Someone took a bite out of these adorably silly DIY gingerbread plush toys! Use our free gingerbread plush sewing pattern and simple tutorial to make your own festive soft toys. This is a deliciously fun holiday kid’s craft for sewing beginners…
Well, here we are, less than a month away from the end of the longest year EV-ER. If New Year’s Eve 11:59 is a finish line, I am feverishly stumbling towards it with the grace of an elephant – hair unkempt, clothes torn and wrinkled, spirits a bit bruised, but tenaciously (desperately) hurtling myself toward that imaginary line.
When thinking about the projects I wanted to close out the year with, a set of scrappy little plush gingerbread people – pieced together from bits of leftovers, battle-scarred with bite marks, dismayed, disturbed, and running for the hills – seemed the perfect fit for anyone who’s had a rough one!
Nibble and Snap, our spunky little DIY gingerbread plushes, are the ideal accessories to carry with you into this year’s holidays.
Made with a lot of love and an extra pinch of grit for good measure, our recipe yields a soft, squeezable 9-inch tall cookie that is equal parts pure comfort and festive silliness.
Turn our gingy over and you’ll find a small hidden pocket, perfect for stashing secret notes, tiny gifts, or wish lists.
I feel like I’ve said it over and over this year, but as with all things in the time of COVID, this holiday season comes with its own unique set of challenges, compromises, and possible disappointments.
For kids who may be having a bit of a “hard candy Christmas” (keep scrolling for this classic Dolly holiday jam!) our softie can be used as a sort of makeshift holiday worry doll.
Whether they’re filling the pocket with concerns, or using their softie for some self-soothing squeezes, these buddies offer your kiddos a simple way to deal with yucky feelings. Even the toughest cookies sometimes feel “crumby”.
Nibble and Snap are just a pair in a collection of over 100 fun free holiday kids’ sewing patterns, part of Sew a Softie for the Festive Season. For more sewing projects you can gift, visit our DIY soft town playset (house and landscape softies that stand up for squeezable small world play!) or our classic scrap fabric crab softie.
For your own DIY gingerbread plush toys you’ll need:
Note: We prefer to shop locally or use what we have at home, but this list contains Woodpeckers Crafts, Etsy, Blick Art Materials, Bookshop.org and/or Amazon affiliate links for reference. As affiliates (and Amazon Associates), we make a small commission on qualifying purchases.*
BASIC SUPPLIES:
- (2) 9-inch x 12-inch brown felt squares (I like buying customizable felt sheet sets like this or this).
- Scissors (I like these for kids)
- A craft needle and embroidery floss or thread
- Straight pins or safety pins
- Organic stuffing or polyfill (I use Fairfield’s Fiber Fill)
- Fabric glue or craft glue (I use this kind with kids)
OPTIONAL SUPPLIES:
- Our free printable gingerbread plush sewing patterns (a sample from our brand new gingerbread play bakery kit)
- Felt scraps, googly eyes, buttons, beads, sequins, ricrac, bells, or similar items for extra decoration
- Yarn and/or ribbon
- Fabric paints and a couple of brushes
Safety Note: If gifting these to younger children, make sure all pieces are sewn on rather than glued to eliminate choking hazards.
How to Make a Gingerbread Man Plush – DIY Instructions:
Trace our gingerbread plush pattern onto felt and cut out.
Download our free gingerbread patterns and print the template you’d like to use. Trace 2 copies onto felt (I’ve found it’s easiest to use a permanent marker) and cut out.
Note: you’ll want to trace your pattern on one felt piece, then flip it over to produce a mirror image on your other felt piece (as shown above).
We also cut a small pocket shape out of our leftover felt, so we could add a little pouch to the back of our softie!
Embroider simple features or embellishments.
While your pieces are flat, think about what details you’d like to add. This is the easiest time to add embroidered details or stitch a pocket onto your softie.
