Hooray! Sew a Softie in July 2018 is here at last. Harriet is a simple sewing project for kids that’s perfect as a beginner sewing project for teaching kids basic hand stitching while making something adorable. She’s been waiting—quite impatiently!—ever since I told her she would be the first softie tutorial to launch our month of easy, kid-friendly sewing projects.
Now, you might be wondering, “Who’s Harriet?” and “Why’s she so special?”
Well, Harriet is a sewing bug. Out of an innate affection for sewing, little critters like her tend to appear—almost magically—whenever there’s a lot of sewing happening. Sewing bugs are a little like fruit flies in that way… one day, there’s none, and the next, they’re everywhere! Luckily, they’re happy, contented, and always fun companions to have around when you’re sewing. So here she is—Harriet the Sewing Bug
What You Need
30 cm x 20 cm blue felt
20 cm x 20 cm green felt
16 cm x 10 cm yellow felt
6 cm x 6 cm white felt
Black felt
Pins
Rice grains or stuffing beads
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How to Sew Harriet the Sewing Bug
Ready to bring Harriet to life?
This simple sewing project for kids is designed to be fun, stress-free, and full of personality. Follow these easy steps to make your own sweet sewing bug:
- Cut out the felt pieces
Using the templates, cut out the shapes for Harriet as shown below.
2. Join the body pieces
Lay the top half of Harriet about 1/4″ over the the bottom half of her body…
…and pin and sew together using a running stitch.
3. Add arms and mouth
Sew on the arms using a single french knot at the top of each arm. This allows the arms to move. Make Harriet’s mouth using a single large stitch.
4. Sew around the body
Pin the front and back of Harriet’s body together. Sew around the body about 1/4″ in from the edge leaving a gap for stuffing.
5. Add weighing material
Use a funnel to fill the bottom third of Harriet with rice or any granular weighting material.
6. Stuff and sew close
Stuff with polyester fibrefill then sew the gap closed.
Position and glue on the eyes and Harriet will be a friend who always makes you laugh
Why This Project Works
Confidence-building: Kids learn basic hand-sewing skills in one short session.
Quick and achievable: A beginner sewing project that can be finished in under an hour.
Creative: Felt softies encourage imagination—kids can design their own wings, colours, or faces.
Teacher-tested: Perfect for classrooms, sewing clubs, or the annual Global Kids Sewing Party.
More Easy Sewing Projects for Kids
If you loved making Harriet, you might also enjoy my Mini Softies in a Jar tutorial — another fun and
Or explore more Quick Sewing Projects for Kids on my blog— you’ll find plenty of ideas just like Harriet, each one a simple sewing project for kids that’s creative, fun, and easy to make.
Author Bio
Trixi Symonds is the founder of Sew a Softie, a global initiative that inspires parents and teachers to teach kids to sew. She’s the author of several books and shows how hand sewing can be fun, stress-free, and meaningful for children.
Happy Sew a Softie month, love Trixi and Harriet
Harriet is just lovely. What a great start to this years Sew A Softie month 🙂
Thanks Julie. She was fun to design 🙂
We love Harriet!
Thanks Elisa. Looking forward to seeing all the other projects!
So Cute! I love how you can make her eyes go whatever way! A great way to start of Sew a Softie month! 🙂 Lisa
Hi Trix. Harriet is a lovely sewing project for kids. We all need little helpers when sewing. Thanks for sharing your tutorial. I’ve included your post in our latest craft inspiration roundup. https://craftylikegranny.com/craft-ideas-mulitply/ Cheers Jodie 🙂
Hi Jodie, Thanks for including Harriet in your roundup, she’s quite chuffed! And yes helpers of any sort when I’m sewing are always welcome, including the furry helpers who prefer to sit on your project 🙂