My daughter has recently become interested in life-cycles, so I thought I would try and sew a little toy in response to this. And so to celebrate World Penguin Day this week, it seemed rather fitting to use those wonderful birds as inspiration. Read on to find out how you can sew one too.

You will need:

• Black felt and matching embroidery thread
• White felt and matching embroidery thread
• Grey felt and matching embroidery thread
• Orange embroidery thread
• Stuffing
• Embroidery needle

Download the pattern here.

Cut out the fabric pieces as directed on the pattern.

Use white thread and a small running stitch to sew the white felt markings to the black body of the adult penguin. Make sure to leave a gap around the bottom of the white bib, big enough for the egg to fit into.

Use a pencil to draw two semi circles for eyes, and sew with a back stitch using black thread.

Use orange thread to sew a triangle for the beak, and fill with satin stitch.

Switch to black thread, and use a blanket stitch to attach the back of the body to the front. Leave a gap and lightly stuff.

Finish sewing the body closed with blanket stitch, being sure to sew underneath the white bib.

Now use white thread to sew the two pieces of the egg together. Again, make sure to leave a gap big enough to fit the baby penguin inside.

Now for baby penguin!

Use grey thread and a small running stitch to attach the markings to the body.

Switch to black thread, and use french knots to sew two eyes.

And three small stitches to make a tiny triangle for the beak.

Now use blanket stitch to sew the back and front body pieces together.

And there you have it! A cute little felt softie. The baby tucks nicely into the egg, and the egg nestles snuggly by the parent’s feet.

This post was inspired by the theme ‘penguin’ as part of my Creative Sewing Challenge. If you love to sew you can join in too; simply sign up below to receive a new prompt each month, and sew your response in whatever way you choose. It’s a creative way to keep the sewing ideas flowing!

And feel free to share my pin, thank you!