Want to know how to make cute plushie feet with footpads and claws? I went though several iterations of plushie feet before I came to a fool-proof template that’s simple but get’s great results. These feet are big and chunky and best suit a chibi or chunky-style plush – but it’s up to you to decide if these will suit your creation.
Legs and feet can be hard – when I was making my first dragon plush I went though several styles of legs and different ways of making claws – none of which looked quite right on my roly-poly dragon. I soon realised that simpler is better and I came up with the following template for a shunky plushie foot with a different coloured footpad and big claws. All of it should be completed in a soft fabric like minky/cuddle-soft or fleece. This includes the toes/claws. I tried some large 3D claws in felt and they just looked terrible. I’ve seen a couple of plushies with flat felt claws made from a single layer of felt that are sewn in on the seem – they do the job but I really don’t like the affect either (sorry). The method below is definately my favourite.
Please use the following template, scaled to the size of your project, for cure plushie feet. They suit both a sitting down plushie as giant feet and different style arms – or a four legged plush with all four on the ground. There are also some instructions below.
Generic template for plushie feet
- First sew the two outside parts together. The left, smaller side is where the footpad sits. The larger, right had side is where the foot attaches to the body.
- Next, pin the footpad to the main foot part you’ve just sewn. It’s really important than you pin it on all four sides as tightly as possible, the pad won’t sit well otherwise. Then, keeping the pad pinned, sew it to the main bit of the foot. This bit can be tricky.
- Stuff the foot with filler of your choice.
- I then prefer to sew the foot to the plush before sewing on the claws, but it’s up to you (and it also depends on how awkward it will be). Whether you attach the foot now or after sewing the claws on, make sure you stuff the foot first. you can get a better idea of how the claws will sit if the foot is filled.
- For the claws, sew the two sides of the claw together, stuff with a small amount of teddy bear stuffing, and sew up the bottom. Then, attach each to the foot. Start with the centre claw (or claws if there are an even number) and work outwards.