Sewing & Textiles

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Alpaca Pillow

Learn some basic sewing skills to create your own Alpaca Pillow!
  • Step 1Unzip the cushion cover and turn it inside out. Ensure that the corners are laid out on a flat surface. Measure 7cm from the top left corner going across the top of the cover and make a mark with a pencil. Measure 7cm again from the top left corner going down the side and make a mark. Join the two marks to create a diagonal line. Repeat for the top right corner.
  • Step 2Measure 12cm from the bottom left corner going across the bottom of the cover and make a mark with a pencil. Measure 12cm going up the side from the bottom left corner and make a mark. Join the two marks with a diagonal line. Repeat for the bottom right corner.
  • Step 3Cut a 1m length of white embroidery thread and thread it on to a sewing needle. Adult supervision is recommended when using scissors. Create a double knot at the end of the length. Thread the needle through the two layers of the cushion cover at the top left diagonal line. Create a running stitch along the line and secure the thread in place with a knot. Steps on how to sew a running stitch can be found here; https://bit.ly/CP_Rst . Trim the thread and continue stitching the other three corners. Once all four corners are sewn, turn the cushion cover back the right way and push the inside out as much as the seams you created will allow.
  • Step 4Print out the template and cut out the different pieces. Place the template pieces on to a sheet of brown felt. Trace around the template with a pencil or marker and cut out the felt shapes.
  • Step 5Use a marker to lightly sketch a “Y” shape onto the mouth/nose felt piece. Thread a small length of black embroidery thread through a sewing needle and stitch along the “Y” shape using a back stitch. Steps on how to sew a back stitch can be found here; http://bit.ly/CPbkst . Tie a knot to secure and trim the excess thread.
  • Step 6Place the hair felt piece at the top of your cushion cover, lining up the top with the top straight section of the felt piece. Use black embroidery thread and a running stitch around the edge of the felt to attach the felt to the pillow. Attach the mouth/nose felt shape underneath the hair using the same method. Tie a knot to secure and trim the excess.
  • CleverTip: Sew through the top layer of the cushion cover only. If you sew through both layers, you won’t be able to insert the wadding! If you accidently sew through both layers, pull the needle out and pull the last stitch back through. Re-thread the needle and continue stitching.
  • Step 7Lightly sketch two eyes onto the cushion cover in pencil. We’ve drawn two closed eyes with eyelashes! Back stitch along the lines you’ve drawn for the eyes and tie a knot to secure. Again, make sure you only sew through the top layer of the cushion cover. Trim any excess thread.
  • Step 8Attach the ears to the top of your pillow using a running stitch. Secure with a knot and trim any excess thread.
  • Step 9Fill your cushion cover with 70-80g of wadding. Add more wadding if you would like a firmer pillow. Close the zip on the cover to enclose the wadding.
  • Step 10Your Alpaca Pillow is now ready to display!

Materials used in this activity

Felt Squares - Pack of 100
Optional
Product Code: 10785
EACH $54.99 (inc GST) $49.99 (ex GST)
4 to 7 $47.29 (inc GST) $42.99 (ex GST) 8 or more $41.24 (inc GST) $37.49 (ex GST)
Increase value Decrease value
Student Scissors - Pack of 20
Optional
Product Code: 10897
EACH $43.99 (inc GST) $39.99 (ex GST)
3 or more $32.99 (inc GST) $29.99 (ex GST)          
Increase value Decrease value
Wadding - 200g Pack
Optional
Product Code: 11111
EACH $10.99 (inc GST) $9.99 (ex GST)
5 to 9 $8.79 (inc GST) $7.99 (ex GST) 10 or more $6.59 (inc GST) $5.99 (ex GST)
Increase value Decrease value
Sewing Needles - Blunt Tip - Pack of 25
Optional
Product Code: 11591
EACH $16.49 (inc GST) $14.99 (ex GST)
3 or more $11.54 (inc GST) $10.49 (ex GST)          
Increase value Decrease value
Cotton Cushion Cover
Optional
Product Code: 11721
EACH $5.49 (inc GST) $4.99 (ex GST)
30 to 59 $4.39 (inc GST) $3.99 (ex GST) 60 or more $3.84 (inc GST) $3.49 (ex GST)
Increase value Decrease value
Plastic Ruler - 30cm
Optional
Product Code: 12295
EACH $1.65 (inc GST) $1.50 (ex GST)
30 or more $1.32 (inc GST) $1.20 (ex GST)          
Increase value Decrease value
Product Code: 12374
EACH $5.49 (inc GST) $4.99 (ex GST)
Increase value Decrease value
Product Code: 13717
EACH $5.49 (inc GST) $4.99 (ex GST)
Increase value Decrease value
HB Pencils - Pack of 20
Optional
Product Code: 16618
EACH $8.79 (inc GST) $7.99 (ex GST)
6 or more $6.59 (inc GST) $5.99 (ex GST)          
Increase value Decrease value
EverZart Permanent Pens - Black - Pack of 20
Optional
Product Code: 19810
EACH $36.29 (inc GST) $32.99 (ex GST)
3 or more $27.16 (inc GST) $24.69 (ex GST)          
Increase value Decrease value