Tiny Frog Sewing Project

This tiny frog is a fun project for anyone who has a little bit of fabric, and is a great small project for anyone stuck at home. It is also a good project for people learning how to sew, or anyone who wants to get better at hand sewing.

paper

pencil

scissors

a small amount of fabric

nail polish (preferably clear)

needle

thread

filling or stuffing of your choosing.

The best type of material to use for this tiny frog is a scrap of something you own, ideally light weight. I was given a large amount of quilting scraps, which I had not found a use for before, but was able to use less than a third of a foot for these tiny frogs. Ladybug for scale.

Fold a scrap piece of paper in half. Replicate a shape similar to this on the paper fold. Mine was about 2.5 inches from nose to tail. Cut along this line, making sure to hold the pieces together while cutting in order to keep it symmetrical.Imagine it as a frog-shaped valentine.

Take the base pattern and trace around one of the symmetrical halves onto paper. In the place of the fold, draw a curved line bowing away from the legs of the frog. This will give the frog an accurate back curve. Cut along these lines.

Make sure to secure the top piece pattern to fabric with pins, and cut around it. Create a seam allowance by leaving an small space between the pattern and the cut. I cut mine about an eighth of an inch away from the pattern. Once you have done this with one top piece, you will want to flip the pattern over and repeat the step. This will ensure that the "good" side of the fabric is facing outward. Pin the base to the fabric, and cut around it with a small seam allowance as well.

when using a cotton print, or any other type of woven fabric, fraying will occur. To prevent this, I recommend sealing it with some variety of seam sealant. For mine I used clear nail polish, although you could likely use any type of nail polish if you are careful. Brush a thin layer along the edges of the pieces. If you are using a non woven fabric, or something that will not fray, such as fleece or felt, there is no need for this step.

After the nail polish has dried, align the two symmetrical top pieces with the "good" side facing inward. Sew along the spine, about an eighth of an inch in. Make the stitches as small as possible,or go backwards over the seam, making sure to go over the entire curve. Once done, it should look like this.

align the newly stitched top part, to the bottom piece with all the good sides facing inwards. Make sure that the "spine" seam is facing outward. Make sure that all the legs align correctly, and pin them in place. Once the legs are aligned the rest of the border should align as well. Starting at the base of the back leg, and curving around the leg begin to stitch around the border of the frog.

Once you have gone around most of the border of the frog, tie off the thread at the base of the second back leg. Starting with the hind legs, then the head, followed by the front legs, turn the frog inside out. Because it is so tiny, this may take effort, but pinching the legs can help work them out.

Fill the frog with the stuffing of your choice, making sure to get stuffing into the little legs. This could be a good use for any tiny scraps of leftover fabric.

Starting at one end of the opening, run a ladder stitch or invisible stitch along the opening to seal it off. This should be the rear area of the frog. Tie off the stitches, and the frog should be complete.