Palm Pal-inspired Poliwag Pokemon Plushie (Pattern & Tutorial)
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Palm Pal-inspired Poliwag Pokemon Plushie (Pattern & Tutorial)
Have you ever wanted to make your own Pokemon plushie? Are you looking for a Poliwag plush, but can never find one? Do you want the satisfaction of making your own plushie from scratch?
If so, then this is the tutorial for you!
This is a very small stuffie, sitting at 8 cm by 6.5 cm by 5 cm (3 in by 2.5 in by 2 in). It will sit nicely in your palm, just like those adorable Palm Pal plushies!
This pattern is fairly beginner-friendly, involving hand-sewn elements, darts (for shaping), and optional machine sewing. Depending on your experience, you should be able to complete this plush in under a day.
I hope you have fun making your Poliwag! I'd love to see your creations!
Supplies
To make this stuffie, here's what you will need:
- Soft blue fabric
- I used fleece, but other fabric types may work with some variation of results
- If you're buying new fabric, you will not need very much (10-15 cm or 4-6 inches should suffice)
- Various colours of felt (or another fabric used as an applique)
- White
- Black
- Light blue
- Pink
- Sewing needle(s)
- Black thread
- White thread
- Blue thread (optional)
- Stuffing (e.g. from an old pillow or store-bought)
- Sharp scissors
- Sewing machine (optional; this project can be just as easily sewn by hand)
- Pins (optional, but highly recommended for holding your fabric in place)
- Pattern (see below)
Downloads
Getting Started
If you have never sewn before, I would recommend familiarizing yourself with a running stitch, whip stitch, back stitch, and ladder stitch. One of my favourite plushie artists makes fantastic plush-making and sewing tutorials that I'd highly recommend for beginners: https://cholyknight.com/tutorials/
YouTube is another great place to get started to familairize yourself with how to sew! No fancy equipment needed; just a needle, some thread, and some patience :)
Prepare Your Materials
Start by cutting out your pattern and fabric following the pattern. For the back piece with a "x2" marked on it, cut one piece with the printed side facing up and the other with the printed side facing down, towards the fabric. This will produce two pieces that appear to be mirror images of each other.
Prepare the Appliques - the Spiral Tummy
- Start by cutting out a circle of black felt that is the same size as the circle with a spiral from the pattern.
- Cut close to the edge of the circle, leaving a width of 3-5 mm (0.1 to 0.2 inches) along the edge. Cut in a circle until you reach the middle of the circle, making a spiral shape as shown.
- Gently spread the spiral shape and place it on top of the white tummy. Arrange it in a way you like.
- Sew along the edge of the black spiral until it is fully attached. I'd recommend hand sewing using a whip stitch and black thread for this part.
Prepare the Appliques - the Eyes
Place the black felt circle on top of the white circle. Whip stitch around the outside of the black pupil using black thread. Repeat with the other eye.
Attaching the Appliques - the Tummy
- Place the pattern on top of the front piece of the pattern. Line up the tummy with its position on the pattern and pin it to the fabric.
- Whip stitch around the edge of the tummy using white thread.
Attaching the Appliques - the Mouth & Eyes
- Line up the mouth using the pattern as a guide. Pin it in place and whip stitch around the edge using white (or a matching pink) thread.
- Repeat with the eyes, using white thread for the white parts. Optionally, you may want to switch to black thread along the pupils.
Embroider the Mouth Details
Take some black thread and back stitch in the centre of the mouth to form a smile shape. Depending on the thread you use, you may need to go over the same spot a few times to get a good line. Alternatively, you could use paint or marker (ideally designed for fabric) to add the smile by hand.
Here's a very useful video to get started with back stitching for embroidery: https://youtu.be/rZ_wVC84UmM?si=KNvn8Acfxu9jAy2N
Prepare the Tail
Cut two long teardrop shapes from the some scrap of the same fabric used for the body. Alternatively, you can use some felt that is a similar colour to the body.
Place the teardrop in the centre of the tail. Whip stitch along the outside of the teardrop. Repeat on the other side of the tail to have the accent on both sides.
You can also add the tail accent by using paint or markers or omit the accent completely.
Sew the Head Darts
For the remaining parts of this plushie, I would recommend using either a running stitch or a back stitch if you are sewing by hand. A back stitch is preferred because it is stronger and will let your plushie last for longer.
- Fold the face in half so that the points at the top meet.
- Sew along the dotted lines to create a dart using either white or blue thread. The dart is the curve to create a rounded shape. Try to blend the side near the eyes into the curve of the fabric by easing the angle of the curve. This will give a softer curve on the front of the plush.
- The dart at the bottom will be shorter. Try to blend this one in with the curve as well, but make sure to avoid sewing on the tummy so that it stays flat in the plushie's final form.
Sew the Feet
- Pin together two of the feet pieces with the correct sides facing in. (Note: the correct side refers to the sides that will be on the outside of the stuffie when it's done).
- Sew around the edge of the foot leaving an opening at the bottom for turning.
- Turn the feet inside out so the correct side is facing outwards.
- Lightly stuff the feet. I like to use a skewer or a chopstick to help get the stuffing in the right spot.
Baste the Feet
Pin the feet onto the front of the poliwag, spacing them out evenly with respect to the centre of the plushie.
Sew overtop of the feet to baste them in place. This stitching does not need to be pretty; it's just to hold the feet in place when you sew the front and back together (and it will be hidden!).
Sew Together the Back
Line up the two back pieces and sew along the side with the straight edge. Make sure to leave an opening along that straight edge. This will be where the plush will be turned inside out.
Baste the Tail
Pin on the tail, lining it up with the centre seam of the back panel of the plush. It does not matter which side is facing towards the plush since the accent is on both sides of the tail. Quickly sew over the tail to baste it in place as done in step 11.
Sew Together the Front and Back
Line up the seams of the front of the plush with the back of the plush, making sure that the correct side is facing inwards. Pin together the two pieces.
Sew around the outside of the plush, making sure there are no gaps.
Flip the Plush & Stuff It
Flip your plushie so that the correct side is facing outwards. Look how cute it is!
Carefully add stuffing until a nice, round shape is achieved.
Once you are happy with how it is stuffed, use a ladder stitch to close up the hole at the back. Here's a helpful youtube video for ladder stitching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2B_fgEGMlM
Congratulations!
Your plushie is now complete! Show it off to your friends and family. I'd love to see your creations, so please share it with me, too!
Please let me know if you have any feedback for this pattern. I'm hoping to make it as easy as possible to follow, and what makes sense to me might not be as clear as I think it is. Thanks!
Time to see if it is pet approved... unfortunately, it appears mine was not :(