Day 171: Felt Spider

MEET ARAGOG!

yes, this is Hagrid's forest friend, Aragog the giant spider. but this spider is made of felt and fuzzy pipecleaners and only about 4 inches big.

aragog was created for the Swap-bot swap, "Hagrid ATC & pet mini stuffie (plush)" in the Harry Potter Fans Worldwide group.

here's how i made it:

1. to make the abdomen:  cut a felt circle about 5 inches big
2. sew a running stitch around the outside of the circle and pull thread tight while stuffing the body with polyfil.  tie thread tight to close the ball.
3. to make the cephalothorax (head) - cut 2 small circles of felt (about 1 inch)
4. sew eyes - using embroidery thread, make french knots to make tiny beady eyes.
5. add legs - cut four 4-inch pieces of black/brown pipecleaner, slightly fold them in half so you know where the middle is, then place them between the 2 cephalothorax pieces.  stitch around to sew the 2 pieces of felt together, spacing the legs out nicely and stuffing it with just a tiny bit of polyfil.
6. attach cephalothorax to abdomen - using matching thread, sew the two pieces together... and you're done!
7. just shape the legs to that your spider stands up.