Give a "hug" this christmas

On with the business of Christmas.

This is a quick idea based on something my 10 year old came up with. It's a cushion to hug only this one has arms to hug you back! It is a quick project and a nice bit of crafting for a boy. it just needs some fleece, a cushion and a few off cuts of felt. This is a quick tutorial based on pictures I took while I made it.

I am sure yours will have slightly less wild staring eyes and more of a friendly face!Its a simple 3 fold cushion cover so start by measuring out a piece to cover the cushion.

Next cut out some felt to make the face.

Sew the felt onto the cover. I used the zig zag on my machine.It covers the seams well and creates a nice edge to the shapesThen I decided to add ears. 2 Rectangles of fabric, folded in halfSew across the top and down the side to make a pocket.Turn it so seams are on the insideThen open up the pocket and bring the 2 sides together to make a 3 d shape.Sew the piece closed.

To make the arms I cut out 4 simple arm shapes. Sew right sides together and turn.Top stitch just to add a little detail. I put on 3 fingers just to make it clear that they are hands!

Its nearly all ready to put together so just make sure the back seam that will show at the end is sewn up. This is the short sides on the long rectangle that is the main part of the cushion. i tend to turn a hem on both ends as I nearly always get them mixed up and cant work out which will show.

Time to pin it all together. Pin the arms and the ears in the right place. I also pinned the arms across to hold them in place when I stitched. Then it needs to be folded inside out to sew up the side seams.and hey presto... you have a "hug", well when its turned the right way round and a cushion in.I hope that it all makes sense. its a fun little project that doesn't take too long but looks quite impressive.