the Zakka owl: an adorable, small stuffed owl

You may start squealing with ooh's and aaaah's at any time. :-)

There is a very easy tutorial for these stuffed owls at Moon Stitches ... the tutorial is presented in picture format, spread out over the subsequent pages.  Also, do a Google/Images search for "tutowlrial" and you'll see all SORTS of simply adorable samples!







Although the tutorial shows the owl being sewn by machine, this little project is one that you could easily
stitch by hand, if you wanted a portable project when you are on the go.  They are great little projects to do whilst you are watching a TV show.

Allow yourself the freedom to choose WILD fabric for your owls; they won't mind. :-)   If you think far enough ahead, you could fussy cut the circles that are used as the owl's base.  I didn't consider that when I was cutting my fabric.  And speaking of the base, I used cardboard for mine.  Be aware that whatever you do use as the "stiffener", stays inside the circle of fabric.  Because I used cardboard, these little owls aren't washable ... you might think of using something that won't be affected by water if you think your owls are going to be in an environment that would warrant them being cleaned.

I used felt circles for the eyes, since these owls are going to be sent to two young girls (ages 2 and 4). 

Buttons would also be a great item to use for eyes .. but not if young children are the recipients.  When you use buttons, be aware of the direction the final stitches through the buttonholes are placed ... you can really alter the look of your owl, depending on whether the thread is horizontal, vertical, diagonal or even crossed!   If you were so inclined, you could fully embroider the eyes, use smaller circles of appliqued fabric or even paint them on the fabric.   If you position the eyes UNDER the "nose" flap, then the owls will have a stern look to them.

Again, do take the time to do a Google/Image search with the keyword "tutowlrial" ... you'll see lots and lots of very clever ideas to spark your imagination!

If you use the pattern "as-is", the owls will be about 3" high.  They fit comfortably in the palm of my hand.  Once you see how the pattern pieces fit together, you can scale the pieces up or down to create a larger or smaller owl.  With different sizes, you could have an entire family of owls!

These little guys are just sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo adorable.   I'm putting one into the Bendy Bags that I blogged about earlier.