Resolution at last! Often I have this overly optimistic uncluttered timeline that I think I work on. In reality, unless someone is paying me, things never get done like I imagine. I actually finished this up last weekend, but it took me a whole week to get the time to post it. I’m still figuring out this whole blog thing.
Anyways, picking up from where I left off last week, this is the exciting conclusion of my companion cube tutorial. At this point I have the six sides of my cube finished and it’s time to transform it into a 3-D shape.
Materials Roundup
- 6 complete sides from Part I
- polyester fiber fill or other fluffy filling of choice (fabric scraps can be used too)
- gray thread
- plastic pellets or rice (optional)
- nylon hosiery (foot part) or sock (optional)
The Making (continued)
- At this point I decided to trim back behind the light gray corners pieces. In theory this helps the shape when I stuff it, but I’m not sure it’s really that noticeable in the end product.
- Now it is time to start joining all the pieces together. First I attach them all together in a flat pattern. The order or pattern isn’t really significant, but this is how I chose to do it.
- After the pieces are all joined I start connecting the sides to form a 3-D box. I sewed together everything but the top flap so it resembles a jack in the box.
- Surprise extra lesson time! Before I go any further I have a few things to say about the art of stuffing. It is a bit trickier than it seems and can be frustrating when you are just starting out. I suppose it should also be noted I’m crazy nuts about certain details and may have spent an unhealthy amount of time considering this topic. This project is fairly easy but I will be super detailed because I can! Here are a few tips:
- Don’t over fill. It’s really easy to get carried away and keep stuffing until your plushie is a poor bloated mutant. Overstuffing can also permanently distort or stretch your fabric. On the flip side, if you don’t stuff enough, it will lose it’s shape. Ideally there is just enough stuffing to hold the shape but not be bloated. Don’t be afraid to take stuffing out and try again.
- Don’t wad. Be careful not to wad or ball the stuffing too much or your plushie will end up lumpy. If it gets balled up, tease it loose again.
- Not all stuffing is created equal. The regular (sometimes labeled “premium”) stuffing is good general purpose, fluffy but coarse, and inexpensive, but I think it is better suited to larger projects. “Ultra Plush” is very soft and is really nice for stuffing smaller pieces as it is easier to shape. However it tends to compact a lot so it takes more and is more expensive. Fabric scraps are probably the cheapest option and will behave completely differently than a fiber filler. Fabric scraps are very dense when packed and will have less squishiness, especially depending on what sort of scraps you use. I would recommend cutting the scraps into smaller mostly uniform pieces because they will create a more even filling.
Optional step: I want my Weighted Companion Cube to actually be weighted, so before stuffing I filled a little sack made from some cut up nylons with about 1/2 cup of the little plastic beanbag pellets. In my original cube I used rice, but have since become more internet shopping savvy and discovered that the little plastic pellets are very inexpensive and I don’t have to worry about bugs or moisture making them icky. I imagine the toe end of a sock or some other little pouch can be used to contain them just as effectively as the nylons.
- Let the plushing commence! First I take four small pieces of stuffing and push one into each of the the four bottom corners to make sure the corners get filled in. Next I make a layer for my “bean bag” to rest on. After that I continue to add more stuffing around the bag until I reach the top of the cube, but I don’t cover the top yet. If you don’t put any weight in, you can skip the “nesting” part and just put a big clump in. Just remember that the more stuffing you add, the rounder your cube will be.
- Taking my needle and thread back up, I begin to sew the top closed leaving one last side open. Before I close it I carefully push small pieces of stuffing into the top corners same as I did for the bottom. Then I fill in the rest of the empty space at the top and finish sewing up the final side
Optional step 2: Break for tea and pickles. We’re in the home stretch now and must gather ourselves for the final push. Mmm…Earl Grey and bread-and-butter pickles. I would recommend having the pickles while you put the tea kettle on. If it’s after five o’clock, a beer is also a good choice for those of age.
- There is only one thing left to do and it’s attaching all those little light gray tabs that go in between the corners where the sides come together. Once again I layered a piece of fleece underneath the felt for extra thickness. This step is rather tedious and straight pins are rather handy. I didn’t think this through all the way when I did it so I pinned them all on at once and had pins sticking out everywhere which made it difficult to hold and sew. It was a bit prickly. (Cringe at my puniness!)
- Finis! I now have a beautimus beloved Cube. I shall go forth and taunt my geeky friends. Hopefully this tutorial has been clear enough that you can figure out how to make your own. If you have any questions, please let me know!
And away I go!
This was a fantastic tutorial! Came here from dA. It’s much easier to follow with the plain text and photos and further details. Thanks a lot for sharing.
Thanks! I’m glad I got the chance to make it better.
I came from dA as well. I was wondering what kind of stitch you used on step 2. Because, I’m a beginner at sewing and suck at this sort of stuff.
No problem, I’m happy to help. I used a whip stitch for everything on the cube except for the embroidered pink lines. I talk about the stitches here:
https://jefita.com/blog/2010/07/a-new-age/#more-31
I just want to thank you for making such clear and easy to follow instructions for making a Companion Cube. I’ve literally been looking for more than a year. It was so easy to follow and I made my own!
Aww, I’m always happy to hear that. It’s very satisfying to be able to make something for yourself. Also, we’re name buddies (secretly an Amy too)
This was a triumph. I’m making a note here: HUGE SUCCESS. ;D
Brilliant tutorial! So clear and easy to follow, by far the best tutorial I have ever seen. 😀
No one ever gets it right…The hearts are supposed to rotate as they go around.
http://i1.squidoocdn.com/resize/squidoo_images/-1/lens11925771_1278201859weighted-companion-cube_c
But it’s still good. 🙂
OMG it’s so cute! i’m close to beating the game and I was a little devastated when I threw the companion cube into the fire :,( i wanted it back so I think I’ll make myself one thanks to your wonderful tutorial! since I don’t have the little pellets of awesomeness, i’ll just stuff it with fabric stuffer. I might make a small version of this and attach it to my bookbag so my friends on campus could stare in jealousy or attach it to my keys so my boyfriend could stare in jealousy xD. well again, like the others, i came here from DA and while both tutorials seemed good, this one is fantastic! Hopefully, i’ll be making my own companion cube soon! thank you so much!
Thank you for this great tutorial, thanks to these easy to understand instructions my cuddly cute cube of love turned out great! 🙂
I even added a pocket on top so it can be used to hold cellphones or whatever one can imagen ^w^
Thanks again! 😀
Hi! I know you made this tutorial like 3 years ago, but I’ve recently found it and with your help I could manage to make my own companion cube! 😀 As I’m only a beginner it took me one week to finish it (and I stabbed my fingers a thousand times with the needle, but it was worth it). I couldn’t pass the opportunity to thank you for this awesome tutorial, it’s clear and well explained, I didn’t have any doubts while following it. It’s the cutest cube I found and now I can cuddle my own! Thanks a lot! 😀
Awesome tutorial, thanks a million for making it.
If you ever get bored and want to challenge yourself, make a portal gun plushie 🙂