Floppy turtle plush toy

Step 5 Making the shell

11) Sew the four upper shell pieces together. Place the large shell pattern template on the upper pole of the shell with the pointy ends in between two seams (see image g) Mark each corner point using a dot of pen.

12) Move the template down, mark again. (see image h) Move the template down again, inline with the bottom edge of the shell, and mark again (see image i) Spin the shell 90degrees and mark again. This is where the neck will go.

13) Sew between the dots you've made along the sides of the shell. This will make a zig zag pattern going up and around the shell. Connect the dots where you marked the neck will go. It should look like image j

14) Use the smaller template to mark the tail end (opposite where you marked the neck) Sew around this, too.

15) Your shell should now have a large shell pattern at one end, a smaller one at the other and two bands of zig zags parallel to these. Now sew the horizontal lines (see image k) Also refer to images of the finished turtle if you are unsure.

16) Fit a cone stud in the centre of each shell pattern that runs around the muddle. There will be 5 of them (see image l)

17) Pin the top of the shell to the base, and leaving a small gap for turning