Remember to add the details to the “good” sides of your softie – it’s always a bummer to realize you’ve accidentally flipped your pattern over and added a pocket to what will be the INSIDE of your softie.
Pin and stitch your softie front and back together.
Sew the front and back of your gingerbread man softie together using a running or blanket stitch almost all the way around the outside edge. Leave a small opening so you can stuff it.
Tip: Young sewers may prefer to use safety pins instead of straight pins.
Stuff your gingerbread plushie!
Stuff your gingerbread man softie with polyfill or other stuffing materials then sew closed.
Glue on gingerbread features and accessories.
Use fabric glue to add details like felt/yarn eyes, mouths, hair, or other accessories to your gingerbread man softie.
Tips for Making Gingerbread Soft Toys With Kids
There are a million and one ways kids can adorn these to give them their own unique personalities! If you try this as a holiday craft with your kids, here are a couple of tips to make the process go as smoothly as possible…
- Provide a list of possible plushie-decorating supplies. Set out small bowls filled with the decorative elements that can be used, or write down a list for reference.
- Make a drawing of your gingerbread softie. Have your littles do a quick sketch of their softie design on the pattern before beginning. This can give you an idea of their expectations and a chance to work out any major issues before you’re all right in the middle of your sewing project.
Five Ways to Use Our Gingerbread Man Plush Patterns
1. Use them as gingerbread pillows for holiday travel.
Throw a couple of these cute gingerbread stuffed toys into the car or a travel bag and use them as plush kids’ travel pillows. They’re just the right size, and a great little cuddler for kids who might be a bit anxious, overstimulated, tired, or just plain bored.
2. Make a DIY gingerbread doll kit.
Instead of making a finished gingerbread plush for someone, gather all the pieces together and gift a do-it-yourself gingerbread doll kit to your favorite young sewer. Simply print our instructions, cut the pieces out of felt, and package with stuffing, small baggies of decorative elements, and colorful embroidery floss.
3. Sew a movie-inspired stuffed gingerbread man.
Pay homage to everyone’s favorite sweet + salty movie cookie by making a Shrek-inspired gingerbread man plush!
4. Let kids practice stitching on their gingerbread toys.
These cute cuddlers provide a wonderful way to practice different kinds of stitches and embroidery techniques. Sew on buttons, practice knots, stamp with fabric paint, and glue on sequins or ribbon bows. The hand-picked choices and handmade charm are precisely what make these so darn delightful!
5. Make an oversized DIY felt gingerbread ornament.
Looking for a silly tree trimmer? Nibble and Snap, at your service! You can make a giant (but very lightweight) handmade gingerbread ornament for the tree. Use one of the patterns at full size, or use your printer’s printing options to scale it down a tad.
Happy holidays friends! Here’s to getting through one hard candy Christmas safely together (but apart!) with the promise of a rip-roaring, blow-the-roof-off celebration together (truly TOGETHER) next year!
More DIY Gingerbread Play Ideas
Hungry for more gingerbread? We’ve got you covered with our new printable gingerbread play bakery kit! Use it to make your own gingerbread bakery dramatic play center, felt gingerbread ornaments, decorate a set of cardboard gingerbread houses, and much more!
More Free Printable Winter Crafts
Find even MORE winter creative crafting fun with our pine tree art template bundle – a huge collection of custom-designed evergreen templates for art-making and play (complete with lacing cards for toddlers!).
*A note about affiliate links: We strive to use simple, earth-friendly supplies that can be purchased locally whenever we can, but sometimes we find the best universally available options, a rare eco-friendly find, or a niche product only available on Blick Art Materials, Amazon, Etsy, or Woodpeckers Crafts. When included in our supply list, these products are affiliate links, and if you click through to make a purchase we receive a small commission that helps us re-order these supplies!
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I love seeing all the ways people make these ideas their own! If you're sharing the results of one of our projects, mention or tag me with @barleyandbirch, or share it in the comments of one of our Pinterest project pins.
