Little Felt Spider

- Sewing Pattern -
by

Muumade.com

Welcome to the creepily beautiful world of spiders! This is a sewing pattern for a felt spider with legs that bend in
any way you wish. The finished Little Felt Spider is approximately 10 cm (4") long from the tip of its pedipalps to its
spinnerets, and 10 -16 cm (4 - 6 1/4") wide, depending on the angles of its legs.

The materials and items that you will need to make your own Little Felt Spider are:

• Felt*, for the body and fangs, 6 cm x 15 cm (2 3/8" • Stuffing;

x 6");
• Felt*, for the face, head, legs and pedipalps, 10 cm
x 20 cm (4" x 8");
• Felt, in white, for the eyes, 1 cm x 2 cm (3/8" x 3/4");
• Embroidery thread, in the color of the body;
• Embroidery thread, in the color of the head;
• Embroidery thread, in black, for the eyes;
• 2 black spherical beads for the big eyes, aught size
8 (approximately 3 mm (1/8") in diameter);
• 6 seed beads for the small eyes, aught size 9 (ap-
proximately 2.2 mm (1/16") in diameter);
• 4 craft pipe cleaners, in any color, 6 mm x 30 cm
(1/4" x 12");
• 1 thin craft pipe cleaner, in any color, 4 mm x 30 cm
(3/16" x 12");
• 1 sewing needle, small enough to go through the
beads;
• Craft glue;
• Hole punch, diameter 4 mm (3/16") or bigger;
• Wire cutter;
• For Leg Joints: Embroidery thread, in a contrast-
ing color to that of the legs and pedipalps;
• For Two-Toned Legs & Pedipalps: Felt*, in a con-
trasting color to that of the legs and pedipalps, 4 cm
x 10 cm (1 1/2" x 4");
• For Two-Toned Legs & Pedipalps: Embroidery
thread, in a color that matches the second tone of
the legs and pedipalps;
• For the Decorative Pattern: Perle cotton thread,
size 5, for the star spokes,
• For the Decorative Pattern: Metallic polyester em-
broidery thread or variegated cotton embroidery
thread, for the webbing.

* I recommend that you use quality wool felt, it does not fray as easily as synthetic felt while sewing.

This pattern and items made from it are for personal use only and can not be used for commercial purposes.

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Let’s begin!

Note: All of the stitches used in this project are described in the Stitch Glossary at
the end of this document. Also, unless otherwise specified, please use 1 strand of
embroidery thread, double threaded with an end knot for all sewing.

1. Patterns 1: First cut out 4 copies of the spider’s body from the felt that you selected for the body (Photo 1.1).
You can do so WITH or WITHOUT the spinneret according to your preference. (Suggestions for transferring the
patterns onto felt and cutting them out can be found in the Guide to Cutting Out Patterns from Felt section at
the end of this document.) If you are making a spider without spinnerets, leave the 4 body pieces aside for
now.
If you are making a spider with spinnerets, match two of the body pieces and glue together ONLY the spin-
nerets, not the body (Photo 1.2). Repeat with the other two body pieces (Photo 1.3).

1.1 1.2 1.3

Cut out 2 copies of the fangs from the same felt as the body, and make a cut into each fang along the dotted line
of the paper pattern (Photo 1.4). Apply glue to the top half of the fangs (the shaded area on the paper pattern),
as shown in Photo 1.4, and fold each fang in half lengthwise (Photo 1.5). Let all the glue dry.

1.4 1.5

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 2. Patterns 2: Cut out the spider’s face, the middle head and bottom head pieces from the felt that you selected
for the spider’s head (Photo 2.1). Apply glue along the semicircular curved edges of the bottom head, as shown
in Photo 2.2. (Note: The glue is to help prevent these edges from fraying while sewing.) Let the glue dry.

2.1 2.2

Using a hole punch, make two circular pieces from white felt (each approximately 4 mm (3/16") in diameter). If
your hole punch makes bigger circles, trim them to size with scissors. Cut out the paper guide, and place it on
top of the spider’s face piece (Photo 2.3). Position the felt eyes on the face, as shown in Photo 2.4, and glue
them on.

2.3 2.4

3. Patterns 3: Cut out 8 copies of the spider’s legs (Photo 3.1) as well as 2 copies of the pedipalps (Photo 3.2)
from the same felt that you used for the head. The spider’s legs and pedipalps can be either in a single color
(Photos 3.1 & 3.2) or two toned (Photo 3.3). If you prefer the two-toned option, skip to Step 5.

