This post was most recently updated on May 28th, 2023

Make your own hippo softie! A simple sewing project for kids using scrap felt and a needle and thread! Such a sweet and simple way to make your own stuffed animal! This is part 1 of a 6-part sewing series for kids. Today we’re making a hippo. In part 2 we’ll make a Corgi puppy so be sure to come back to make one with us!

Looking for more sewing projects for kids? Check out our heart plushie or 10-minute wired headband!

Watch our step by step video!

For 60 more sewing projects for kids check out my sewing book, SEW WITH ME!

Easy Softie Sewing Patterns for Kids

Items you’ll need to have on hand for our Felt Softies:

felt scraps
thread (we used embroidery floss)
needle
scissors
pins
hot glue or fabric glue*
paper to print template for pattern pieces.

Tips for Sewing Softies

It’s not a great time to be heading to the store to pick up supplies with the government encouraging us to stay at home. That’s ok! Just work with what you have. If you don’t have any stuffing to fill your softie, you can use a sock or even a plastic grocery bag (it’ll sound crinkly!).
I had a lot of felt scraps left over from previous projects, but not everyone has a stash like mine and that’s totally okay! If you don’t have felt, you can use other fabric scraps. I like using felt or fleece because these types of fabric don’t fray. If you use cotton, the edges will fray, but it will still be a cute softie! These heart plushies are made out of cotton. We cut the fabric out using pinking shears (decorative sewing scissors) which helps the edges not fray.
You can sew your entire softie or glue your entire softie. It’s up to you. We will be using a combination of sewing and gluing in our step by step photo instructions and video. You still get the cute stitched look, but don’t have to sew every tiny detail on by hand.
Get creative! Use different colors of felt, add buttons if you’d like—have fun!

*Hot glue dries fast, but fabric glue is easier for kids to work with. If using fabric glue, allow time for drying.

Hippo Softie Sewing Pattern for Kids

You might be wondering why we are starting out our series with a hippo. When school closed for the year we started checking out some of the fun online programs being offered for kids. One that we found were the videos from the Cincinnati Zoo. They do such a great job sharing their animals with the public via Facebook lives and youtube videos. We absolutely fell in love with Fiona, the premature baby hippo that was born a few years ago, and have been watching a video a day to get caught up with her story! It’s definitely worth checking out!

So in honor of Fiona, we bring you this adorable purple and pink hippo softie.

How To Make a Hippo Softie

4.50 from 2 votes

Hippo Softie Sewing Pattern For Kids

Make your own hippo softie! A simple sewing project for kids using scrap felt and a needle and thread!

Prep Time10

Active Time30

Total Time40

Yield: softie

Cost: $1

Equipment

pins
scissors

Materials

Instructions

Cut out hippo softie templates. Pin each template to the felt and cut out the necessary pieces.
Place the white hippo eye section onto one of the squares. Glue into place using hot glue or fabric glue.
Pin the nose over the eye section. Glue the teeth under the nose section. Glue the pupils onto the white eye section.
Thread a needle with a long piece of thread. If using embroidery floss, seperate the strand of floss into two sections (each section will have 3 strings of floss). Use one section for sewing.
Tie a knot on the end. Stitch around the nose section. Tie a knot on the back when you are finished and cut the thread.
Glue the inner ear pieces to the outer ear pieces.
Set the face piece to the side. Find the second square and place the ears and feet into place.
Lay the face over the back square. Add a few pins to keep everything together.
Thread a needle with a long piece of thread. Stitch around 3 sides of the hippo, leaving one side open. Add a small amount of stuffing.
Continue to stitch until the opening is closed. Tie a knot in the thread on the back of the hippo and cut the thread.
Your hippo is complete!

Video

Notes

You can sew your entire project or glue your entire project. We used a combination of sewing and gluing. Hot glue works best when gluing felt, but fabric glue is safer for kids (prevents burns). If using fabric glue, allow some time for the pieces to dry.

The designs for our animal softies were inspired by this clip art that I found on shutterstock.

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