Tutorial | Madame Bobbins | The Chicken Tutorial!

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If you've been to our brick and mortar store lately, you may have seen these lovely squawking chickens perched up on their pedestal.  Well we got so many requests for a tutorial that our Fabricworm team-mate Melissa, put together this nifty little tutorial just for all you Fabricworms!

So you want to make yourself a little sewing room buddy?  Madame Bobbins in her adorable little apron will keep you company into the wee hours of the night...and might even hold a pin or two for you.  Let's start with just the chicken!

You will need:

¼ yard fabric
coordinating thread
sharp scissors
pins
a needle
fiberfill
one 4 inch square of felt
iron and ironing board

Print Out The Pattern Here

****You can adjust the size of your chicken by printing this pattern to a different scale****

Now you are ready to get started!!!!

1. First, print and cut out the provided pattern pieces.

2. Fold your ¼ yard of fabric so that it is doubled (it does not matter if right or wrong sides are facing).

3. Pin body, wing and large oval pieces to the fabric and cut out pieces.  Remove the wing pattern piece from the two wing pieces you just cut and pin it again to your ¼ yard.  You will need two pieces per wing, so this second cut will give you the second pair for your second wing.

4. You now should have 2 body pieces, 4 wing pieces and 2 large ovals cut out of your fabric.  Discard one of the ovals, you only need one for the bottom of your chicken.  You are now ready to move on to your felt.

5. Pin the comb and beak to a single layer of your felt.  Cut them out, giving you one comb and one beak.

6. To assemble your chicken, begin with the wings.  Pin two wing pieces together, right sides facing and sew with a ¼ inch seam, leaving a small opening for turning.  Repeat for the other wing.

7. Turn both wings right side out and press.  Carefully hand stitch the opening closed with your preferred stitch.

8. Now to assemble the chicken.  Lay one piece of the chicken body down, right side up.  Place the beak and comb in place, carefully pinning the comb so that the edge of the comb is aligned with the edge of the body fabric.  Lay the second piece of the chicken body, right side down on top of the first and pin the body pieces together.

****Be sure to leave the bottom of the chicken open to insert the large fabric oval in the next step. Sew with a ¼ inch seam allowance, being careful around the comb.

9. Next, we will create the hole for turning the chicken right side out.  Lay your finished wing on one side of your chicken, placing it about where you'd like it to be on the finished product.

Pulling the two layers of fabric apart so that you are only cutting through ONE SIDE of the chicken, use a sharp pair of scissors and carefully snip through one layer of the chicken behind where the wing should be on the finished bird.  The goal here is to hide the turning hole behind the wing when the chicken is finished.

Clip the hole large enough for easy turning, but small enough to be hidden completely by the wing.

10. Now, we will add the fabric oval.  Carefully, pin the large oval to the open bottom of the chicken, being sure to leave the wrong side facing you, right side facing the inside of the chicken.

 Sew all the way around the oval, being careful at the intersection of the seams so that you don’t accidentally sew the base to the side of the chicken.

11. Turn the chicken through the hole.

Then press the seams as best you can, being mindful of the felt if you did not use real wool felt so that it does not burn or melt while ironing.

12. Now comes the fun part – stuff the chicken!

It’s best to make it nice and full, but be sure to occasionally flatten the bottom if you want it to stand on it’s own.

13. Once the chicken is stuffed, roughly stitch the turning hole closed.  This does not have to be neat, as it will be completely hidden by the wing.



14. Pin the two wings in place.  Stitch the wings in place, one at a time with your preferred method.  You can stitch all the way around the wing, if you wish.

I only stitched along the top of the wing, leaving the bottom open so that I can have a little flexibility should I want to add clothing to my chicken later.

 15. Ta da!  You now have your very own Madame Bobbins!  Check back later for her snazzy apron, but until then get creative and break into that stash to make her a fabulous wardrobe!

Yours in Fabulous Fabric,
The Fabricworm Team.