DIY Totoro Plush Tutorial
Hello all! Today, I put together a fun tutorial for you: DIY Totoro Plush Tutorial. It’s a little different than the Totoros I made earlier, but still just as cute. The pattern I created is more simple and the materials are cheap and easy to find. The finished plush will be 6.5″ wide and 8″ tall (not including ears or arms). I hope you find this tutorial enjoyable and make a Totoro plush for yourself or as a gift! To make your own Totoro, keep reading…
Materials you Will Need
1. Pattern: Download PDF Pattern HERE Big smiling mouth pattern HERE (Requested)
2. Pen or Chalk Pencil
3. Felt: 1 Sheet of Black, 1 White, 1 Beige, 3 Gray
4. Scissors
5. Thread: Black, White
6. 1 Needle
7. Pins
8. Cardstock/Chipboard/Posterboard
9. Poly-fil Stuffing
These materials can be found at your local craft store like Michaels, Joann, etc…
Ready? Let’s Begin!
Step 1: Download the Totoro Pattern (See materials) and print it out
Step 2. Cut out templates and trace onto cardstock. It makes tracing on felt easier. If possible, print directly on cardstock to skip this step (I did this)
Step 3: Cut out cardstock templates:
Step 4: Trace templates on felt with pen or chalk pencil:
Step 5: Cut out belly, eyes, nose, and belly marks directly on traced line:
Step 6: Pin 2 sheets of gray felt (for body) inside traced line before cutting. Cut out pieces leaving 1/4 inch seam allowance. Do the same for the ears, arms, and tail:
Step 7: Sew marks onto the belly with black thread using a basic or whip stitch
Step 8: Sew pupil on eyes with black thread using a basic or whip stitch:
Step 9: Pin belly onto body and sew it on with white thread using a basic or whip stitch:
Step 10: Sew eyes onto body with white thread
Step 11: Sew nose onto body with black thread:
Optional: Sew on a small mouth using black embroidery floss with a stem or split stitch. Or sew on big mouth.
Step 12: Sew ears on traced line leaving an opening at bottom for stuffing. Do the same for arms/tails leaving an opening at tapered end:
Step 13: Turn pieces inside out and stuff each piece. For the arms, put less stuffing towards the top:
Step 14: Take the back side of body and place down. Take the stuffed ears and place them upside down at the top of body. Take the other side with the face and belly sewn on, and place it over the ears with the belly side facing down. Align accordingly and pin pieces together:
Alternative: You can also sew on the ears later by hand for better control of placement.
Step 15: Sew body together by hand or machine, leaving an opening at the bottom.
Step 16: Turn body inside out and stuff. Put more stuffing towards the bottom, so it sits better:
Step 17: Sew up openings on body, arms, and tails with black thread using a hidden stitch:
(Don’t worry about the bottom not looking so perfect since no one will really see it)
Step 18: Sew arms and tails onto body using a whip or hidden stitch. Place tail about 2″ above bottom seam, so plush sits on its own:
You’re Finished!
This what you should end up with:
If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. If you try this, I’d love to see how yours turned out. Upload a photo and post it on our facebook wall, or link it in a comment!
***If you upload your results on your blog/deviantart/flickr/etc, please credit us with a link back to this tutorial. A lot of time went into making this. Thanks!***
TERMS OF USE: This pattern and anything made from it may not be used for commercial purposes. You may not sell anything made from this pattern. You may not resell or redistribute this pattern in part or in whole. This pattern and items made from it are intended for your personal use only.
We will be having a giveaway with this Totoro plush next week along with a baby octopus, so please follow us on twitter and facebook to stay updated!
& don’t forget to check out our shop!
Wonderfull pattern. Could I use fleece instead of felt, or would it become wobbly. Fleece would by nicer to cuddle for my toddler…
Yes, fleece is fine! I used fleece with the first two I made. You can see those in an earlier post. Although I still used felt for the small details as it’s easier to cut and keeps its shape better.
I can’t wait to make this for my kids for Christmas! So cute! Thanks for sharing.
The plushies you made earlier…have sort of a line on their face from sewing. I was wondering what that is from.
It is a slightly different pattern where a “V” shape was cut at the top and sewn together to create that seam. It makes it a bit more round.
