Felt Whale Shark Stuffie
Felt whales and sharks have been requested by our members, so we decided ā why not create both? Our designer Krista made this super cute felt whale shark that is great for all skill levels, including beginners. Just check out our tutorial for step-by-step instructions.
As with all of our felt stuffies, we recommend cutting the pattern by hand for a more precise cut. But you can always use your Maker or Cameo 4 if you prefer.
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Whale, hello there!
Whale sharks are part of the shark family, the largest in fact, but are actually quite friendly as they behave a bit more like whales. Aside from their size, they’re known for their unique spots which you will be creating by sewing plenty of french knots on your felt whale shark. This is a good opportunity to practice those pesky french knots and get comfortable.
Skill level: Beginner-friendly
Stitches used: Backstitching, double-running stitch, straight stitches, and french knots.
Crafting tips: If it proves too daunting to make the french knots for your felt whale shark, you can carefully paint the whale shark’s trademark spots instead after sewing.
New to crafting felt animal stuffies and want to learn more? Take our mini course, 8 Easy Steps to Create Any Felt Stuffie.
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How to Make a Felt Whale Shark
- Gather your craft tools and materials. Then download the pattern on the right hand side at the top of this post.
- Cut out felt according to pattern using a cutting machine or scissors.
- Match up both of the body pieces and pin in place. Blanket stitch along the top edge, starting at the head, using 2 strands of matching blue floss. Sew around the tail and knot off your floss at the underside of the tail.
- Flatten out the top seam on the head so that it matches up with the edges of the underside and pin in place. Start to blanket stitch the underside to the side of the whale shark, starting just behind a flipper and using 2 strands of matching floss. Stop for now when you get to the other fin.
Full tutorial available for members to download on the right hand side at the top of this post.
Explore More
Love this project? Browse of our felt stuffies for more patterns and tutorials. Or check out the rest of the July collection!
Tools
- Cricut MakerĀ orĀ Silhouette Cameo 4Ā (optional)
- Detail Scissors
- Embroidery Needle
- Straight Pins
- Stuffing Tool
Materials
- Lia Griffithās Wool Blend Felt ā Tidepool and White
- Embroidery Floss ā DMC Dark Delft Blue (798), Snow White (B5200),Ā andĀ Black (310)
- Polyester Fiber Fill ā Lia GriffithĀ Stuffie Puff
- Black Safety Eyes āĀ 5mm
- Fabric Pen āĀ Dritz Disappearing Ink
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Discussion
Ask Lia or the community!
10 Comments
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Saylor
March 8, 2023 at 1:34pm
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Lia Griffith
March 9, 2023 at 9:07am
@Saylor
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Marilia Fernandez Cordeiro
July 11, 2022 at 11:47am
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Lia Griffith
July 12, 2022 at 8:37am
@Marilia Fernandez Cordeiro
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Ashley Vlakancic
February 24, 2022 at 4:33pm
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Lia
February 25, 2022 at 10:08am
@Ashley Vlakancic
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Hannah Roxas
November 2, 2023 at 10:07pm
@Lia
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Lia
November 3, 2023 at 10:35am
@Hannah Roxas
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Carolyn Hoffman
January 19, 2022 at 12:00pm
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Lia Griffith
January 19, 2022 at 4:30pm
@Carolyn Hoffman
Back to the TopI’m just curious, why do you have to be a member to get all these tutorials? Do you have any free tutorials for felt animals?
Hi Saylor. We would love for our site to be completely free for all, but this is a business, and I employ my team to spend hours creating these beautiful projects. I am sure you wouldn’t like to do your job for free. In addition, we have a full freebie section for you to look over.
Would it be ok to do the French nots first and then stitch the whale all together or that would interfere on the final result? Thank you š
I think you could do that. Some of them are fairly close to the seam, but since those are blanket stitched, you shouldn’t have issues.
When it comes to starting the French knots do you go through a side seam? Since the whale shark is already stitched at that point, I wasnt sure.
Yes! When an animal is already stuffed and stitched, we find it easiest to go in through a side seam to do the embroidery.
So, go in through a side seam with knotted thread and come up where you want the french knot. Make the french knot. Then Iām confused. When you do a french knot, you pass the needle back down where you came up, which is back into the stuffie. Where do I come out again after the knot? And how do I maneuver the needle to go down into the stuffie and back out again. Or is it when you finish the French knot, you actually come out of the side of the knot which would keep the needle outside?
I hope my question makes sense. I appreciate it!
You’re on the right track! We made a French knot as usual, but as you pass the needle back down into the stuffie, we held the needle at a bit of an angle more parallel to the the surface of the stuffie. Hold the knot down gently with your off-hand as you then pass the needle and floss back out through the fabric a short distance away to start another French knot, working in scattered dots or in vertical rows (as mentioned in the tutorial). Try using a longer needle, or you can also gently press on the surface to squish it a bit to help maneuver the needle. Hope that helps!
Why does the shark pattern come out of the printer smaller than the shown pattern?
When you print from a PDF you will want to be sure to print it at full size. Some printers automatically downsize to “fit page”. Before you click “print” look around the window and make sure it is printing actually size.