Make Mrs Fox

1. Download the templates for this project. From an old grey jumper, cut out two body pieces, four leg pieces, four ear pieces and two tail pieces. From white wool fabric, cut two tail tips, two ear middles, two nose sections and one chest piece.

2. Pin the leg pieces together in pairs, machine stitch, turn out and stuff well with toy stuffing. Pin a white ear middle to an ear section and sew into place. With right sides facing, pin two ear sections together and machine stitch, turn the right way. Stuff lightly and repeat for the other ear.

3. Pin the chest piece to the front of the grey body and machine stitch around the shape. Using a chalk pencil, mark the ear positions onto the head as indicated on the pattern and pin the ears to the inside of the head with raw edges aligned. Pin the body pieces right sides together and machine stitch around the shape, leaving a gap at the base of the body. Turn out, then stuff until nicely rounded.

4. Pin the white tail tips to the grey tail sections and sew into place. With right sides facing, pin the tail section together, machine stitch and stuff. Make a 1cm hole in the back of the fox body as indicated on the pattern, insert the tail from the right side in, and sew it securely into place.

5. Insert the legs into the body, pin into place and hand sew using neat ladder stitches. With wrong sides facing, place the nose sections together and sew around the shape using ladder stitches, leaving a small gap. Stuff lightly and close. Sew the nose to the face and add black buttons for the nose and eyes. Embroider a mouth using black embroidery thread. If desired, rub pink blush onto the cheeks and ears.

Sew a dress

1. Cut out 20cm x 32cm of floral cotton. Across the longest edge, fold over two 1cm pleats roughly in the centre of the fabric, press and pin to secure. Cut two strips of ric rac and machine stitch down the centre of the pleats. Cut a further 19cm x 32cm of printed fabric and sew running stitches across the longest edge. Pull the thread to create gathers, and press. With right sides and the gathers facing, pin the fabrics together and machine stitch.

2. Pin the gathered fabric to the template of the dress, keeping the pleats central to the pattern and match up the waistline of the dress as indicated on the pattern. Accurately cut out the dress shape and press the seams open. This will be the dress front.

3. To make the back of the dress, cut out 20cm x 32cm of floral fabric for the bodice and a further 19cm x 32cm for the skirt. Make gathers in the skirt as described in step 1. Pin the two longest edges together, machine stitch and press the seams open. Cut down the centre of the fabric vertically. Press down and machine stitch a 1cm hem on either side of the cut edge. With right sides facing, pin the two halves together and machine stitch 5cm down from the waistline of the dress, this will leave an opening at the back of the dress for the fox’s tail to poke through.

4. Pin the fabric to the template of the dress, matching up the waistline as indicated on the pattern, and cut out. With right sides facing, pin the dress sections together and machine stitch. Press the side seams open. Cut two thin strips of hook and loop tape and sew to the opening at the top of the dress. At the base of the dress, fold over 1cm at both edges and machine stitch into place.

5. Fold over the raw edges at the armholes and neckline and secure with running stitches. Cut out four collar sections (two reversed) and sew them together in pairs with right sides facing, leaving a gap for turning. Turn the right way, press and sew up the gap. Pin the collar pieces to the neckline and hand sew into place.

6. Mark out the positions for the buttons on the front of the dress bodice and sew on with coordinating thread. Turn up a double hem at the base of the dress, press and sew with neat whip-stitches. Add ric rac to the bottom of the hem.