Craft > Projects > Owl doorstop

Owl doorstop

This easy-to-sew owl doorstop makes the perfect finishing touch for a warm and cosy living room or hallway

You will need
Alexander Henry Bauhaus fabric in steel, £2.50 for a fat quarter, Seamstar
superfine felt in grey, £7 per m, John Lewis
Ditte fabric in orange, £2.99 per m, Ikea
Heat ‘n’ bond Lite iron-on sewable adhesive, £3.10 per pack, Fred Aldous
yellow felt scrap
buttons
scissors 
pins
thread
needle
sewing machine
iron
bag of rice

Directions
Print off and cut out the owl templates from our template page.

Pin shapes A and B to the grey felt and lightly draw round the shapes using pencil and then cut out two of each to form the eyes and wings. Pin shape C to the orange fabric and cut out. Pin shape D to the patterned fabric and cut out two to form the body. Cut out a beak shape from yellow felt using shape E.

Pin the grey felt onto the orange fabric shape. Hand stitch around the edge of the circle to secure.


Press a sheet of iron-on adhesive to the wrong side of the orange fabric, glue side down. Leave to cool then remove the backing paper. Position the orange shape, glue side down, onto one of the patterned fabric body pieces. Press in place using an iron, following the manufacturer's instructions.

Using your sewing machine, sew satin stitches around the edge of the orange shape, ensuring you cover the raw edge with your stitching. Sew the buttons to the centre of the grey felt circles, then stitch the yellow felt beak into position.




Cut out a piece of the patterned fabric measuring 12cmL x 5cmW. Fold lengthways, with right sides facing and machine stitch together along the long edge using a 5mm hem, leaving a length of thread loose at the end. Tie this thread onto a paperclip and feed it back through the strip, and pull to turn through to the right side. Press this strip flat as it will form the loop for the top of your doorstop. 






Lay your owl front face up and place the wings on top halfway down the length of the body, facing inwards. Fold the fabric strip you just made in half and place on the top of the owl face, with raw ends facing outwards. Lay the back of the owl on top with right side facing down. Pin and machine stitch a 5mm hem round the curved edge. Make small scissor snips round the stitched edge to ensure a smooth finish.






Cut out shape F from grey felt to form the base. Pin this to
the bottom of the owl with right sides facing and machine stitch round the edge of the grey circle, leaving a gap of 10cm.



Turn the doorstop out the right way through the gap you have left. Fill with rice, lentils or split peas to make the doorstop heavy. Hand-stitch the gap closed.