Today, I want to show you how to sew these spooky-cute monsters. We will turn these little creatures into a mini monster cushion. A free sewing pattern is, of course, included. You can download it further down in the post.
You can sew the little monster cushion from various fabrics. Both felt and fabric scraps are suitable for the appliqués.
The cuddle factor of these sewn mini monster cushions is guaranteed with any fabric, but if you use plush, velvet, or corduroy fabrics (whether wide or fine), it increases significantly.
At the end of the tutorial, I will show you that you can not only sew a mini monster cushion, but also create them with an embroidery machine.
Sewing a Mini Monster Cushion – The Tutorial
Materials for the Monster
To sew our mini monster cushion, you will need the following:
- Fabric for the front and back, for mine I chose cotton fabrics from Bine Brändle
- Fabric for the appliqués and the front pocket, here from Super Soft Shorty 1.5mm from Kullaloo
- Tear-away embroidery stabilizer
- Avalon/water-soluble stabilizer
- Fabric and paper scissors
- Pins
- Fabric marker
- Machine thread, I used a thread set from Mettler:
Download Free Sewing Pattern
To sew the mini monster cushion, I have prepared a template for you to download. Just click on the red link, save the free pattern to your computer, and print it out in the original size. If you want to make the cushion smaller or larger, you can scale the template accordingly.
Download Mini Monster Cushion by raabart (PDF)
The Fabric Cuts
As always, good preparation is important for a new sewing project.
- Cut out the mini monster cushion template, keeping in mind that a 1 cm seam allowance is not included!
- For the body, front, and back, you will need two fabric pieces of about 36 cm x 22 cm.
- Place tear-away embroidery stabilizer on the back of the front piece.
- For the front pocket, you will need a contrasting fabric of about 9 cm wide and 14 cm high.
- Cut fabric or felt for the eyes, about 11 x 7 cm in size.
- The small heart can be made from a fabric scrap or sewn freehand.
The Template
To get all the template parts for the mini monster cushion, you could print the template twice and cut out the corresponding parts. With a little trick, it’s possible to save paper by using only one printout. For this, you only need a sharp pair of scissors or a cutter to cut out the outlines of the eyes and mouth.
The Monster Eyes
After cutting out both fabric pieces for the body of the mini monster cushion, including a seam allowance of about 1 cm, place the paper template on the front and draw the monster’s eyes using a marking pen.
At this point, you should place a piece of stabilizer on the back of the front part. I like to use temporarily iron-on stabilizer that tears off nicely.
Then place the same template on the back of the fabric and draw the curves there as well.
Fusible Web for the Appliqué
I almost forgot to mention that it’s beneficial to always iron fusible web onto the back of the fabric used for appliqué. I like to use Vliesofix for this. For very small appliqués, I sometimes use fabric glue. Make sure to let the glue dry completely before sewing!
After marking the circles for the eyes, you can cut them out and peel off the paper backing from the Vliesofix. Then place them on the pre-drawn eyes of the body, carefully iron them in place, and sew them with a satin stitch and the Open Embroidery Foot #20 /20D.
I had to experiment a bit with the density and length of the satin stitch, but eventually found settings that worked well for me, as seen in the photo.
The Pupils
I sewed the pupils using the Free-Motion Embroidery Foot #24 with a combination of straight stitch and satin stitch. Using Avalon (a water-soluble embroidery film) is really helpful here. Although it’s water-soluble, I usually just tear away the excess after stitching and don’t soak the fabric.
The Monster’s Mouth and Teeth
Using the prepared outline gaps in the template, you can draw the mouth and teeth shapes in the same way as the eyes using a marking pen.
You can also sew the mouth with a satin stitch and the Open Embroidery Foot #20D, adjusting the stitch length from narrower at the start and end, to wider in the middle.
With the teeth, I found once again that using Avalon results in a cleaner finish. In the photo, you can see the left tooth made without Avalon and the right one made with it.
The Heart Appliqué for the Mini Monster Cushion
You can appliqué the small heart for the cuddly monster in the same way as the eyes.
The Front Pocket
Children love little pockets for treasures. They can also use this pocket to hide a wish list or worry notes, which, as if by magic, come true or simply disappear ;-).
For the front pocket, it’s best to use a contrasting fabric measuring about 9 cm in width and 14 cm in height. Fold this rectangle lengthwise, right sides together, and sew it up, leaving a small turning gap at the bottom. Then turn it inside out, cut the corners diagonally, and flip the rectangle right-side out.
I decorated the top edge with a decorative stitch and then sewed it onto the front of the monster.
Sewing Together
Now, place the front piece on the back piece and secure it with pins.
After sewing the pieces together, make small snips close to the seam in the curved areas to help shape the curves better.
Now, turn the cushion inside out, shape it properly, and fill it with stuffing. You can close the bottom opening using a mattress stitch. And that’s it! Your mini monster cushion is ready for cuddles!
Note About the Monster as an Embroidery File
This mini monster cushion can also be embroidered using an embroidery machine. You could use the template to create an embroidery file with the BERNINA Embroidery Software 9 , then stitch it with the Maxi Hoop. You only need to hand-sew the turning opening with a mattress stitch.
I don’t have the file for this exact version of a monster, but if you are looking for an ITH mini monster cushion embroidery file, here is a fun one by my collegue Julemade: ITH Embroidery File Monster without a name.
Here’s my monster parade 😊. The pink “furry” one was also made using the embroidery machine.
I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and are excited to sew or maybe even embroider your very own mini monster cushion.
If you’d like to see more of my creative projects, feel free to follow me on Instagram RaabArt.
Warm regards, Katharina RaabArt
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