3.1 3.2 3.3

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 4. Single-Colored Legs & Pedipalps: You can either leave the single-colored legs and pedipalps as they are
(Photo 4.1), or add stitches to accentuate their joints (Photo 4.2). If you want legs and pedipalps without
joints, skip to Step 6.

4.1 4.2

If you like stitched joints, cut each leg and pedipalp into segments, using their paper patterns’ joint lines as
a reference (Photo 4.3). (Note: I recommend that you only cut one leg or pedipalp at a time and leave the
cut segments in order so that you do not misplace the pieces.) Prepare a needle with thread in a color which
contrasts with the legs and pedipalps. Using the Whip Stitch, re-connect each joint (Photos 4.2 & 4.4). Skip to
Step 6.

4.3 4.4

5. Two-Toned Legs & Pedipalps: If you prefer two-toned legs and pedipalps, cut out the segment of each leg
and pedipalp that corresponds to the shaded rectangle in the paper pattern, and replace it with a same-sized
rectangle in a different color (Photos 5.3 & 5.4).

5.3 5.4

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 Prepare a needle with thread in a color which contrasts with the legs and pedipalps. Using the Whip Stitch,
attach the different-colored segment in each leg and pedipalp, (Photo 5.1). Now, you can leave them as they
are (Photo 5.1), or you can accentuate the joints (Photo 5.2). If you choose legs and pedipalps without joints,
skip to Step 6.

5.1 5.2

If you chose the stitched joints option, cut across the other joint lines of each leg and pedipalp, using their
paper patterns’ joint lines as a reference (Photo 5.3). (Note: I recommend that you cut one leg or pedipalp at
a time and leave the cut segments in order so that you do not misplace the pieces.) Using the Whip Stitch,
re-connect each joint (Photos 5.2 & 5.4).

5.3 5.4

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 6. Body: Prepare the needle with thread that matches the color of the spider’s body. If your body pieces are with
spinnerets, flip open the two glued body pieces (Photo 6.1) and fold them back together so that their spinneret
is hidden between the two layers (Photo 6.2). If your body pieces are without spinnerets, align two of them,
one on top of the other, as shown in Photo 6.3. Using the Back Stitch, make tight stitches very close to the
edge with the hidden spinneret if your body pieces have one, or along either curvy edge if they do not (Photo
6.3). (Note: Tight and straight stitches are important here so that they will not show very much when the body
pieces are turned right side out.) Repeat with the other pair of body pieces.

6.1 6.2 6.3

Align the two halves of the body, with their stitched edges facing out (Photo 6.4). Sew along the curved edge,
again using the Back Stitch, but stop when you are about three quarters of the way (Photo 6.5). Leave the
needle and thread attached there. Turn the body right side out (Photo 6.6).

6.4 6.5 6.6

Stuff the body with stuffing (Photo 6.7). (Note: When stuffing, it may help to push the stuffing in with the blunt
end of a wooden skewer.) Then stitch closed the rest of the seam, this time using the the Ladder Stitch (Photo
6.8). (Note: Please note that the seam with the Ladder Stitches will be on the bottom side of the spider’s body.)

6.7 6.8

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 7. Head & Body: Prepare the needle with thread in a color that matches the head. Place the bottom head piece
(with the glued side facing away from the body) on top of the bottom half of the body (the side with the Ladder
Stitches), aligning the ‘body end’ of the bottom head piece with the opening of the body (Photo 7.1). Sew them
together using the Back Stitch. (Note: I highlighted the stiches in the photos in red to make them easier to
see but they should be in a color that matches the head.) When done, make a finishing knot but do not cut the
thread. In a similar manner, align the ‘body end’ of the middle head piece with the upper half of the opening of
the body, and stitch them together using the Back Stitch (Photo 7.2). From the side, the body and the two head
pieces should be as shown in Photo 7.3.

7.1 7.2 7.3

8. Fangs & Head: Flip the bottom head piece out so that its glued side faces up (Photo 8.1). Place the fangs side
by side, with their folded edges facing each other (Photo 8.2). As shown in Photo 8.2, apply glue onto the loose
half of each fang. Attach them to the ‘fang end’ of the bottom head piece, positioning them so that they stick out
halfway from the edge of the bottom head piece (Photos 8.3 & 8.4).

8.1 8.2 8.3

8.4

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 9. Decorative Pattern (Optional): If you do not want the embroidered spider web decoration on your spider
(Photo 9.1), please skip to Step 10.

9.1

To make the spider web decoration, first poke tiny holes into the paper guide with a thick needle, an awl or a
very sharp pencil to mark the 8 points of the star and its center (Photo 9.2). Place it on top of the back side of
the felt face piece (the back side is the one WITHOUT the white felt eyes). Mark those 9 dots on the felt with a
pencil (Photo 9.3). Prepare the needle with 1 strand of thick perle cotton thread, single threaded (Photo 9.4).

