Chickens

Pieka Brassell from Maputo made these chickens from fabric remnants.

You will need
• templates (see below)
• cotton fabric in assorted colours and designs (for the body)
• felt (for feet and comb)
• matching coloured sewing thread
• stranded embroidery thread
• 2 buttons, for eyes
• polyester stuffing

To make
1 NOTE The seam allowances are all 1cm, except for the seam-free felt pieces. Download the template and use it to cut out all the body parts from assorted fabrics.
2 Sew the wings, legs and beak with right sides facing, remembering to leave openings in the seams to turn them right sides out.
3 Use a zigzag stitch to attach the felt feet to the leg pieces.
4 Use a zigzag stitch to attach the outer and inner eye pieces to the body piece of the chicken.
5 Sew buttons on as eyes and decorate the outer eyes, body and comb with embroidery stitches, if you prefer.
6 Stuff the chicken legs and turn the beak and wings right side out.
7 Pin the various body parts in place, facing in towards the body. Sandwich the legs between the body and belly parts and sew the belly to the body part.
8 Pin the body pieces to each other with right sides facing and stitch together, leaving an opening at the back.
9 Turn the chicken right side out through the opening and stuff.
10 Hand stitch the seam closed.