Rat Toy Pattern and Tutorial

 Rat Mouse Tilda toy. Sewing Pattern and Tutorial.

“Pat, the rat” 

 Materials

 23cm x 23cm (9” x 9”) of beige or grey cashmere mini fur 6mm dark topaz or black glass eyes
A scrap of white ultra-suede for the eyes
No. 5 brown perle cotton
Sewing thread to match fur fabric
Upholstery thread
Polyester stuffing
Synthetic sinew
Garnet powder or glass beads for weight
Copic© marker #E39
Acetone based craft glue
A long pipe cleaner (for tail)

Tools

Sewing Machine Pins & sewing needles
Scissors Stuffing Tool
Felt tip pen Tweezers
Airbrushing kit

Cutting out and sewing the pattern

Glue pattern sheet onto a piece of cardboard. Cut out the pattern pieces.  With the fur nap facing towards you, fold fur fabric from side to side so the right side of the fur faces each other. Place and draw 1 body, 2 arms, 1 head, 2 legs and 1 tail so the arrows on the templates match the nap of the fur and that there’s enough seam allowance between each one to cut latter on (see photo below for template layout).

Turn your stitch length to small to medium on your sewing machine. Pin fur fabric together and sew on the line, then cut around each piece.  

Head

 Stuff firmly with polyester filling, making sure the stuffing gets right to the tip of the nose. Run a gathering stitch around the neck opening and finish off with a couple of knots.

Ears

 Baste the straight edges close. Place on the head with the help of a few pins, and sew them firmly with a ladder stitch. 

Eyes

 Airbrush or paint the eye area with Copic Marker #E39 (using the close-up photo below as a guide).

 Make 2 small holes in the head where the eyes will be placed.  Cut 2 oval shapes from the white ultra-suede with the help of the pattern piece supplied, then make a hole where marked.  Make sure the hole is big enough for the wire loop of the eye to go through it.  

Cut a long piece of synthetic sinew and split in half lengthways.  Pick one of the lengths, and thread both ends through a darner needle, leaving a loop at the end.  Starting inside one of the ears, insert the needle with sinew and come out through the hole of the opposite eye socket.

Important: leave thread loop hanging out of the ear, DO NOT PULL ALL THE WAY THROUGH.

Thread the needle through the wire loop of the eye and insert the needle back in the same hole.  Come out almost next to where you started (behind the ear). Wrap the needle 3 times through the synthetic sinew loop you’ve left behind and pull hard. Cut close to head. 

 This will ensure the sculpting and sewing of the eye at the same time.  No need to do any knots. The sinew will hold in place. Repeat for the other eye. 

Nose and whiskers 

Using double No. 5 black perle cotton and needle, start on the side of the nose (the very tip of the muzzle) and insert the needle from side to side leaving the tails of the perle cotton hanging. Make a few satin stitches from side to side of the nose area, just to fill the nose. Before you pull the last stitch through, leave a small amount of thread hanging on the side of the nose and cut loop, so the thread becomes 4 whiskers. Do the same for the other side and cut excess thread off. 

Stuffing and putting the rat together 

Place a small amount of glass beads (or garnet powder) plus a little polyester filling in the legs, then following the markings on the body template, place the top part of the legs inside the bottom of the body. Close opening shut attaching the legs to the body with upholstery thread and backstitch.

Fill the body with just polyester filling. Close neck opening with same thread and running stitch. Fill arms in the same manner as the legs. Close openings with upholstery thread and ladder stitch.

 Double thread a long darner needle with upholstery thread. Starting at the body, where the arm will be jointed, insert needle running it through the body and out the other side at the corresponding point.

Run needle through the inner side of one of the arms, back into the body, out the other side, through the other inner side of the opposite arm and so on; pulling the threads every time the needle comes out, until the arms are firmly attached, yet still movable.

To finish, wrap the threads between the body and the arm a couple of times and finish off with a couple of knots.

Attach the head to the body with upholstery thread and ladder stitch.
Airbrush the inside of the ears, paws, as well as the heel and toe areas of each foot with Copic marker #E39,

 Dressing Pat the rat

 Out of a piece of cotton fabric of your choice, measuring 24cm x 12cm, cut 2 pants pieces on the fold. Also, from a different scrap of fabric cut 2 pants cuffs. 

Fold cuff in half lengthways. With RST and raw edges matching, sew a cuff strip to the bottom part of the pant piece. Repeat with the other cuff.  With RST, sew centre front seams, and then the centre back seams.  Then, with RST, match centre front seam to back seam. Pin and sew inside leg seam.

Place pants on Pat, then fold waist in.  Make a couple of pleats at the front and at the back so the waist fits the body snuggly. Then, with upholstery thread and needle sew waist to the body. Finish off with a couple of knots. 

Turn tail RSO and place a pipe cleaner or florist wire inside the tail. Place at the back of the pants and sew in place with upholstery thread and ladder stitch.  Cut a long trip of the same fabric as the pants’ cuffs and make a bow around Pat’s neck with it. 

Hope you’ll enjoy your new pet rat!!