9.2 9.3 9.4

Insert the needle from the back side of the face through one of the dots of the star and bring it back to the back
side through the central dot (Photo 9.5). Pull the thread taut. On the front side of the face, you now have one
long stitch (Photo 9.6). You will make 7 more similar stitches to make an 8-pointed star. To make the second
stitch, re-insert the needle from the back side of the felt through the next dot of the star (Photo 9.7) and bring
the needle back again through the center.

9.5 9.6 9.7

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 Continue until you have made all 8 stitches of the star (Photo 9.8). Switch to 3 strands of metallic polyester
embroidery thread or variegated cotton embroidery thread, double threaded. Insert the needle from the back
side of the felt, in between two of the spokes of the star and very close to its center (Photo 9.9). Push the needle
under one of the closest spokes (Photo 9.10), and pull the thread taut.

9.8 9.9 9.10

Next, go back and push the needle under the same spoke again, but this time passing the needle under the
next spoke as well (Photo 9.11). Pull the thread taut. In this manner, go around the entire star. Photo 9.12
shows the webbing after going around the star once. Repeat about two more times around the star until the
webbing fills the entire length of the spokes (Photo 9.13). To finish, insert the needle into the felt right before
the spoke which is next to the one with the last wrap of webbing, as shown in Photo 9.13.

9.11 9.12 9.13

Pull the thread taut from the back side of the felt face, and make a finishing knot there and cut off the thread
(Photo 9.14).

9.14

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 10. Eyes: Prepare the needle for the beads with 2 strands of black embroidery thread, double threaded with an
end knot. Place the paper pattern of the face on top of the outer side of the felt face (the side with the white
felt eyes), and insert the needle through the right-most small eye from the back side of the felt (Photo 10.1).
Remove the paper pattern, and sew on a small black bead in one stitch (Photo 10.2). In the same manner, sew
on the other three small bead eyes (Photo 10.3). Make a finishing knot and cut off the thread on the back side
of the face.

10.1 10.2 10.3

For the two big eyes, make one small stitch to sew a bigger black bead at the center of each white circle (Photo
10.4), and cut off the thread. Now, with the thread that matches the color of the face, make 3 Whip Stitches
along each V-shaped indentation to sew closed its two sides (Photo 10.5). Lastly, sew a small bead over the
middle Whip Stitch of each side, as shown in Photo 10.6. Now the spider has 8 beady eyes.

10.4 10.5 10.6

11. Fangs & Face: Apply glue to the the loose halves of the fangs (Photo 11.1), and place the face piece on top to
glue the fangs onto the underside of the ‘fang end’ of the spider’s face (Photo 11.2). As shown in Photo 11.3,
press the glued area with your fingers to ensure secure attachment. Let the glue dry.

11.1 11.2 11.3

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 If you have used polyester thread for the decorative pattern, the knots may come undone more easily than with
cotton thread. If you wish, glue on a piece of thin felt or fabric (in any color, as it will be completely hidden
from view when the spider is finished) to cover over the embroidered area on the back side of the spider’s face
(Photo 11.4). Let the glue dry.

11.4

12. Legs & Pedipalps: Prepare the needle with thread in a color that matches the legs and pedipalps. Fold one
of the legs in half lengthwise. Using the Whip Stitch, sew the outer edges together, starting from the rounded
tip of the leg (Photo 12.1). (Note: Make the stitches close to the edge so that there will be enough room for
a pipe cleaner to be inserted into each leg and pedipalp.) Take special care to stitch well around the joints to
reinforce the connection between the cut felt pieces; when necessary, reinforce the joints with more stitches. If
you are making single-colored legs and pedipalps, continue to sew all the way, leaving a tiny opening at the
end (Photo 12.2). Repeat with the other legs and pedipalps.

12.1 12.2

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 If you are making two-toned legs and pedipalps, switch the color of the thread to sew the different-colored
segment of the legs and pedipalps. Before switching the thread, make one stitch into the different-colored
segment and pull the needle out from between the two layers of felt (Photo 12.3). (Note: In Photos 12.3
through 12.7, I used yellow and pink thread to make the different-colored stitches easier to distinguish. But, I
recommend that you use colors that match the two tones of the legs and pedipalps.) Make a Hidden Knot there,
and then push the needle through a few of the last stitches before cutting off the thread (Photo 12.4).

