These fabric turkeys will add festive charm to your table scape, mantel, or bookshelves. You will need basic sewing skills for these cuties, but don’t worry – it’s not too tough for a novice. They are made from a simple pattern, only 2 pieces, and the size is very easy to change (bigger, smaller, fatter!). Get your sewing machine out and gather up some fall fabric!
Materials:
- Turkey pattern {DOWNLOAD PATTERN PDF HERE}
- Muslin for body of turkey, 4″ by 13″ for 1 body
- Fall fabric for tail, 6″ by 12″ for 1 tail
- Matching felt 6″ by 6″ (to tail)
- Matching DMC floss or thread for tail
- Paint: black for eyes, red for gobbler
- Tooth pick
- scissors
- Sewing machine with matching thread to turkey body
- Stuffing
- Rice
- Glue or hot glue
- Buttons and blush make-up with Q-tip
Lets make a turkey. Trace and cut the turkey body (cut with fold on bottom).
For the turkey tail you will need one match piece of felt and 2 pieces of fall fabric. Sew around the turkey body with 3/8 seam allowance. Ok stay with me, I know it looks odd. Two more seams and done! We are going to make him stand up. Flatten bottom to make a room to make a seam (I sewed these seams in dark thread making it easier to see). Hard part done, and I know it still might not look right…but it is.
With scissors cut a slit in back. And clip with scissors around turkey body. Turn right side out. Now do you see what is happening….he will stand.
Fill bottom half with rice (or what ever you might have) and fill upper part with stuffing. Stitch closed, this is the back no one will see this side.
Now for his tail. Cut the fall fabric and felt, I cut all 3 at the same time. Pin all 3 together to make it easier to hand stitch. You will need to layer the pieces as showed in picture. I like to use DMC floss, but thread can be used. Quick stitch around tail through all 3 pieces. Glue tail to back of turkey body (I used hot glue). With black paint make 2 eyes and maybe eye brow, I find using a tooth pick makes it so easy. Just dip the tip of the tooth pick in your paint to make the eyes and a quick stock for brow. If you’re not sure, practice on scrap fabric or paper. Now red for the gobbler. I used felt for his beak, paint will also work.
Buttons can be glued on; on one I cut fabric circles and just stitched them on. One last step – with a Q-tip rub a little make-up blush on his cheeks.
shuh! simple but colorful