Enjoy this adorable and FREE add-on for those who have already purchased my penguin ITH pattern to create this adorable iconic character
Stitch out Time: 2 min Approx
"Piplup, the Penguin Pokémon. Although not the most sure-footed, it is proud nonetheless, getting right back up after a fall with head held high"
To start out with ANY in the hoop embroidery patterns it is essential to first hoop your stabilizer. You can cut a size from a roll that will fit between both embroidery hoop frames. The frames should fit snuggly and not easily pop apart. You can adjust the frames via a small turn knob on the top or bottom. I prefer to only ever open and close the bottom one.
When creating using ITH (in the hoop) patterns it is also essential to only use tear away stabilizer. I prefer the lighter weight of 1.5 oz's so that it doesn't hurt my hands pulling it away later. If you use cut away it will be more frustrating and time consuming.
TIP: It is cheaper to buy a whole roll of stabilizer than pre cut sheets for certain hoop sizes. The roll will last a lot longer in you're considering the cost of materials.
2. For this tutorial it is essential that you already have your penguin almost finished from my Penguin ITH Pattern. If you are yet to buy the purchased pattern you can purchase it below.
*Pattern Purchasable End of January 2023*
Your penguin should be all sewn together except for its tail. Leave that off for now. When creating piplup I also like to sew the arms downward onto the body. I'll explain why later.
3. Creating Piplup's added accessories is really easy. Once the file is open on your embroidery machine you can sandwich two pieces of minky fabric together (right sides touching). You want a generous rectangle of fabric.
In one step your machine will stitch out the front and back accessories. And that is all there is to it!
4. Pull the design away from the embroidery hoop and remove any left over stabilizer.
Carefully use scissors and cut the two new pieces out. Then when you are ready you can turn right side out.
LIGHTLY stuff them with polypill stuffing. You do not want these pieces very firm.
5. Once you have your new pieces lightly stuffed it is time to grab some hand sewing thread and a hand sewing needle.
I personally prefer 100% polyester Gutterman.
You will "ladder stitch" each of the openings closed on the top of these two pieces. If you are new to ladder stitching I will link a YouTube tutorial below. This is a very good foundation stitch used in all plush making!
6. Moving along we can start to attach Piplup's back accent. Thread some more thread (I like to double my thread over when hand stitching) and eyeball the centre of the back of the penguin.
You can see via the example image to the left that my ladder stitch threads are very loose. I make loose threads sometimes when sewing harder concave areas. Then when finished I slowly tighten them up by tugging at the end. Once this back accessory is attached and secured, make sure to tie a knot at the end. To get a clean finish push the needle inside the plush and bring out another area. Remove from the thread. Pull tightly on the thread and snip close to the body you exited. The tail of the thread will naturally hide inside the plush.
7. This step is why I personally suggest not filling these accessory pieces very much with polypill. You want it just soft that it bounces back when squished.
After ladder stitching the top of the back it always looks like piplup has a cape! We don't want this.
8. To prevent Piplup from looking like a silly super penguin - we will use some anchor ladder stitches near the bottom of the plush.
Essentially you will find the middle roughly and make 4-5 ladder stitches then pull tightly. This will naturally pull and secure the back portion down giving us the shape we wanted.
9. See :) Ahhh. Much better.
This side shot helps us understand the importance of a few anchor stitches.
10. Moving along you should have a stuffed penguin tail that was originally stitched out with my Penguin pattern.
Attach this now to the lower back centred with pins.
Carefully ladder stitch around the lower portion of the tail in a circle. Tie a knot to secure and hide the tail inside the plush.
11. The front accessory is sewn on the same way as the back. I again used loose ladder stitches across the chin of the penguin.
Then pulled tight to secure at the end.
12. Here is just another view to show I am stitching on the chin not the body. I also found it easier to do this area with a long doll needle meant for thread sculpting. It was easier to maneuver in the concave space.
13. Again the pieces will naturally want to pull upward away from the plush. I was not a fan of this look.
14. So - on each side I again used some anchor ladder stitches to pull the front accessory downwards towards the arms.
15. Do this to both sides neatly.
You can see the difference the anchor stitches make in this photo compared to previous.
16. Congratulations! You've just successfully finished the most adorable Piplup! I made a purple version just because purple is one of my favourite colors! I hope you enjoy this free add-on and don't forget to tag me in your makes <3 I always do my best to share your work with my followers when able. Thanks for tagging along!
Want to check out a few more beginner friendly patterns? Here are a couple below that people tend to enjoy. You can check them out on my website under the patterns section! Thanks for being here with me and happy stitching!
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