These little guys are quick and easy to make. They make a great gift! Why not use up some smaller pieces from your sash and make a whole set for your house.
Click Here for Printable Rooster Crest Pattern
Materials Needed:
Two 7” muslin squares
Three 1 ½” strips of three different fabrics of similar color
(light, medium and darker --- light gray, medium gray and black works great) or scraps
Felt scraps – red, orange and yellow
Two eyes or buttons
Rice or stones if you wish to make a steadier base
Polyester stuffing
Getting Started:
(all seam allowance are ¼”)
Instructions:
Taking one of your 7” squares, draw a line diagonally from corner to corner. This will be your starting point for strip piecing the rooster’s body. Place one 1 ½” strip right side up along this line. Lay a second different coloured strip face down on the first stripe. Stitch along one of the long sides, attaching the two strips onto one side of the muslin. Open up and fold back one of the strips and press. Working in the same direction, continue to attach strips to the muslin, one colour at a time until you have reached a corner. Next, start on the opposite side and work out from the center again, until you reach the opposite corner. You might want to trim your strips even with the 7” muslin base as you work. Once one of the muslin squares has been strip pieced, do the same with the second square. These two squares will be used to form the rooster’s body.
Now you have two pieced squares that will become the rooster’s body. The next step is to add the crest and beak. Taking a scrap of the red and yellow felt, cut the following:
One 1 ½” square of yellow felt, then cut in half diagonally
(set aside one of the halves – or save for a second rooster)
From the red felt scrap, cut the crest using the pattern piece provided
Next, take the yellow triangle and fold in half to form the beak. Baste along the long edge. Now, place one of the rooster body squares down flat with the right side up. Place the folded yellow triangle (beak) on the top section the rooster body, raw edges together, approximately 1” down from the upper right hand corner. On this same square, place the crest on the top edge, approximately ¾” from the upper right hand corner, raw edges together. You should now have the pieced square with the beak on the upper top section of the right hand side and the crest on the right hand side of the top section. Baste the crest and beak in place.
Next, taking the second 7” pieced muslin square, place it right side down on the square that you have just basted the beak and crest to. Sew this section together starting at the bottom left hand corner, up the right hand side along the top section and down the left hand side. In the middle of the bottom, be sure to leave a 2” (approximate) opening for turning the rooster to the right side once completed. You should now have the rooster (inside out) with one complete side still open.
To make the tail:
Take the red, yellow and orange felt, cut the following:
Red square – 2 ½”
Orange square – 2”
Yellow square – 1 ½”
Cut each square in half diagonally and set aside the second triangle (or save for rooster #2!) Place the red square down and lay then the orange square and on top of the orange square, the yellow square, matching the long side. Baste through all three layers. This is the rooster’s tail.
Now, to close the last side, take the still-open side and bring the pieces together. This time, however, match the two sides seams in the center from previous piecing. Place the tail in the center of the two seams, matching raw edges. To make sure you have the tail laying in the right direction, the three colours should be facing up toward the crest side of the rooster. Sew the seam shut.
Turn the rooster to the right side through the small opening left in the bottom of the rooster. Stuff the rooster’s body with polyester batting. If you wish to have a heavy rooster to act as a doorstop, fill a small muslin bag with rice or small stones and place in the bottom, then stuff. Slipstitch the small opening in the muslin close. Sew on buttons for eyes and enjoy!
These can be fun to make and a great way to use up your bits and pieces.