I have another sewing DIY for you today. This time it is in the form of making your own DIY elephant plushie from scratch. A really easy sewing project, and one that you can use your scrap or small pieces of fabric with. A perfect gift for the little ones!

Now, this project is just filled with cuteness. You may remember a few weeks ago I made a cute Baby Shower Sign for my friend’s baby shower. Well, this week’s project is one of the little handmade gifts for the bubba, and it is just as cute. A DIY elephant plushie, to go along with the elephant theme of the baby shower.

I have made little plushies a few times as baby gifts, and they have always gone down a storm. Originally I got a free pattern in a sewing magazine for this, but lo and behold I have misplaced it. So, in this week’s project, I am going to show you how to make this DIY elephant plushie from scratch. That means, designing the pattern, adding the elements and sewing it together. It may sound a bit daunting, but it is a super easy sewing project to try. What’s more, as the elephant plushie is small, it is the perfect scrap busting project or using a fat quarter to make.

So, let’s get crafting a DIY elephant Plushie!

DIY Elephant Plushie

This little elephant plushie is not only cute but offers a bit of sensory exploration for the youngsters. There is the added texture feeling of the tail with satin ribbon. The ears also have a crinkle-crunch to them for that other sensory aspect. Perfect for a developing little one!
I’ll first show you how to make your own pattern for the plushie. Then, move onto how to actually make it, with the added sensory options, if you wish to include them. There is also a video below if you find it easier to follow along through that medium.

What you need:

To make the DIY elephant plushie, you will need the following items. Please note, some of these are affiliate links, which means I will earn a small amount of commission, should you purchase through the link. This is at no cost to you and will be marked with an asterisk.

• Sewing pattern paper* or greaseproof paper
• Elephant image
• Pencils or pens
• Elastic band
• Craft scissors/ regular scissors
• Sewing Scissors*
• Material of choice
• Matching thread
• Fabric marker*
• Sewing machine* (This is the sewing machine I use)
• Pins or clips*
• Food safe plastic, such as cereal plastic packaging or plastic piping bag*
• Satin ribbon*
• Embroidery Thread*

Step 1 – Create Pattern

The pattern is fairly simple to create, all you need is an image of an elephant, sewing pattern paper/tracing paper or greaseproof paper and a pencil or two.
Start by looking for a clip-art or cartoon style elephant of your choice. Then scale this up to fit as much as possible on an A4 size piece of paper, printing this out. I found mine on a google image search and enlarged it in Microsoft Word.

Next, place sewing paper/tracing paper/greaseproof paper over the image. You want lighter paper so that you can see the image through this to trace the design.

Now, I found a great hack on Pinterest for this, but if you only have one pencil then you can still trace the design. Place two pencils next to each other and secure them together with an elastic band or hair bobble. Make sure they are secured together. This will give the pencils an equal distance between them and allow you to add in the seam allowance at the same time of tracing. This saves time of having to measure and draw a separate line.
If you don’t have two pencils, all you need to do is trace the design, then use a measuring tape and add a 1cm line around this traced design. We will be working on the outside line.

Trace the elephant, whichever way you choose from above onto the tracing paper. You can secure the paper down with heavy objects or pattern weights. I opted for an old shot glass haha!
Then draw a line where the head connects to the body of the elephant downwards. The head and body will be sewn separately. Finally, on a separate piece of tracing paper, trace around the ears.

Add Markings

Cut out the designs, separating the head and body pieces. You may have to add an extra bit of paper to the head if the seam allowance is too narrow, or the pieces don’t line up as you want them.

Next, it is time to add the sewing markings to the pattern. The first will be adding the grainline, which you want running up the pieces. This means the two selvedge edges will be running parallel on both sides. Grainline is important, especially when sewing clothing, as it helps the garments sit and drape as they should. Sew Guide, have a great post about various grainlines for more information.

It is also important to mark you matching notches of where the ears, body and face will be attached to. This will help everything line up evenly. Finally, where there are curved edges of the elephant, mark on notches to be snipped. These will help the curved edges look better when turned right sides out.

You also want to make how many of the pieces should be cut out of fabric. You want two for each head and body and four of the ears in total.

Once all the markings are in place, the pattern piece can be used on your chosen fabric.

Step 2 – Cut out the Pattern in Fabric

Select your chosen material, in whichever colours you like. I have opted for a simple grey with a pink/purple hue for the main body and a contrasting pattern for the ears.
Pin the pattern pieces to the fabric and cut the amount required. To make it easier and to save fabric I always fold over the fabric, pinning close to the fold. Then, when cut out, cut down the fold line too, to create the separate pieces. For the ears, this is a little more tricky, as you need four pieces in total. Fold the material to create two layers, then fold over again twice. This will give a concertina type effect and gives four pieces. Only fold over the amount you actually need rather than the whole of the fabric in half etc. Using fabric scissors, cut these out.

Whilst cutting out the fabric, we also want to cut out the sensory part for the ears. This part is optional and doesn’t need to be included if you do not wish for crinkle-crunch type ears.
Use the ear pattern piece and select the chosen plastic. I am using a plastic piping bag and the sewing tracing paper, however, another great alternative is the plastic that cereal comes in. I selected these types of plastic, for a bit of recycling, as well as them being food safe. The cereal packet is actually a bit nosier than the smoother plastic of the piping bag and therefore wouldn’t need the extra sewing paper with it.

