Take it from the top.
Just like we did with the ears, before you stitch anything down, you have to plan the placement. We’ll start with the head so that of it’s slightly twisted to the right or left, we’ll add the arms in relation to how the head ended up. That will insure that all the pieces work well together.
You may want to mark a few strategic points on the head where it will meet up with the body. I find that it’s easy to get lost when stitching around in a circle, but adding a few markers helps me stay on track.
Claw Hands
The easiest way to hold the head in position while you’re sewing is to use the “claw hands” grip. simply place the body in the palm of your left hand (or right hand, if you’re left-handed), use your index and middle fingers to grab the head and the other 3 to hold the body. Once you’ve stitched part of the way around, you can let go and rotate it so that the part you’re working on is facing you without twisting your arm into knots.
Before you close the opening completely, decide if you want to add a pinch more stuffing to the neck. I usually do because I really don’t like it when the head looks droopy. Tuck all the loose yarn ends in as well to hide them easily.
When stitching across the front of the head, I like to mark he center point by simply placing the needle into the stitch on the head where I plan for it to meet the body, and place a locking stitch marker or safety pin.
Make Adjustments as Necessary
Once you’ve sewn all the way around, you can still evaluate if you like how it looks or not. if you want to draw any side down slightly, just stitch that section again, catching a slightly wider base than you did the first time.
Remember to make a small knot and hide the yarn tail by drawing in into the body, pulling it tight, and trimming close so that it will disappear. (I showed this in more detail at the end of the ears video)
Arms
In the same fashion, play around with the arm positioning and angles, then start stitching! Pay attention to how much they’re angled forward and whether you want them to be flappy or not. You get full creative freedom!
Legs
I think you’ve got the idea now. Use all those same techniques on the legs!
Time for the Tail
At last! The final piece of the puzzle. Fold the tail in half so that the loose end in in the middle and draw it through to the opposite side. As opposed to all the other pieces, we’re going to stitch this on on flat so it can wiggle waggle up and down. Sew across on way, then back to the other side, and make the final knot on the under side of the tail before you finish it off.
Congrats! You're Done!
Or you can be… if you haven’t yet, grab the pattern and make one (or 2 or 3) yourself.