These are little elephants with big ears and I think they make lovely wee gifts for babies and toddlers.
I first made them when Keira was a little one- all the way back here!
And ever since then, I've had emails from readers asking if I'd share the pattern. It's obviously quite a simple one - but sometimes it's more fun to make a project that's all ready to go. So I hope you have fun with these and make lots for all the little children in your life.
*** for personal use only - thank you! ***
Materials:
Copy of the elephant template pattern. You'll also need a little more paper and a pencil.
Small amount of plain-coloured fabric. This should be soft, light-weight and tightly-woven. Good choices include linen with a tight weave, cotton, or lightweight denim/chambray
Small amount of a contrast printed fabric for ears and tail - lightweight and soft cotton is the best choice
Sewing machine, pins needle, thread, scissors and embroidery thread
Stuffing - wool, cotton or polyester
Method:
**Click on any of the photos to enlarge them**
Print the template and cut out the pieces. You'll also need to make a pattern for the tail (I forgot to include that in the pattern- oops!) so to do this, cut out a rectangle that measures 3" long and 2.5" wide. Then trim the rectangle so that it is slightly tapered towards one short end (as in photo below).
Cut out the elephant pieces: two body pieces (place fabric right sides together, pin and cut), 4 ear pieces and 2 tail pieces.
Using a 1/4" seam, sew around the curved edges of each ear pair, press then carefully clip the curved seam. Turn each ear right side out and press. Fold in the raw edges with a narrow fold (about 1/4"), and press again.
Take the 2 tail pieces and place right sides together. With a 1/4" seam, sew them together, leaving the untapered top edge unsewn. Press seam, clip corners, turn right-side out and press again.
Assemble the elephant. Open up the body pieces and lay both on a flat surface, right sides up. Transfer the eye marking from the template by making a mark with a pencil. Using dark embroidery thread, work some small stitches (I use about 3 very small sideways chain stitches, stacked on top of each other) for the eye, on both body pieces.
Using the template markings as a guide, pin the ears to the body front, carefully lining up the folded raw edges. Sew along these edges to attach the ears to the elephant, reversing at the top and bottom of each ear.
Take the tail piece and pin to one of the body pieces as shown below:
Place the other body piece on top and pin all around. You will leave the top part unsewn for turning (as marked on the template):
Sew all around the edge with a 1/4" seam. I sew this seam twice to make sure the toy will be extra-sturdy.
A note about the trunk: when I reach the trunk, I pivot the needle just above the point where it joins the leg, then continue sewing. Later, I clip this seam very carefully, as shown below:
Press the seams then trim and carefully clip the curves and corners.
Turn right-side-out and use a pencil to push out any corners as necessary.
Stuff your elephant (it's best to use small tufts of stuffing at a time and begin by pushing these tufts into the elephant's feet and trunk with the pencil).
Neatly stitch up the gap at the top of the elephant, and admire your new elephant friend.
Other ideas:
If you're making these for a baby, you could add a bell or rattle along with the stuffing, or insert a piece of crinkly paper or plastic into the ear before attaching to the elephant.
Make five or six and hand-sew ribbons between them to create a sweet elephant garland, like I did below.
