A little while ago Bunny decided she wanted to learn how to braid/plait hair. I tried to teach her in a number of ways, but it wasn’t working, and that just left her frustrated and upset. Thats when i realised she really needed her own special tool for learning, something fun that she could try at her own pace. So one afternoon i decided to make her a face cushion with yarn hair as a braid learning tool.
It was a huge hit! She absolutely loved it from the get go, and her braiding skills have increased dramatically. She braids everything now! I love finding good solutions to help my kids learn things (and excuses to sew more stuff haha). And as an added bonus, it’s a cut bedroom decor item too.
If you’d like to make one yourself, here’s a little DIY tutorial.
SUPPLIES
- Scrap fabric for main cushion – i used calico as thats what i had in stash
- A large circle template – I used a really large dinner plate as my template for the main body of the cushion, but if i did it again i would make the face larger by at least 50%. Not because it changes the functionality, but because i just like larger cushions hehe.
- Stuffing – You could use fabric scraps, but i ended up using cushion filling as i had some on hand.
- Yarn for the hair!
METHOD
Cut out two circles for your face.
Use some fabric scraps to cut out face and hair. And check that you have yarn to match!
Attach the face and hair by sewing with a zig zag stitch around the edge of the facial features. I was a little rough with this because i want the edges to fray and look a little beaten. If you prefer a cleaner look, aim to sew with a wide short zig zag stitch directly over the raw edges.
Cut your yarn to length, and attach to the face. Make sure that both sides are in line (you don’t want one pig tail higher than the other!) and make sure that the length of your “hair” is facing towards the face, with the short edges up against the seam allowance of the face.
I used two rows of zig zag stitches to baste the hair in place and i feel like it worked pretty well.
Make sure all of your hair is sitting in the middle of the face before you attach the back of the pillow! I used plain calico for the back, but if i did this again i would make the back of the cushion the same as the hair!
Pin in place.
Sew around the edge leaving a gap so that you can turn the cushion the right way round to stuff it. Don’t forget to notch!
Turn your cushion the right way round and press. Stuff with either pillow stuffing or fabric scraps. Hand sew the gap closed, and you’re done!
Give to a cutie who is learning to braid!
