Would you like to make and sew a goldfish? I hope so! I am very excited to be able to offer a free pattern available as a PDF download right over there on the sidebar. My blog is turning five very soon and this seems like a great way to celebrate!
I love making these goldfish. They are fun to play with and make great ornaments, too. Make a set of three and create your own mobile. The body of the finished fish is about 4" long, not including the tail.
Some information on the pattern:
You'll need some wool felt in three different colors, two sparkly iridescent fabrics, two round beads for the eyes, stuffing and thread. Seed beads are optional, but I think they add a nice finishing touch. The pattern requires beginning to moderate hand-sewing and machine skills.
The pattern includes full-sized pattern pieces, step-by-step instructions and photos. I wanted to make it really comprehensive because I think that this project incorporates some really good softie making techniques, like using a wedge shape to create in three-dimensions, gathering and stuffing circles, and catching fabrics in the seam to attach them. My hope is that once you've made a goldfish and seen how these techniques work, you'll be able to apply them to your own projects.
Because the pattern is long, the PDF is large. I am hoping to find a way to zip it. If you have a suggestion on this, please email me.
****Carolyn just sent me a new, optimized PDF that is much smaller and makes for a quicker download! Hooray!****
And last, but certainly not least, I need thank my friend and neighbor, Carolyn Watson, for working with me to create this pattern. I arrived at Carolyn's house the other night with a CD full of text and images and she transformed them using Photoshop, creating this lovely PDF. Carolyn is an artist and photographer in her own right and I urge you to take a look at her website and her Etsy shop.