Cut out two of the plastic pieces and one of the sewing paper for each ear.

Step 3 – Create the Elephant Ears

The first thing to sew together is the ears for the elephant plushie. Separate the 4 pieces and pair them together. Place them right sides together, and head to the sewing machine. Leaving a small gap of a few cms unsewn on the straighter side of the ear (this part will connect to the head and body), sew a straight stitch all around the edge. Use a 05.cm-1cm seam allowance for this. Remember to backstitch and the start and end of this gap left.

Turn the ears right side out through the gap that was left, and press with an iron. This will help to crispen out the ears, as well as set in the stitches.
If you are wanting to add the sensory aspect to the ears, take the two pieces of plastic and sandwich the sewing paper in the middle. Play about with the combination to achieve the crinkle-crunch that you desire. Then, fold these slightly and insert them into the ear through the gap, straightening/flattening them out once inside the ear.

Step 4 – Attach the Ears

Now the ears are ready, it is time to begin sewing the elephant plushie. Place the ears as directed on the pattern, which should have been marked earlier, onto the two body pieces. Make sure these are right sides together and facing towards the body piece.
Turn the stitch length to the longest possible on the sewing machine, as the ears are going to be attached with a basting stitch. This is a temporary stitch to hold something in place and makes it easier to sew the body and head together. Use an iron to press the ears into place after sewing.

Step 5 – Sew the DIY Elephant Plushie

Now that the ears are in place, it is time to sew the remainder of the elephant plushie.
Match the corresponding head and body pieces, and lay these right sides together. The head of the elephant should be facing down the body, so the trunk is laying across the body rather than in front. Don’t worry though, once sewn, the head will go into the right position. Remember to backstitch at the start and end of each seam, and also remember to return the stitch to the usual length after the baste stitch above.

Use an iron to press the seam flat, and press this towards the headpiece. Then take both pieces and place them right sides together, matching up the raw edges. Make sure the ears continue to face towards the body, as you don’t want them to get caught in the seam of the elephant.

Pin the two pieces, making sure to leave a gap at the back of the elephant. I like to mark where the gap is using two pins on either side of the gap. Then head to the sewing machine and sew around the whole of the elephant, attaching the two sides. Go slowly around the curved edges, and any pivoting parts. Again, backstitch the start and end of the seam where the opening has been left.

Step 6 – Turn Right Side Out and Stuff

When you are happy that the two sides of the elephant have been successfully sewn, it is time to turn the right side out. Before doing this, press the seams to help set them in and snip in the notches. The curved edges need to have snips or notches cut into them to help turn them out neatly. Make sure not to snip through the stitching when doing this. You should have marked where needs to be snipped on the pattern piece.

Turn the elephant plushie right side out, and press again with an iron to remove andy creases. When pressing, make sure the raw edges of the gap left are inside the elephant. That way the edges form a seam allowance and make it easier to close the gap.

Grab some toy stuffing and begin stuffing the plushie through the open gap. Use the blunt end of a pen, or chopstick to push the filling down into the trunk and edges of the elephant. Keep stuffing until the elephant is fully padded out and plush.

Step 7 – Adding Final Details

Before closing up the elephant, a tail needs to be added. I am using a selection of 4 satin type ribbons, some of which have a texture to them. This will add another sensory aspect to the DIY elephant plushie. Select your chosen ribbon and cut it to the length you prefer. Then, with a hand sewing needle and thread, attach the strands together at one edge. Place this inside the gap left and begin securing it to the inside seam of the elephant.

Then, continue closing up the gap with a ladder stitch or invisible stitch. This is basically taking the thread from one side to the other, on the inside of the gap. When the thread is pulled, it should then close up the gap. Despite practising my hand sewing with embroidery, my hand sewing skills still need some polishing! Keep going until the gap is fully closed up.

The final thing to do is add on the eye detailing for the elephant. I did something similar on this cute bunny toy last year. Now, you could use a button detailing, however, be mindful that little ones love to place things in their mouths. You don’t want a button coming loose and them swallowing it! Therefore embroidering the design on is a safer option.
Use an erasable fabric pen to make out where you want the eyes to be with the markings on the designed pattern piece. Then, using black embroidery thread, complete a backstitch stitch to complete the eye detailing. Use a bit of water to remove the fabric marker and the cute DIY elephant plushie is complete!

What do you think of this cute DIY elephant plushie? Will you be making one? Let me know in the comments below!

DIY Elephant Plushie Video

Here is the video version of this post if you fancy checking it out, and find the video easier to follow along with. As always I am always so grateful for any support you can give to my growing blog and Youtube channel. Therefore if you have enjoyed this video, please do hit the like button and don’t forget to subscribe to my channel. It would be lovely to have you as part of the creative fam on YouTube!

DIY Elephant Plushie – Pin it!

If you have enjoyed this post, why not share the love and pin it for later? Check out my Pinterest too, for more creative inspiration!

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