Make a Slime Plushie From Minecraft

  So you saw the Creeper Instructable and you decided that you had to make one for yourself. You bought a whole yard of fabric and began your project. The road was long but with enough sand, gunpowder and stitches you were triumphant.  "It's ALIVEEEEEEEEEEE!" you shouted. This achievement was extraordinary but you had other experiments and forgot all about your Creeper.

  Seasons had passed, being imprisoned and isolated the only thing the your Creeper could do was dream. Dream of moon lit nights with fields to endlessly wander. Dream of caves that reached into the depths of the abyss. Dream of stalking a foe with malevolent intentions, with a heart aching to explode. 

  Being withheld from his natural element, your Creeper has languished and succumbed to depression (Just look at that frown!). Since he's been tamed, your Creeper could never return to the wild. In his current state of mind, surely he will never make it. Unless.... Mob altruism. If you created another mob for your Creeper to interact with then maybe he will pull through.

 Considering you probably have so much fabric left over why don't you consider making yourself a Slime mob? They're basically slimy companion cubes and could befriend anyone. Sure, you could always make another Creeper but that would create quite the predicament. So if your want to turn your Creeper's frown upside down, I suggest you get to work! 


Here is a list of the things you will need. (This list is not definitive so feel free to improvise.) 

Materials List (most of my items were purchased at Joann Fabrics which always have coupons which you can use to drastically bring down the prices of these items)

>1 Yard - Soft N Comfy Fabric-Green Plain (or your choice of green color fabric)
   (http://www.joann.com/soft-n-comfy-fabric-green-plain-/xprd862695/)

>1 square foot - Sew Classic Velour Black (or your choice of black color fabric)
   (http://www.joann.com/sew-classic-velour-many-colors/xprd757817/#)

>Coats & Clark Dual Duty XP General Purpose Thread - 250yds
  -1 Black (color #900)
  -1 Leprechaun (color# 6470)
   (http://www.joann.com/coats-clark-dual-duty-xp-general-purpose-thread-250yds-many-colors/xprd840925/#)

>Poly-fil Fiber 32 oz
  (http://www.joann.com/32-oz-polyfil-fiber/zprd_07400203a/)

>Sharpie Fine Point Marker - Black

Basic Tools List
>Sewing needles
>Sewing pins
>Ruler / Straight Edge / Yardstick
>Scissors
>Masking tape
>Seam ripper

***This only applies to those using a type of fabric that has pattern characteristics to it. For those using a solid fabric move onto the next step.

Understanding the fabric flow and layout
The first step to making this Slime is to consider how all of your dimensions are to be drawn onto the material. If you are using the material I suggested then this step is of great importance. The Soft N Comfy fabric has somewhat of a pattern to it. If you slide your hand across the material in a back and forth motion it will have different colors and characteristics. One way feels smoother and appears lighter in color while the other appears darker and seems to have a sense of resistance.

You want to draw your dimensions on the material so that it flows in a single direction. You want all your pieces to flow from the smooth side downward from top to bottom. If you are not careful during this process the final product may end up appearing inconsistent. 

Now that we understand our pattern layout we can proceed to applying it to the back of our material.

In this step we are going to create a pattern on our fabric.

So before we sketch the pattern onto our fabric, we must first decide how big we want our Slime plushie. There are three different sized Slime mobs in the game, small, medium and large. The Slime featured in this Instructable is a medium.

Here is where you can find the dimensions of all the Minecraft mobs.
http://ata4.info/mcdim/

If you calculate 1" for every block, the following are dimensions for the three Slime sizes. Alternatively, if you wanted to make them even smaller or bigger, all you would have to do is divide the smallest by two, or multiply the largest by two. 

Body
Small Slime - 4"(L) x 4"(W) x 4"(H)
Medium Slime - 8"(L) x 8"(W) x 8"(H)
Large Slime - 16"(L) x 16"(W) x 16"(H)

Now that you have decided the size of your mob, sketch it onto your green fabric. Be sure to leave 1/2" of fabric outside the perimeter of each piece. This is very important.  

Before cutting out your pieces be 100% sure that you have left enough space on the outside of each piece. If your dimensions are 8"x 8" your actual piece will be 9"x 9".

***Optional for some***
Draw an arrow indicating the way in which your pattern flows. This will help you identify which way to orientate the pieces later when you are sewing. 

In this step we are going to attach the four vertical sides of the body together as well as create the eyes and mouth.

Assembling the body
Now that your body pieces are all cut out, you may proceed sewing them together. You are basically creating a box without a top or bottom.

*If you are using a patterned material be sure to orientate all pieces in the same direction. You want the material to flow in a single direction such as indicated in the first picture. 

*Do not sew the 4th area in the diagram, we will complete this stitch later.

Creating the eyes and mouth

Use the dimensions below to create a pattern on your black material.

Unlike the body, you DO NOT need to leave any extra area around the outside of the material. If your Slime is medium you will cut out 2" X 2" for the eyes, and 1" x 1" for the mouth.

Eyes
Small Slime -  1" X 1"
Medium Slime - 2" X 2"
Large Slime - 4" X 4"

Mouth
Small Slime -  1/2" X 1/2"
Medium Slime - 1" X 1"
Large Slime - 2" X 2"

Once your done cutting out the shapes move onto the next step.

In this step we are going to create lines on the face of the Slime to help position the eyes and mouth. 

The first thing we need to do is take our main body piece, flip it over and locate the area where the face of the Slime is going to be.  
Place three to four push pins along the top line of the face spacing them apart evenly.

