Owl Softie Ribbon Teether

My baby girl is teething right now. Although you can never have too many receiving blankets, I really didn't want to go to all the work of making a teething blanket. So, I formulated this cute little owl softie. My daughter loves it. It's small enough for her little hands to grab onto, soft enough to cuddle with, and a total cinch. And how cute would this be for a baby shower gift?

1. Cut out your pieces. Owl body, owl wings, facial pieces, and ribbons. I just freehanded the body and the wings. But if you guys want me to post this as a pdf pattern, just let me know.

2. Fold the inside curve of the wings under about 1/4" and iron flat. You know how I feel about starch when it comes to making these creases. USE IT!

3. Sew the wings to the body. Get creative with your top thread color. I thing it adds a little whimsy when the stitches don't fade into the background.

See how close I stuck to the edge?

4. Place the facial features onto the face and sew on. I used wool felt for the eyes and the beak... it's a true obsession, me and wool felt.

5. Next fold a strip of ribbon in half. I prefer grosgrain ribbon so the texture can massage baby's gums when she's munching away on them. Pin the ribbon to the body with the rough edges at the edge and the folded end pointing inward. Arrange the ribbons around the wings like feathers, and two at the base like feet. Sew them on.

6. Now put the back to your owl against the front, right sides together, and sew it up. Be sure to leave a little opening to turn it right side out.

7. Go ahead and stuff it up with some batting.

Don't overstuff this little cutie. It's meant to be kind of flat so little fingers can hold onto it easily. Whip stitch that opening shut.

8. And there ya go! A nice little owl softie ribbon teether.

*** Due to multiple requests, you can now download the pieces to this owl for free by going here.