Seriously cute mouse tutorial

Mice - by Rose Fyleman

I think mice

are rather nice.

Their tails are long,

their faces small,

They haven't any

chins at all. 

Their ears are pink,

their teeth are white,

They run about

the house at night.

They nibble things

they shouldn't touch

And no one seems

to like them much.

But I think mice

are nice.

You might remember that I made this little mouse house and its two tiny occupants for my sister's birthday last month..well thinking ahead i took pictures as i sewed and now I can give you all a seriously cute little mouse tutorial; here goes.

You will need the pattern, mouse coloured felt - brown, grey, white, cream - scrap pink felt for ears and tail, embroidery floss to match your felt (i worked with two strands) large black seed beads, some wool stuffing and a few small coins or metal washers (or a small stone or something) to weight the mouse (I am hesitant to use grains because real mice might nibble on them...)

Download my free pattern from scrib, click here. I find it easier to glue the pattern to an old cardboard box and then cut out the pieces before tracing onto the felt.

Once you have cut out your felt start sewing the two main body pieces together from point B (shown) to A; I used blanket stitch.

When you reach point A (the nose) you need to add in your tummy panel. Stitch first down one side A to C, finish off the thread and hide your knot. Then, with a new thread, begin stitching down the other side from point A to C.

Continuing on with the same thread add your base piece by stitching around the curved sides A to B then B to C.

BUT don't stitch too quickly! you need to put in your tail at point B - so a few stitches short of the back centre seam - needle still threaded and attached to the body of your mouse - pick up your tail and run a couple of tiny straight stitches across one of the short ends

pull the thread tight and poke the gathered end inside your mouse at the centre back. Continue blanket stitching, catching in the tail on both sides of the centre, until you reach point C.

your mouse should now look a bit like this:

Stuff it with wool, til it is reasonably firm. Before you close it up at the base poke in your weights. I used 1967 one and two cent Australian coins. One and two cent coins were discontinued in 1991 and withdrawn from circulation but I still have a few around - who knows my sister's mice might be worth quite a bit one day!

Nearly done - just ears, eyes and wiskers to go!

If you still have plenty of length left on your thread just poke your needle up through the body of the mouse and come out where you would like an ear to go. (if you need to start a new thread thats is ok. just bury you end in the body and come out where the ear will go and secure your thread with a couple of small back stitches)

The ears are worked the same way as the tail; keeping the thread you are working with, run a few tiny straight stitches along the flat side and pull to gather then attach securely

Push your needle through to the other side and repeat with the second ear.

Poke your needle back in again this time coming out where you want to place the first eye - secure the bead and go through again, out the other side to stitch on the second eye.

ok poke your needle back in again and come out right on the tip of its nose. You are going to sew a few large loops for whiskers - make sure you secure your loops in the centre each time so they won't pull loose.

tie a knot with the needle, to end off, right on the tip of its nose and (this is  the last time we poke the poor creature I promise) poke your needle back inside coming out its tummy (or somewhere) cut your thread close to the body as you can and the end should disappear neatly inside (never to be pulled and unravelled)

Last of all cut the far end of your loops to double your whiskers.

Now all you have to do is find them a little house....