish
Then add the red oval on Kyubey’s back
Then you have a Kyubey Doll!
I add a bow :)