Aquila Children's Magazine AQUILA Magazine Best Bits | Page 54

YOU WILL NEED:
– 1 adult-sized sock (preferably
a clean one!)
– Scissors
– Toy stuffing
– Needle and thread (similar
colour to your sock and black)
– 2 buttons
– Small piece of pink or red felt
– Larger piece of grey felt (or
colour of your choice)
– Fabric glue (PVA will work
but may not last as long)
– A helpful adult
All the talk of microscopic bugs and germs in this issue has made
me feel rather itchy (you’re itching too now, aren’t you?), but the
tardigrade is one teeny tiny creature that somehow still manages
to have the cute factor. Would you want to cuddle up to one
though? The answer is YES!, if it’s made out of a sock. (Erm,
the
answer would still be no, have you smelt my socks? Ed.)
1 Cut the sock into two halves following the cut lines in
picture 1. Put the heel part and the cuff to one side.
2
Use the toy stuffing to stuff the toe part of the sock. Take
time to ensure you create a nice rounded shape. Stop when
you’ve almost filled all of the sock.
3 4
& With the needle and thread (double up the thread to
make it stronger), make large straight stitches (running stitch)
all the way around the sock about 1 cm back from the raw
edge. When you’ve gone all the way around, pull the thread
gently to close the hole, tucking in the raw edges as you go.
Keeping the thread taut with one hand (you may need some
help with this), make more stitches until it becomes secure.
4 b Take the other half of the sock and turn it inside out. Then,
cut it into eight equal pieces. You should end up with eight
small folded pieces of sock. Sew each piece through both
layers of sock, as shown, to create the legs.
5 Turn each leg the right way out, then stuff lightly. Sew four
of the legs along one side of the body using a whip stitch
(see diagram). You may want to add more stuffing just before
you finish sewing it on. Repeat by sewing the other four legs
onto the other side of the body.
6 To make the segments of the body, take a long length of
thread and double it up. Next, wrap the thread around the
body, between the legs, then pull tight and knot. You will
need somebody to help you keep the thread taut as you knot.
Do this four times, between each set of legs and then around
the back of the head. Trim the thread, or, alternatively, thread
the ends onto a needle and hide the ends inside the body.
7 Sew the two buttons onto the face for the eyes with the
black thread. Cut a small semi-circle from the pink felt and
glue onto the face for the mouth.
7 b Cut claw shapes out of the grey felt. Run a line of glue
along the top edge and stick one at the bottom of each leg.
8 Tar-da! Your very own cute critter.
Why not give your finished Tardigreat a name and send us a
picture at the usual address? We love to see your makes!