Blue Leather Platypus Plush With Recycled Stuffing

I wanted to make a Perry the Platypus inspired plush made from leather and recyclable stuffing. The plush also has a comically large mouth. A very good craft for people wanting to get into leather crafts. This was also inspired by the.parchment.leather on Instagram who made a leather whale shark purse.

-Hammer

-Scissor (Can just use a precision knife)

-Precision knife

-Blue and orange faux leather (or any color)

-Thread Burner (optional)

-Stitching Chisel

-Awl

-Hammer/Mallet

-Cutting Mat

-Wax thread

-Needle with a wide opening

-Long object like a chopstick

-Tissues

-Printing Paper (4 to 5 pieces)

-Pencil

-Leather cutting knife.

-Stone rivet for the eyes

First draw these templates on the paper for the left and right side of the body, the bottom of the body, the head, the tail, the large bills which will use the same template for the bottom and top side, and the tail.

The shaded areas on templates 1 & 2 are the areas that will be sewn together (or with template 4, the head) and not be visible in the final product.

Templates 5 and 6 are for the bill, and will each be used twice to cut out 4 pieces of orange leather in total. Template 6 should be slightly shorter than Template 5 as it’s the bottom of the bill.

Template 7 is made by folding a piece of paper and cutting a oval-ish shape and opening it up so that they are still attached.

Put the paper on the leather and secure the location using your hand or tape. Use the precision knife and slowly carve along the paper to get the same shapes.

To get rid of rough edges and parts that don’t line up, line of the right and left side of the body and use the leather cutting knife to cut those parts off.

For the top and bottom of the bill, cut two of each part so that when we sew the same pieces together, the results have double sided leather sides.

These will be sewed together for the shape of the plush.

Use the leather chisels and hammer to make the sewing holes for later. Follow the circumference of all the pieces and make a perimeter of holes for each piece. Then use the awls to widen the holes if it is necessary.

Make sure to tie a double knot at the end of the thread so that the thread doesn’t fall out.

Sew the body with blue, and the tail and bill with orange.

First let’s sew the right and left parts of the body together by putting them on top of each other and threading through the holes that match on each side. Only sew the top edge not the edge with the feet and hands. The non-colored sides should be facing outwards when doing so.

Flip the sewed product inside out after sewing all the way down the length. Use the hammer to flatter the seamed area.

Then sew the head the same way, with the non-colored sides facing outwards. Place the large edge of the head to the large edge of the body, with them aligned on top of each other. Sew them together then flip the head over and flatten that seam as well.

This is the top part of the body all connected.

Align the same parts (either top or bottom) of the bill together with the leather-side facing outwards. Sew 2/3 of the bill together from the wider bottom up, then tear up tissue to put enough inside so that the bill is slightly puffy. Keep the upper half that is skinner not sewed. Do this with both the bottom and top half of the bill.

Fold the tail piece with the leather-side of the tail facing outwards and do ALMOST the same process of sewing the bill. Make sure the opposite side (just the very top row of holes) of the connected side of the tail (the unconnected flat side of the tail) doesn’t get sewed up.

Stuff it with shredded tissue after sewing the other edges together. When using shredded tissue as stuffing, recycle the leather scraps too by using them as stuffing as well.

Make holes for the eyes, push the stone rivets through and place the metal backings for them from the inside. Hammer the rivets unto the metal backings so that the backings are secure.

Sew the remaining piece of the body to the top part that we already put together. Leave the very top of the body not sewn together though, that is where the bill is getting connected.

Any excess that doesn’t align perfectly should be cut off using the leather knife.

Then use that excess and shredded tissue to stuff the body. Use a long stick like a chopstick to shove the tissue down and into the limbs.

Align the top bill to the top flap of the head so that the edge of the bill ends at the eyes. Then use the chisel through the existing holes of the bill to map out the same sewing pattern on the head. This allows us to sew the top bill on the head. In order to do this, place the top flap of the head between the two open flaps of the top bill.

Then, do the same thing but with the bottom bill on the bottom flap of the head.

At the end, sew the unclosed parts if any, of the head closed. Then, slightly sew the bills together just at the part where they meet near the head. This helps make the bill not flap open, effectively locking the stuffing inside the body.

Sow the tail onto the end of the body the same way as the bills; put the whole body end between the open tail flaps and sew everything up.

Using the thread burner, burn the excess wave threads that are hanging off the craft for a cleaner look.

Now you have yourself a goofy, comically big-billed blue leather platypus!