12.3 12.4

After switching to different-colored thread (pink in the photos), start two stitches back (Photo 12.5) and make
two stitches over the previous ones (Photo 12.6). After sewing the rest of the different-colored segment, make
one extra stitch into the next segment of the leg/pedipalp. Make a Hidden Knot, and push the needle through
the last few stitches before cutting off the thread (Photo 12.7).

12.5 12.6 12.7

Switch the thread again. As you did with the previous segment, sew closed the last segment of the leg/pedipalp,
leaving a tiny opening at the end (Photo 12.8). As shown in Photo 12.9, the stitches should not stand out much
when appropriate colored threads are used. Repeat with all of the legs and pedipalps, a total of 8 legs and 2
pedipalps.

12.8 12.9

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 13. Legs: You are about to make the legs bendable! Prepare four 6-mm diameter pipe cleaners that are 16.5 cm
(6 1/2") long each, and bend all of their tips so that their sharp ends are doubled over (Photo 13.1). Push a
pipe cleaner into one of the legs until it reaches the tip (Photo 13.2), and then push its other end into another
leg (Photo 13.3). Repeat with the 3 other pairs of legs.

13.1 13.2 13.3

14. Leg structure: Bend a thin pipe cleaner (4 mm in diameter) into a V shape. Place it on a flat surface, and
put one of the pairs of legs through the bend of the V, centering it and with the seam facing the surface (Photo
14.1). As shown in Photo 14.1, make two tight twists in the thin pipe cleaner to hold the legs in place. In a
similar manner, place another pair of legs right next to the first, aligning them and making sure that their seams
face the same direction as those of the first pair. Make two more tight twists to hold the second pair of legs in
place (Photo 14.2). Repeat in this manner until you have all 4 pairs of legs tightly held together (Photo 14.3).

14.1 14.2 14.3

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 As shown in Photo 14.4, cut the loose ends of the thin pipe cleaner so that they are 4.8 cm (1 7/8") long each,
and bend over both of the tips. Insert each loose end of the thin pipe cleaner into a pedipalp (Photo 14.5). Now
you have the spider’s leg structure. You will bend the legs and pedipalps into more spider-like shapes later.

14.4 14.5

15. Legs & Head: Prepare the needle with thread that matches the color of the spider’s head. Place the leg
structure on top of the bottom head piece, centering it (Photo 15.1). While making sure that the leg structure
stays in place and is centered, cover it over with the middle head piece, and start to sew the two head pieces
together along the ‘fang end’, using the Whip Stitch (Photo 15.2, again the stitches are highlighted). Continue to
sew closed the two sides, but before you sew over the legs and pedipalps, carefully spread them to align them
with the semicircular cuts on the bottom head piece (Photo 15.3). (Note: You can sew through the legs and
pedipalps as if they were not there, but avoid hitting the wire of the pipe cleaner inside them with your needle.)

15.1 15.2 15.3

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 16. Face & Head: Place the spider’s face piece on top of the middle head piece (Photo 16.1). Using the Whip
Stitch, sew the face onto the middle head piece from one edge of the ‘fang end’, along one side of the face and
across the ‘body end’ (Photo 16.2, again the stitches are highlighed). When doing so, it may be easier to work
if you bend the legs downward and away from where you are sewing (Photo 16.3). Stop sewing at the end of
the ‘body end’ and leave the thread and needle attached.

16.1 16.2 16.3

Stuff the spider’s head with stuffing (Photo 16.4). As before, a wooden skewer might help to stuff the head.
Then, while holding the stuffing in with your fingers, sew the last edge of the face closed (Photo 16.5). Make a
Hidden Knot at the end and cut off the thread. Now all you need to do is to bend the spider’s legs and pedipalps
so that they look more spider-like! (Photo 16.6)

16.4 16.5 16.6

Congratulations! You now have your very own Little Felt Spider. By bending its legs and pedipalps in any of
those particularly wiry ways that spiders do, your Little Felt Spider will come to life!

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 I hope that your Little Felt Spider will be a popular home decor item or a very unique toy for a special little one.
It can also be used as an adorable Halloween accessory, like a decoration for your hat, jacket or your Halloween
costume!

If you have any questions, please contact me at: muu@muumade.com

In my blog Muumade.com, I share more information about the items that are available from my Etsy shop
Muumade.etsy.com, as well as other ideas and thoughts on craft projects and handmade living. There you can
also find some FREE pattern downloads. So, follow me on Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest for updates from my blog
and my Etsy shop.

If you would like to share images of your creations from my patterns on social media, please tag me @muumade.
I love seeing how my customers’ creatures have turned out, so please do not hesitate to show off your work!

