All your craft needs: Step by Step Tutorial: How to Make a Melly & Me Pippi Softie

The lovely and very crafty Tracy Wyldman kindly wrote this great tutorial explaining the process of making a Melly & Me Pippi the Horse softie. Thank you so much Tracy.

Step 1: Trace your pattern pieces onto tracing paper or interfacing, being careful to match up the notches.

Step 2: Cut your main body fabric 32” x 13” and contrast fabric 32” x 3”. Sew these two pieces of fabric together. Press seams flat.

Step 3: Place the main pattern piece onto the fabric, matching up the hoof lines with the contrast fabric and cut out.

Step 4: Place the inner leg pattern piece onto the fabric matching up the hoof lines with the contrast fabric and cut out. You should have two main body pieces and two inner leg pieces.

Step 5: Cut a piece of wool felt into 8 strips measuring ¼” x 4½”. Sew these 8 pieces together at one end to form the tail.

Step 6: Cut 6 strips of wool felt each measuring ¼” x 3”. Sew these 6 pieces together at one end to form the forelock (mane that hangs down the front of the head between the ears).

Step 7: Cut your wool felt into one strip measuring 1” x 5¾”. Snip one side along the length approximately every ¼” to form the mane, but only snip in about ¾”, leave a ¼” so the can be attached to the main body.

Step 8: Referring to your pattern pieces, take one piece of the main body and tack into position the tail, fringe and mane.

Step 9: With right sides together match up one main body part and one inner leg part and sew together. Do this to the other side also.

Step 10: Now sew the two pieces together to make the whole thing, leaving an opening at the saddle area for the stuffing.

Step 11: Turn right side out.

Step 12: Stuff the pony with toy stuffing making sure you get the stuffing into the corners and all parts. Use plenty of stuffing. Hand sew the opening together with strong thread.

Step 13: Cut a piece of contrast fabric 4” x 13”, place the right sides together and fold. Cut a piece of iron on pellon 4” x 6½”, iron the pellon to the wrong side of the fabric. Trace the pattern to the wrong side of the fabric and sew around this line, remembering to leave a gap for turning. Trim leaving a 1/4'” seam. Turn right way out and topstitch around the edge.

Step 14: Tack into place using a slipstitch.

Step 15: Using the contrast fabric, fold right sides together and trace the ears pattern onto the wrong side of the fabric, do this twice. Sew around the drawn line remembering to leave a gap for turning. Cut the ear shapes out leave about a ¼” seam allowance. Turn the right way out.