How cute are these little eyes??

I try to offer a new sewing class for kids each month at Modern Domestic. This month, we celebrated Lunar New Year by sewing a Year of the Snake stuffie! Instead of drafting my own pattern like I usually do, I used the Simplicity S3022 Plush Critters pattern (View B). Simplicity rates this pattern as intermediate (their term is average), but I think the simpler views are doable by confident beginners. If you can sew along a curve on a sewing machine and sew a basic whip or ladder stitch by hand, you can make this plush! Nine second graders—including a few who had never used a sewing machine before—successfully made this snake during a three hour class, so I know you can do it too!

Fabric & Supplies

1 fat quarter each of main and contrast fabric

Main: Speckled in Metallic Wine Time by Rashida Coleman Hale for Ruby Star Society (136 gsm | 4.0 oz)
Contrast: Fableism Forest Forage Honeycomb in Peaches (140 gsm | 4.1 oz)

For the eyes, I fused scraps of Essex in black and ivory together using HeatnBond Ultra Hold iron-on adhesive (note: the red package is for appliqué that you don’t plan to sew on; if you are going to add stitching, get the purple package instead)
Poly-fil stuffing and a chopstick for stuffing
Hand sewing needles (for my classes, I used sashiko needles with large eyes—they’re a bit easier for little hands to maneuver).

Kalli was unimpressed with the snake.

Sewing Notes

I recommend using fabric with a tight weave (regular quilting cotton is great). The Fableism fabric I used has a relatively loose weave that frays easily, making it tricky to work with when hand sewing.
I basted my fabric together around the margins (not on the snake itself) with a fabric glue stick instead of using pins and it worked great for kiddos who struggle with inserting pins.
Remember to clip/notch curves (or cut out the snake with pinking shears for a similar result) before turning right side out.
Leave a larger seam allowance than suggested by the pattern along the turning gaps to make it easier to hand sew them closed.
If working with younger children and/or beginner hand sewists, I recommend using a whip stitch to close the stuffing gaps—it’s more intuitive and doesn’t require a great deal of fine motor skills/coordination. Kids ~12 years and up in my classes successfully used a ladder stitch for a (nearly) invisible closure.

Class Snapshots

A birthday snake named Violet.

So sweet to have friends take classes together.

The ten year old who made this has a much neater ladder stitch than me 🙂

Keep In Touch

Thanks very much for reading! If you’d like in-person support and instruction, please sign up for my classes at Modern Domestic or reach out to schedule a private lesson. If you have any questions, feedback, or corrections regarding this post, please don’t hesitate to contact me!

If working with younger children and/or beginner hand sewists, I recommend using a whip stitch to close the stuffing gaps—it’s more intuitive and doesn’t require a great deal of fine motor skills/coordination. Kids ~12 years and up in my classes successfully used a ladder stitch for a (nearly) invisible closure.