Mousey Pin Cushion - Tin Soldiers Studio

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Mousey Pin Cushion

Mousey

I designed Mousey on a day when it rained and rained... which is a lovely thing in this hot dusty country. Still, after a while I felt like something flowery and full of sunshine. Mousey was just the thing! While I was making Mousey I thought of things that he would be good for, apart from being a very good pincushion.

Imagine a whole Christmas tree full of Mouseys.

Or make just one for your cat and stuff it with catnip. There's lots of catnip in the studio garden in summer. If you visit you are welcome to pick a sprig.

Mousey would also make a nice toy for a baby. What you have to keep in mind is that babies and cats put toys in their mouths, so don't leave any pins in Mousey, and make sure that you sew on all the embellishments securely.

Right, let's start. This is where you click to open the pattern sheet. If you have trouble printing the pattern sheet, email Megan, and I will send it to you as an email attachment.

Materials needed to make Mousey:
Oddments of Felt
Sewing thread and needles
Pipe Cleaner
Smallish black beads for eyes
Polyester filling

You can print the illustrated instructions below, or just read them, and carry on on your own. Mousey's construciton is really quite simple.

Start by making a set of templates from cardboard or template plastic. I like to use old X-rays. Remember to transfer all markings such as the darts and placement of feet onto the plastic.

Choose felt colours that you like. He doesn't have to be all one colour. Mark out all the pieces on felt. I used a gel pen. Remember to cut out the correct number of pieces and to reverse the pieces where necessary, like for the body. When you cut Mousey out of the felt cut inside your pen lines, so that they don't show through on the seams when we start putting him together.

First sew the darts in the ears. I used a small running stitch. Place the ear into the body dart so that your ear seam is at the back of the ear. This will give the ears a nice cup shape when we are finished.

Pinch the ears into the body darts and pin. Be careful when you pin the ears into the body! Remember that the two bodies need to have a mirror image. Sew carefully through both layers of the body as well as the ear.

I sewed my tail on the outside. Blanket stitch or over stitch will look good if you make small neat stitches. I also inserted a pipe cleaner as I was sewing. This will make the tail bendable later. If you are looking for a shortcut you may fold the tail in half and simply glue it over the pipe cleaner. Personally I like to sew everything when I can.

Now let's put the top part of the body together. Place the two body halves together, with the ears on the inside and start pinning the body together from the nose end. Remember to pin the tail into position where marked, also from inside the body. Sew the two body pieces together from the nose to the back end, just below the tail.

Sneak preview of Mousey! Now one can start to see what he will look like. Be gentle when you turn pieces right side out. Over handling the felt when all the pieces are not sewn together might cause it to stretch or tear on the edges.

Getting underneath things. Pin al four the feet into position on the mouse underside, with the feet facing inwards. Lightly tack the feet into position.

If you are going to sew embellishments onto your mouse, now is a good time to do it. Once it's stuffed it's much harder work. There are templates for flowers and hearts on the pattern sheet. You could also use your imagination and draw your own. If you prefer to glue the embellishments on, leave it until the mouse is stuffed. It will be easier to decide on placement then.

Once embellishments are sewn on, turn all the pieces wrong side out. curl the tail inside the body, and make sure that al four feet are neatly tucked inside too. Sew from one side of the 'leave open' area marked on your pattern, around the nose, and all the way to the other end of the 'leave open'. A small area at the back end will remain open.

Turn Mousey right side out through the opening at the back end. Be gentle. Stuff with polyester filling (or catnip, or whatever) and close the opening with neat stitches.

Mousey needs a nose and eyes. For the nose I cut and gathered a circle of pink felt. There's a template on the pattern sheet. For the eyes I cut two small circles of felt to go behind the beads. You don't need a template for that. Start by cutting two small squares slightly bigger than your eye beads and trim off the corners until they become round.

Pin the gathered nose circle on to the front of Mousey's face, and sew securely into position. Sew on the eyes, with a circle of felt behind each bead.

Yeah! Mousey is finished. The pipe cleaner in the tail paid off. Not only is Mousey keeping track of where the pins go, but my thread is always within easy reach. Clever Mousey!

You may use the Mousey pattern to make pin cushions for yourself, and to give away. I would like it very much if you tell your friends where you got the pattern, so that they can visit my website too. If you are going to use my patterns to make items to sell, you need permission. If you intend to teach workshops using my patterns, you will also need permission. If you intend to place projects from these pages onto another webpage, or publish it in any other form, you will need permission. Email Megan. Please do not make me grumpy by taking my stuff and using it for your own profit without asking. Others will suffer - I will stop being generous by placing free stuff on the website.

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	Start by making a set of templates from cardboard or template plastic. I like to use old X-rays. Remember to transfer all markings such as the darts and placement of feet onto the plastic.
	Choose felt colours that you like. He doesn't have to be all one colour. Mark out all the pieces on felt. I used a gel pen. Remember to cut out the correct number of pieces and to reverse the pieces where necessary, like for the body. When you cut Mousey out of the felt cut inside your pen lines, so that they don't show through on the seams when we start putting him together.
	First sew the darts in the ears. I used a small running stitch. Place the ear into the body dart so that your ear seam is at the back of the ear. This will give the ears a nice cup shape when we are finished.
	Pinch the ears into the body darts and pin. Be careful when you pin the ears into the body! Remember that the two bodies need to have a mirror image. Sew carefully through both layers of the body as well as the ear.
	I sewed my tail on the outside. Blanket stitch or over stitch will look good if you make small neat stitches. I also inserted a pipe cleaner as I was sewing. This will make the tail bendable later. If you are looking for a shortcut you may fold the tail in half and simply glue it over the pipe cleaner. Personally I like to sew everything when I can.
	Now let's put the top part of the body together. Place the two body halves together, with the ears on the inside and start pinning the body together from the nose end. Remember to pin the tail into position where marked, also from inside the body. Sew the two body pieces together from the nose to the back end, just below the tail.
	Sneak preview of Mousey! Now one can start to see what he will look like. Be gentle when you turn pieces right side out. Over handling the felt when all the pieces are not sewn together might cause it to stretch or tear on the edges.
	Getting underneath things. Pin al four the feet into position on the mouse underside, with the feet facing inwards. Lightly tack the feet into position.
	If you are going to sew embellishments onto your mouse, now is a good time to do it. Once it's stuffed it's much harder work. There are templates for flowers and hearts on the pattern sheet. You could also use your imagination and draw your own. If you prefer to glue the embellishments on, leave it until the mouse is stuffed. It will be easier to decide on placement then.
	Once embellishments are sewn on, turn all the pieces wrong side out. curl the tail inside the body, and make sure that al four feet are neatly tucked inside too. Sew from one side of the 'leave open' area marked on your pattern, around the nose, and all the way to the other end of the 'leave open'. A small area at the back end will remain open.
	Turn Mousey right side out through the opening at the back end. Be gentle. Stuff with polyester filling (or catnip, or whatever) and close the opening with neat stitches.
	Mousey needs a nose and eyes. For the nose I cut and gathered a circle of pink felt. There's a template on the pattern sheet. For the eyes I cut two small circles of felt to go behind the beads. You don't need a template for that. Start by cutting two small squares slightly bigger than your eye beads and trim off the corners until they become round.
	Pin the gathered nose circle on to the front of Mousey's face, and sew securely into position. Sew on the eyes, with a circle of felt behind each bead.
	Yeah! Mousey is finished. The pipe cleaner in the tail paid off. Not only is Mousey keeping track of where the pins go, but my thread is always within easy reach. Clever Mousey!