Robot Softie: A Mini-Tutorial

My boy has been all about the robots lately. Curious George, Sesame Street and Duck Tales (brings back memories, doesn't it, you children of the 80's and 90's?) all have episodes involving robots. So fun and so much room for imagination!

My baby kept asking for a red robot, several days in a row that was all he could talk about...so...I bought some felt and fabric paint and started sewing...because, well, I had laundry to do and I'd rather sew...

You Need: 
1/2 yd of felt (one main color and small pieces for the details, I bought a few of those little 25 cent sheets in different colors)
fabric puff paint (various colors, I got one glow in the dark as well and that turned out so cute!)
polyfill
pipe cleaners
buttons, trim, etc...
fabric glue

To Make: 

1) This robot is made up of one large rectangle (two large rectangles for the front and back, two long rectangles for the sides and two small rectangles for the ends), one square (head, 6 sides all equal), two arms and two legs (just long, narrow rectangles folded in half, stitched and stuffed)
-the sizing is completely up to you, mine is pretty large
-see this tutorial on making blocks for tips on stitching yours together

2) Cut out your pattern pieces, mark which ones will be front, back, face, ears, etc... and add your details. The sky is the limit. I did a lot with paint, felt and a few buttons, but you could add dials, moving parts, etc... I added a velcro flap on the back of the robot and painted what looked like a battery and other electronic type things underneath. You can tell I am very informed about mechanical husbandry and such.
-go crazy with the fun stuff then let it all dry 6-8 hours or overnight

3) Sew up the head cube (I cut a hole where the neck would be to turn right sides out and fill with stuffing, I knew it would be covered up.) Turn right sides out, stuff with polyfill, sew the opening closed and set aside.

4) Sew up the arms and legs, turn right sides out, stuff with polyfill and pin in the appropriate places to the front rectangle of your robot's body.

5) Sew up the robot's body. (again, I cut a hole at the neck--shorter than the size of the head--to turn and stuff). Turn right sides out, stuff with polyfill, sew opening closed. Using fabric glue, glue head to neck and pin the head to the body so that it dries firmly attached. I wedged my robot between my sewing machine and a stack of books for a few hours. You can go ahead and glue on your mouth at this point. It helps cover up the joint between the robot's head and body as well as looking pretty darn cute.

I used pipe cleaners for the antennae, but I think next time I'll sew something. They've become a sort of handle that P uses to carry him around and it's taking its toll. A fun and easy project! I'd love to see some different versions if you make them!