Thanks for posting this! I hardly ever sew but my daughter loves Totoro so I gave it a try. It’s not as nice as yours but still very cute! I would have wasted a lot of felt trying to make a pattern myself. =)
Thanks for the pattern, the most helpful one of the other sites i found, can you please upload for patterns for other AS CUTE plushies too?
THANKS A LOT
Please send some requests (other characters or animals) to my email: cheekandstitch@yahoo.com and I may do some in the future!
Hi,why when i download the pattern and it no show the pattern but alot of words..
I’ll email it to you..
do you have a pattern sheet that I could use for this? Thanks!
You should be able to download it above, but I’ll email it too.
I’m now planning on making a gigantamormous one based off this pattern!!!
Great tutorial! Thank you, I made a totoro plush for my nephew . I put it on my blog these week if you want to see it. Thank you!!!!!
Jenny
Did you sew it by hand or did you use a sewing machine?
Mostly sewing machine. Small details and attaching arms and tail by hand.
Can you sew it by hand if you so desire??? And if you do, would any of the instructions change?
Yup, you can sew it all by hand! Instructions should still be the same
Thanks a bunches!!! I was so totally excited when I found this pattern, it really got me interested in plush making! If you could make more DIY’s, it would be highly appreciated, because the patterns on here are splendid.
This is a wonderful tutorial! My kids love Totoro and I will be making some for them for Valentine’s Day!
Thanks for creating and posting this.
This pattern is coming along great! I’m just wondering though, how exactly to do the big smile? I’m making it with felt and I’m just a little stuck between the black lines for the teeth and the white with the felt >_<
Sew the white mouth onto the head first. Then take black thread and stitch the teeth lines on through both layers of fabric (white felt and body fabric). Does that help?
Yes, thank you so much!
I love this tutorial and made a fleecy green guy of my own. ^^
Unfortunately, I came across someone on Etsy blatantly using your photo and quite possibly the pattern. Here’s the link . I just thought I’d let you know.
Oh gosh, thanks for letting me know. Will message them to remove it…
My SIL loves Totoro and she is expecting. I need to make one for her baby. How do you think it would translate as an applique onto a quilt or anything else? Thank you for the great tutorial!
That should turn out well! When tracing the body, add in the ears so the body and ears are cut in once piece together.
Thank you very much. It’s really useful….
How big should the totoro be? I want to use fuzzy fabric so he will be more cuddle-able, so I need to know how many yards to buy.
-Thanks
The main body is 8″, but standing with ears, it’s 12″. You would only need a half yard if doing one..
Thank you. That’s helpful.
What if I wanted to make him 15” wide and tall?
I would print out the pattern, then go to a copy machine (w/ bigger paper), copy and enlarge it by 200% or 190% if you can enter a specific %. If you can’t get to a copy machine, you would have to draw it out by hand. I don’t have a printable pdf for a larger one..
Thank you! Its great! I am planning to do it for my little girl)))
It’s fantastic!! I am making this for a friend as she likes Totoro and I’ve just finished sewing the mouth on, and remembered Totoro has whiskers (or I have seen it does in pictures) can I just sew these on? Thanks yours is great!!!
Yup it does have whiskers, but I left them out. You can definitely just sew them on.
when I use felt, bits of fluff get stuck to it really easily. Is there a way to prevent this from happening?
Don’t think so… besides using a lint roller to take it off. You can try making it in a different fabric like fleece though. May be better!
Thank you so much for this! It came out wonderfully and it a great toy to cuddle with! <3
[...] Green TotoroJanuary 16th, 2012: I finished my little Totoro today. Cheek and Stitch made the pattern and tutorial over here- DIY Totoro Plush Tutorial [...]
[...] She hopes you find this tutorial enjoyable and make a Totoro plush for yourself or as a gift! Amanda has an amazing tutorial and pattern for you to follow. Cheek & Stitch is a world of plush characters. It is made by Amanda and Julio. Amanda is [...]
Hello.. This is really cute :’D But..what do I use if I can ‘t find any felt or..poly-fill?
Idk, I guess you could use a different fabric, but felt is very forgiving, so it looks the best.
thanks for this! found it on pinterest – this looks amazing.
[...] Make a stuffed Totoro. [...]
I love this Totoro! It’s identical to the one in the movie
I cannot download the pattern, though. Is there any other link available?
Thanks!
I’ll try to send it to you via email!