Finishing

Assembly Basics

When you are ready to complete your baby beast, assemble and shape the surface of your work with a handful of basic assembly and sculpting stitches before adding the faux-fur.

Before you begin assembly, use straight pins to test and prepare the placement of all pieces before sewing them together as follows:

1 Pin limbs to body to ensure everything is even and balanced.

2 Use yarn tails to apply a stitch at each pin to tack the limbs in place.

3 Remove the pins and finish sewing the seams using whip stitch or mattress stitch.

Leave long yarn tails when fastening off on the last rounds of your arm and leg pieces. They come in handy during assembly.

ASSEMBLY STITCHES Whip Stitch

This is a good stitch for closing flattened openings and sewing straight seams.

Pin or hold the edges of the work together and draw the yarn through the matched-up edges in a spiral-like motion, working along the edges until the seam is closed or the piece is attached.

on the first surface. Return to the first surface and insert the needle directly next to (or above if you’re working vertically) exit point B. Continue to work back and forth in this manner until the seam is closed, pulling firmly after every few stitches to ensure a clean, closed seam.

Closing Round Holes

Mattress Stitch

The mattress stitch provides a tight, flat seam when sewing crochet surfaces together, like a head to the open edges of a neck or limbs to the sides of a body.

To close the hole after completing the last round of your work, thread the remaining yarn tail onto a tapestry needle and, following along the edge of the opening, insert the needle through just the front loops (unless otherwise indicated) of each stitch, effectively winding the yarn tail around the stitches. Once you’ve worked all the way around the opening, pull the tail firmly to close the hole (just like you were cinching a drawstring bag closed).

pull to close hole A B

Choose a point on the surface or edge of the first piece and insert the needle from A to B under a single stitch and pull the yarn through. Cross over to the opposite surface and draw the needle under a single stitch from C to D, with the entry point at C lining up between points A and B

Sculpting Stitches

Once your pattern pieces are assembled, use these sculpting stitches to add additional shaping and dimension to your creature.

Cinch Stitch

This stitch is good for defining the toes on a paw, creating lip clefts, and additional shaping to hooves.

Sink Stitch

This stitch is good for sinking eyes into the head, shaping the bridge of a nose, and creating a rounder cheek under an eye.

body and catch the inside surface of the opposite leg, pulling gently to draw legs together. Repeat once or twice more. Secure the yarn, and weave in ends.

Ridge Stitch

This stitch can be used to create eyebrow ridges, shape lips, and sharp the edges of beaks.

Working between two points along the surface of the work, secure your yarn to point A, then draw yarn over to point B, allowing yarn to rest along the surface of the work (like an embroidered long stitch). Insert the needle into point B and draw it out at point A. Pull firmly to tighten and cinch the surface of the work with the yarn. Repeat two or three times to secure cinch before fastening off.

The sink stitch can be worked between two specific points or between two defined areas (like around the edges of two eyes). Insert needle into point A and draw it out at point B. Catch the surface of the work at point B, reinsert needle into point B, and draw it out at point A. Pull as firmly as needed to achieve the desired effect before fastening off or applying additional sink stitches.

Stabilizer Stitch

The following variation of the sink stitch adds stability to the front and/or back legs of your baby beast.

Pinch the surface of the work between your fingers to create a ridge of material. When you’re happy with the shape and size of the ridge, secure the yarn to the surface of the work and apply a running stitch through the top and bottom layers of the ridge (as close to the base of the ridge shape as possible). The ridge stitch will hold the shaping in place.

To sharpen up the edge of a beak, apply the running stitch through the interior/exterior of the beak surface, slightly below the folded edge.

Attach the yarn along the upper inside surface of a leg. Draw the yarn through the lower half of the