Quick Soft Frog Friend

I needed some quick dopamine, and the world in general always needs more frogs. This was a quick little design that turned out surprisingly pleasing!

• Fabric (I used polar fleece; if you use a woven fabric you will need to add an appropriate seam allowance to accommodate fraying, but a thinner fabric will be easier to turn through the narrow parts of the limbs),
• Needles and thread,
• Polyfil or other filler,
• Pins or clips to secure the fabric pieces during sewing,
• Something long and thin to turn the legs,
• 2 safety eyes (mine are 11mm across) with safety backing.

I sew all soft toys by hand, so that's what I'll be talking about. I just want to include this for people who haven't sewn before, or maybe haven't sewn in a while. If that's not you - skip to the next step.

• Wrong side/right side: most fabrics have a right side and a wrong side. On printed fabrics, these are easy to distinguish; the print will be much paler or maybe even invisible, on the wrong side. In single-sided polar fleece, which is what I use, it's a little bit trickier. One side will be fluffier, whereas the other side will be smoother. In any fabric, the wrong side is the side that will be inside the soft toy (or inside the garment). These aren't hard and fast rules though - if you like the smooth side then make a smooth frog. I'm not a cop. Do what feels right to you!

• Turning: we'll be sewing all the components of the frog with the right sides together, then turning them inside out so the right side is outside, and the stitches are hidden. For small items, like the legs of the frog, it's helpful to have a turning stick of some sort. I have some specific sticks and loop turners, but for most items you can make do with a chopstick or with a couple of kebab sticks taped together (blunt sides up, you don't want to pierce the fabric).

• Stitches: keep your stitches as small and as even as possible. Mine are no more than 2 or 3 millimetres long. Any series of stitches joining two or more pieces of fabric is a seam - at the start and end of each seam, I stitch the same stitch (first or last) a few times over, then tie a double knot between the tail and the part of the thread that's attached to the needle. This has served me really well in soft toys; it's okay if you have, or develop, your own technique.

• Threading: cut off a length of thread that is manageable for you. You're going to slip one end through the eye of your needle (licking it into a point can help) and then pull that through to match the ends of the thread. Then, I hold the ends together and make a knot about 5cm from the ends. Depending on your fabric, that may not keep your thread from pulling through the fabric, which is why I tie a knot in both sides of the thread once I've stitched the first and last stitch of any seam.

• Stitches: I'll have diagrams showing the stitches I use, when we get ready to start sewing.

First, we need to pick some fabrics. In the image above, you can see how my pieces were divided between light green, darker green, and yellow for the irises. Obviously, you're welcome to do what works for you. If you cut the uppers for both legs twice (remembering to mirror for half of them) you don't even have to bother with the differently coloured inner leg and arm.

I cut mine on a laser cutter because scissors are hard for me (low power, fast passes), but I made a printable PDF for anyone who prefers the old-fashioned way, or has no access to lasers. I like to keep all my pattern pieces together in my carry along sewing bag, so I don't lose any*.

*This step requires you to be a weirdo who carries their sewing along everywhere.

Slip the posts of your safety eyes through the slits in the fabric circles you've cut for the eyes. Then slide the post through the matching slits in the upper body pieces, and attach the safety backing. Make sure you push the safety backing as far onto the post as possible, to minimise the odds of slippage. I use some clippers to clip the end of the post so it doesn't poke anyone when hugging, but you don't have to. If you do, keep enough space for the safety backing to hold onto.

We're going to be using a running stitch for almost every part of this sew. As per the diagram, what you do is put the right sides of the fabric together, and then insert your threaded needle at one end of the seam before inserting and removing it, up and down, all along the seam and tying off at the end.

As per the red dotted lines, you'll see where the lighter thighs and upper arms are connected to the lower limbs, where the chin is connected to the belly piece, and where the two upper body pieces are connected at the spine.

Next, put two halves of each limb together, right sides together, and sew along the edge before turning carefully. Use a thin item to help gently press the end of the limb through to pull it inside out (or, rather, inside in).

Next, put the belly and the top of the body together, right sides together, and sew only where the dotted red line shows. The gaps in the armholes and legholes are for the limbs, and the big gap at the bottom is where we'll turn the entire frog inside in, stuff it, and close it up.

This step is a bit harder to illustrate, so I recommend reading it a couple of times to make sure you're on board with what's happening.

Keep the body inside-out, and have all the limbs right side in. Now insert them, one at a time, into the body of the frog, and align the hole at the end with the relevant arm- or leghole. Sew carefully around the hole in a circle, leaving the arm or leg open so you can stuff them if desired. Pay close attention to the way you turn the arms or legs, and which side is up - because everything is upside down and inside out, it's easy to make a mistake. The lighter-coloured thighs and upper arms actually make this easier, because you know the light sides and the belly should face each other.

Once you've attached all four limbs, gently turn the entire frog inside in.

Gently stuff the frog. I only stuffed the thighs on mine, and the main body. Test how firm you'd like it to be, and stuff him in small increments. When you add a lot of stuffing at once, it's easy for the result to be quite lumpy. Don't be too worried though, you can beat him around and squish him a bit to help with some of the lumpiness.

In a final act of indignity, sew your frog's bum shut using the ladder stitch illustrated above. The idea is to create a sort of corset-style closure that pulls both sides of the gap together without showing the stitches. When you've tied off, use your poking tool to prod the knot into the inside of the frog where it's not visible.

Incredible work! You've made a frog. I'd be super excited to see it if you want to share!