Little ones and grown-ups alike will adore this dog toy, which you can make using our tutorial and templates!

What you need...

• Fabric, two co-ordinating prints, fat quarter
  
• Felt, co-ordinating, scraps
  
• Thread: sewing; embroidery
  
• Buttons
  
• Fibre filling

instructions

1. Trace the pattern pieces onto thin card to make templates. Draw around them onto the reverse of your fabric. Add a 5mm seam allowance around all of the edges of each pattern when cutting out, except for the folded sides. Stitch all pieces right sides together unless stated. Use a different material for the gusset pieces and one pair of ears. Fold under 5mm at the bottom of each leg on all four
   pattern pieces and tack. Fold under 5mm on the straight edge at the bottom of the ears on all four pieces and tack.

2. Stitch the body gusset together from A to B, then clip the curve. Sew the head pieces to the neck parts from C to D, then press the seam towards the nose. Stitch the ears together in pairs, clip the curves, turn out and press. Pin and stitch the body gusset to both body pieces from A to B, excluding the hemmed bottom of each leg.

3. Pin and stitch the head gusset to both sides of the head from E to F. Turn out and check both gussets are sewn in neatly before continuing. Turn inside out and stitch from B, around the tail to a third of the way along the back of the dog. Stitch from E, over the head to two thirds of the way along the back, leaving an 8cm gap for turning and stuffing.

4. Fold in the raw edges around the gap and tack. Clip all the curves and corners before turning right side out. Stuff the dog with fibre filling, using small amounts at a time and pushing them well into the tail and head. Use a knitting needle if necessary. Do not push too much stuffing into the legs at this point.

5. Once the main part of the dog is well shaped with stuffing, close up the gap with mattress stitch. Continue stuffing the dog through the holes in the bottom of each leg until it's firm but not too hard.

6. Cut four ovals from felt and oversew to the hemmed bottom of each leg. Remove the tacking stitches. Make a tuck in the flat base of both ears and oversew to the head on either side. Add buttons to each side of the head and embroider a nose and mouth using satin and back stitch.

7. Cut two 22cm long strips of felt, one 1.5cm wide and the other 2cm wide. Trim the edges of the narrower strip with pinking shears before sewing to the wider strip with neat running stitch. Wrap it around the dog's neck so the ends overlap slightly. Stitch a decorative button to the overlap to secure.