Now flip your work piece back over and use a ruler to perk up the pins. Pull a piece of masking tape long enough to cover the face of the Slime and place it flush against the three pins. Perform the same step to both the top and bottom of the face.

***If you are using a fabric with a pattern pay attention to which way your fabric is flowing. 

Once you have two pieces of tape running across the top and bottom of the face flip it back over to the underside of the material. Depending on the size of your Slime (see *** below) measure down on the left, center and right side, making a mark each time. Now you are going to repeat the same technique you used for the top and bottom tape lines. Push the pins through the marks, flip it over, perk up the pins and then place a piece of tape across the face. 

***Eye from top of body (Purple in picture)
Small Slime -  1"
Medium Slime - 2"
Large Slime - 4"

If you have done this process correctly you should have something that appears similar to the last picture of this step. If correct move on.....

In this step we are going to create a vertical line for the alignment of the mouth. Also we are going to make marks to help with the alignment of the eyes. 

Take your ruler and place it on the center tape line. Try to align it evenly between the left and right side of the face. Now you will need to make three marks. Two from the outsides measuring inward and one directly in the center. These will differ depending on the size of your Slime (see *** below). As you can see I have it aligned at 10" to 18" (8" across) with marks at 10 3/4", 14" and 17 1/4". 

***Eye from side of body  (Orange in picture)
Small Slime -  3/8"
Medium Slime - 3/4"
Large Slime - 1 1/2"

After you have created the three marks take your ruler and place it on the bottom tape line, trying to align it evenly. Make a mark in the center just as you have done above. Now take a piece of masking tape, pull it taught and place it on the left side of the two middle marks. If you place the tape on the right side you will mess up the alignment of the mouth. 

Finally take your ruler and align it on the newly created vertical tape line. Measuring from the top edge of the bottom tape line make a mark depending on the size of your Slime. Medium is 2" up.

Mouth from bottom of body (Brown in picture)
Small Slime -  1"
Medium Slime - 2"
Large Slime - 4"

In this step we are going to complete the face.

Finally the face is nearing completion. All that is left is to stitch the eyes and mouth in to place. Start by using all the marks that we made in the previous steps to align your pieces into place.

The outside of the eyes will be placed on the inside of the two outer marks on the center horizontal line.

The mouth will be placed flush against the right side of the vertical line. The bottom edge of the mouth will be above the mark.

Just for reference below are all the dimensions that you already created to perfectly align your eyes and mouth. Feel free to once over them again to ensure everything is correct.

Eye from top of body (Purple in picture)
Small Slime -  1"
Medium Slime - 2"
Large Slime - 4"

Eye from side of body  (Orange in picture)
Small Slime -  3/8"
Medium Slime - 3/4"
Large Slime - 1 1/2"

Mouth from right side of body (Red in picture)
Small Slime -  1 1/2"
Medium Slime - 3"
Large Slime - "6

Mouth from bottom of body (Brown in picture)
Small Slime -  1"
Medium Slime - 2"
Large Slime - 4"

Once you have ensured everything is correct you are now free to stitch the eyes into place. Use what ever means necessary to pin the eyes in place to keep them from shifting. The tension on my sewing machine was good enough to keep them relatively straight. 

After you are done remove the masking tape and look upon the face of your Creeper's savior. When you snap out of your awe continue to the next step. 

In this step we are going close the last vertical seam and attach the top and bottom of the head. 

Remember I said not to sew up that 4th seam in step 3? Well now that the face is complete feel free to sew up that side.

   Now you have a box with a face without a top or bottom. Turn your Slime inside out and stitch the top and bottom of the head into place. Be sure to leave a small area roughly 3" un-sewn so that when you are done you can flip the Slime outside in. I wasn't paying attention while I was sewing mine and the small un-sewn area ended up being on the front bottom right side. Ideally you would want it on one of the bottom rear corners. 

Once you finish attaching the top and bottom pieces, flip your Slime back inside out and begin to fill it with a generous amount of fiberfill. Fill it until you are satisfied with the way it looks and feels. Keep in mind that the fiberfill will eventually settle so you don't want to under stuff it.  

Moving on....

In this step you will stitch the final seam.

  Look inside the un-sewn area and look for the lines that you drew on the inside. Using a few push pins, push them through so that they pass through the line on the inside. Do this on the top and bottom flaps and then fold the flaps inward. Now when you perform your slip stitch these pin heads will help guide you along a path where your needle should entering and exiting.

  Now that you have a path to follow take a threaded needle and thread it on the inside and pull it outwards. Refer to the diagram that I have provided to help you perform the slip stitch. Once you have threaded it all the way to the end of the seam gently pull it horizontally with the seam and it should close up. You may need to use something small to help pull any threads through that may get stuck. When you successfully close the seam thread it back through the material and knot the end. Cut the thread close to the knot and guess what? You can now do the dance. 

I LIKE TO MOVE IT, MOVE IT. (>'-')> <('-'<) ^(' - ')^ <('-'<) (>'-')>
I LIKE TO MOVE IT, MOVE IT. (>'-')> <('-'<) ^(' - ')^ <('-'<) (>'-')>
I LIKE TO MOVE IT, MOVE IT. (>'-')> <('-'<) ^(' - ')^ <('-'<) (>'-')>
I LIKE TO MOVE IT!                  (>'-')> <('-'<) ^(' - ')^ <('-'<) (>'-')>