Sew a Cactus Softie DIY

Sew a Cactus Softie DIY

Remember the bacon and eggs softies we made a couple of weeks ago?  Abbi and I have been in full production mode, making little critters and characters ever since!  We will be sharing our creations over the next few months, but today we are sharing instructions for how to sew a cactus softie, with these three prickly little fellas.

Materials

To sew a cactus, you will need:

• Green Felt  (with optional flower cut outs in any colour too)
• Needle and thread to match your felt
• Stuffing
• Puffy Paint for features

Method

This is another really easy sewing project for kids to do, as the sewing is not complicated –  and pretty much anything goes with a cactus shape.

First draw out the shape you want your cactus to be (or just jump in and start cutting) .  I’ve cut three classic cacti shapes, all quite simple – you can make them as complicated or as easy as you like.  The shapes need to be double width so you have an exact front and back to join up.  For two of the cacti that we are making, I’m adding a flower.

Cactus softie number 1

Add features to suit your cacti on one of the sides.  I like to add happy faces. Then use a contrasting colour of puffy paint, and make dots for the spikes of the cactus. As you can see, ours are pretty rough and ready, but hey so is nature!Join the two pieces up together again, and  sew round the edge of the cactus, leaving a gap to fill, before sewing that up too.  (More detailed instructions and tips for this bit are over on the egg and bacon post)

Cactus softie number 2

For the next little guy, I’ve used a darker puffy paint, and added a little cacti flower at a jaunty angle no less!  It a bit too small to stuff, so I have just tucked it inside when I sewed up the cactus.

Cactus softie number 3

For my third cactus, Im doing a flower that is also stuffed.  Ive cut and sewn it first, then I stuffed it, before sewing the whole lot together. And here are the finished little dessert trio of cacti. We made these really for the fun of making them, but I found some little terracotta pots in my cupboard.  they are the perfect size to display these in Abbis room.Making these softies is so much fun, and really easy.  Its a great way to introduce kids to sewing, as they get something fun and tangible without too much effort.  And they get see their own designs come to life.

Abbi and I have many more of these projects in the pipeline.  If you want to make sure you don’t miss any, be sure to add your email to the subscribe button on the right of this post.   What softies would you want to see us make?