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 Muumade’s Guide to Cutting Out Patterns from Felt
I recommend using freezer paper to help with cutting out patterns from felt. Freezer paper has two sides: one which is
matt and the other which is shiny and has a plastic coating. The shiny side melts when heated and thus temporarily
sticks to felt. Once attached to the felt, you can cut out the patterns, which you previously marked on the freezer
paper. Then you can simply peel off the freezer paper when done! Freezer paper can be found in many grocery
stores, and is also available online. You can buy it in rolls or sheets.
1. Transferring the Patterns: There are two ways to transfer your patterns onto the freezer paper: print the
patterns onto regular printer paper and then trace them onto the freezer paper by hand, or print the patterns
directly onto the freezer paper. (Note: If you have a laser printer, you can NOT print directly onto freezer paper
as it will melt inside the printer!)

(a) Tracing by Hand: Print patterns (set scale at 100%) onto regular printer paper. Place the freezer paper
on top of the regular paper, with the matt side up, and trace the patterns using a pencil or pen (Photo 1.1).
Trace as accurately as possible, using a ruler when appropriate.

1.1

(b) Printing on Freezer Paper: Prepare the freezer paper in a size compatible with your printer (US Letter is
11" x 8 1/2" and A4 is 29.7 cm x 21 cm), and print patterns (set scale at 100%) onto the matt side of the
freezer paper.

2. Cutting Out the Patterns: Cut the freezer paper roughly around each pattern piece, leaving a margin of
between 5 mm - 1 cm (3/16" - 3/8") (Photo 2.1). Set your iron to medium heat. Place the felt onto an ironing
board, and arrange the pattern pieces on top of it (Photo 2.2). (Note: As explained earlier, the patterns should
be drawn onto the matt side of the freezer paper. Make sure that that side is up.) When the iron is ready, press
the freezer paper patterns onto the felt, for 15 seconds or so. Now that the freezer paper is temporarily attached
to the felt, cut the patterns out (Photo 2.3). Once cut, you can peel off the freezer paper, and you should have
nicely cut out felt pieces! (Note: Make sure to keep the freezer paper patterns; you can use them several more
times.)

2.1 2.2 2.3

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 Muumade’s Stitch Glossary

Back Stitch

1. Bring the needle up from the reverse side of the fabric at (a).
Re-insert the needle through the fabric at (b) and then up
again at (c).

2. Repeat Step 1, but this time starting at (c), re-inserting the

needle at (a) and up again at (d).

3. When finished, make a knot on the reverse side of the fabric.

Hidden Knot

1. Make the last stitch so that the needle comes out from be-
tween the two layers of fabric, as shown in the photo.

2. Put the needle through the last stitch. Start to pull the thread
through, but stop pulling when you have a small loop of thread.

3. Put the needle through the loop of thread that you have just
created. Pull the thread taut to make a tight knot. Repeat
Steps 2 and 3 to make another knot in the same spot.

4. Insert the needle into the seam right next to the knots and
push it through a few stitches.

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 5. Pull the needle out of the seam and the thread taut. Then cut
the thread close to where it came out of the seam.

6. The end of the thread should now be nicely hidden.

Ladder Stitch

1. Insert the needle into one of the folds as shown in the photo
and bring it out at (a), along the edge of the fold.

2. Insert the needle into the fold of the opposite side of the seam,
at (b), and bring it out at (c), letting the needle pass through
the inside of that fold.

3. Repeat Step 2, but alternating sides. When finished,

straighten the sewn edge so that all of the stitches are neatly
hidden.

4. To make a knot at the end of the seam, put the needle through
the very edge of both of the folds as shown in the photo.

5. Before pulling the thread all the way out, put the needle
through the loop of thread. Then pull the thread tight to make
a tiny knot. Make one more knot in the same spot.

6. Before cutting the thread, insert the needle into the fabric right
next to the knot, push it through the stuffing, and pull it out a
little distance away from the seam.

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 7. Press the fabric around the thread with your fingers, pull the
thread tight and then cut the thread close to where it leaves
the fabric.

8. The end of the thread should disappear into the stuffing when
you let go.

Whip Stitch

1. Align the two pieces of fabric. From between the two layers,
insert the needle at (a).

2. Bring the needle to the front side of both layers and re-insert
at (b). Pointing the needle diagonally, pull it through and out
on the other side at (c), a bit to the left of (a).

3. Repeat Step 2, bringing the needle from (c) to the front side,
and re-inserting the needle at (d) and out at (e) on the other
side.

4. When finished, make a knot. Refer to the Hidden Knot section

in this glossary to make a nicely hidden finishing knot.

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