FREE Fox Stuffed Animal Sewing Pattern DIY Tutorial
Keep reading to get your free sewing pattern for this fox toy I designed, completed with detailed instructions! Happy Sewing!
Today, I’m excited to share with you this sweet little fox sewing pattern I designed!
This is not a complicated soft toy project — You only need a basic sewing skill level to complete this plush toy.
I have a detailed step-by-step tutorial with instructional photos to help you with each step in making your fox doll.
This is a completely free pattern — I’ll instantly send the PDF file right to your email so you can print out your pattern pieces!
A sewing machine is helpful for this project, but it’s not necessary.
You’ll also be doing some hand sewing, too.
I love to use wool to stuff my dolls and teddy bears (and foxes, too!).
Wool has a great natural weight and warmth to it. It holds its shape for many years of intense snuggly love. Our family’s most heavily loved handmade wool-filled stuffed animals are faring much better than their plastic stuffing filled counterparts!
Wool is definitely not necessary, though. It can add a bit of an extra price tag to it by using it, so whatever floats your boat!
The finished fox measures 15″ tall (from head to foot — the ears make him slightly taller than this!)
Keep an eye out for some handy tips along the way!
Let’s get started on our fox!
List of Materials:
- Cotton Fabric, 1/2 a yard is more than enough! You could also make this project using 2 fat quarters.
- Hand sewing needle and thread
- Optional Sewing Machine
- Wool/Poly-fil to stuff your fox
- Embroidery thread to create the facial features
Print your Pattern
Keep scrolling to access your pdf download pattern!
The pattern is completely free. It comes as a PDF digital download.
Print your pattern sheets, then cut out the templates for the fox.
Then pop back over to the blog and I’ll walk you through what to do next!
Note: Be careful to observe your cutting lines on your pattern. The dotted lines indicate where you will NOT SEW on your fabric!
Enjoy your plush pattern!
Cut and Sew your pieces
Next we’ll want to cut out all the pieces of our fox.
Grab your fabric.
I actually used a thrifted flannel shirt to make this fox!
The flannel shirt was super soft, and the added thickness of the flannel made a really solid feeling stuffed fox.
I also loved the orange flannel pattern it gave the fox. It made for such a more interesting looking fox!
It’s best to use a thicker fabric if you can for toys. If you have a more thin layer, consider using two layers of fabric for each piece. It will be much more durable than a single layer of fabric!
Fold your fabric in half before cutting out your pieces. This will give you a “right side” and a “wrong side.”
You should have:
- 2 Body Pieces
- 4 Arm Pieces
- 4 Leg Pieces
- 4 Ear Pieces
Each “pair” of pieces should be a mirror image of the other — there should be a “right side” and a “wrong side.”
Body Side Pieces
Put the right sides of each body piece together.
A sewing machine is helpful for this portion.
Slowly sew around the body with a 1/4″ seam allowance.
Note: All seam allowances on this fox will be 1/4″.
Be careful sewing around the nose pieces — you want to keep the nose as rounded as possible.
Keep the bottom straight edge OPEN.
Turn the body right side out.
Stuff the nose of the fox FIRST. It’s helpful to use an item such as a wooden chopstick to help fit the wool/fiberfil into the nose.
Once the nose is stuffed, go ahead and stuff the rest of the body.
Tip: Fluff each individual piece of “stuffing” when filling your toys. This helps keep it fluffy and equally proportioned!
Don’t sew the bottom of the body closed quite yet. You’ll need to leave it open to put the “back legs” of the fox into before sewing closed.
Note: All dotted lines on the pattern indicate that this part should be left OPEN while sewing. It’s the opening where you’ll stuff your fox pieces!
Arms
The arms are what would be considered the “front legs” on your fox.
Lay one arm piece against one other — right sides together.
Sew around, keeping the hand rounded.
Again, keep the straight edge (dotted line edge) OPEN.
Turn right side out and fill with wool. Just like with the nose, it’s helpful to use a wooden chopstick to help fill the arms evenly, too.
Tip: It’s best to use small bunches of “stuffing” at a time when filling toys. This helps prevent the toy from looking lumpy.
Repeat for a second arm.
Sew the arms closed. This isn’t necessary, but I find it helpful to have the arms closed when attaching them to the body.
Legs
Sew the legs together just as you did with the arms.
Stuff the legs. There’s no need to sew them closed.
Ears
With right sides together, sew two fox ears.
I didn’t stuff my fox’s ears, but you certainly can if you wish. It would be a great way to keep them super perky and to add some extra character!
If you decide to stuff the ears, my suggestion would be to not sew them closed before attaching them to your fox.
A note on the tail
If you wish to add a tail to your fox, draw up a rounded triangle and cut out two tail pieces. Attach them to your fox the same way you did with the other body parts.
I opted out of a tail for this fox for an exciting reason — this fox is part of a special set of animals I’ve designed.
If you’d like to see the darling set of outfits for these sweet little creatures, plus the other animals, follow this link!
Tails would be unnecessary for this design; they would only get in the way of the sweet little outfits I’m creating for them!
Assembling Your Fox
You just about have a finished product now!
Next, we’ll assemble our fox together, as well as add some nice finishing touches to him!
From here on out, you’ll want to sew by hand, not machine.
Tip: When sewing by hand, leave long thread ends when sewing. Then, rethread your needle to the long tail ends and weave them into the doll’s body to hide them. Cut them short after that.
First, I like to attach the arms to the body of the fox.
Tip: Use a ladder stitch when assembling dolls. It’s such a neater look!
Once the arms are attached, we’ll be attaching the legs.
Line up the legs inside the the bottom opening of the fox’s body.
The outer edge of each leg should line up with each “hip” on the fox’s body.
Fold a small hem to hide the raw edges of the fox’s bottom body, and then sew across the attach the legs.
It’s really helpful to either use a basting stitch or some pins for this portion to keep everything in place.
As long as you use a basting stitch/straight pins, you can also use a sewing machine for this portion.
Whether you use a machine or a hand sewing needle, be sure to sew close to the bottom edge of the doll. Too far away from the edge will create an unseemly “flap.”
Next, sew on the ears.
Be sure that both the left ear and the right ear are lined up evenly.
Sew both the front edge and the back edge onto the fox’s head.
Face
Next, you’ll want to create a little face for your fox.
Use some embroidery thread for this part.
I used a french knot for the eyes.
That’s it! You now have a finished soft toy! Your very own fox is finished! I hope you found this to be a fun pattern!
Leave a Comment!
Be sure to leave a comment to let me know who you made this adorable fox for!
It’s sure to become any small child’s best friend! (please note that handmade toys should always be given to children under complete supervision! small pieces pose as a choking hazard to young children.)
If you love soft toys and PDF sewing patterns, be sure check out my other free patterns on the blog!
There are plenty of free patterns, but I definitely have a “soft spot” for plushie patterns!
All of my patterns are complete with detailed step-by-step instructions, and come in PDF format.
Most of my freebies are easy patterns — for the advanced beginner sewer at most! This keeps them accessible for everyone to enjoy!
