LaRuDio

illustrations + wearable art + diy craft kits

D.I.Y.

La Ru Halloween Bat Friend!

Embroidery, HalloweenLauren RudeckComment

You will need:

  • Pattern (click here to download for free)
  • Felt – two colors of your choice
  • Needle
  • Embroidery thread, two colors (A strand of embroidery string contains six threads. I used three of the six strands, but you can use as little or as many as you want depending on what you want it to look like)
  • Scissors

Instructions:

1.  Print out provided pdf pattern.

2.  Cut out the pattern and then lay the pieces on top of felt. You can pin them, but since they are small I just held them in place.

3.  Cut out the bat body and bat wings in one felt color; I chose gray. Cut out the background in the second felt color; I chose pink.

laru-bat-1

4.  Using a back stitch, stitch the wings on the body. (Hint: The dashed line on the wings template lines up with the body, so that the extra fabric tucks behind the body giving it a  3D look.)

laru-bat-2

5.  Once the wings are stitched on, lay the bat and bat wings onto the background. Use a back stitch to go around the bat. To embellish the wings you can do a straight stitch (looks like a dotted line) from the points of the wings to the arm pit of the bat.

laru-bat-4
laru-bat-5

6.  For the eyes make two French knots.

7.  Using a different color embroidery thread such as white or red stitch two triangles for the fangs.

laru-bat-6

You’re done! Now what?

Turn it into a broach: Stitch a pin to the back into a broach.

Make it into a headband: Using wide elastic measure your head and be sure to give yourself an extra half inch or so, so you can lap it over and sew the elastic together. Once the elastic is sewn in a loop, stitch the Bat Felt Friend onto the headband. Be sure to only stitch through the Bat Background piece and not all the way through to the front of the bat.

Make it into a key chain: Cut out a second Bat Background and a tab for a key chain (provided in downloadable pattern). Loop the tab over the key ring and sandwich between the finished Bat Felt Friend and the second Bat Background. Whip stitch or blanket stitch around the perimeter.

Next post I will show you how to make the Sugar Skull with another free downloadable pattern.