Plush Cell Model

A soft and cuddly animal cell model perfect for those geeky science types. This is great as a teaching tool for students or if you are a student and need a cell model for a school science project.

Step 1: Material:

• Felt
• Fabric for the main body of the cell -I used flannel
• Toy stuffing
• Yarn
• Thread
• Embroidery thread
• Scissors
• Pins and needles
• Template for organelles (see celltemplate.pdf below)

A note about sewing
You can use a sewing machine to attach the larger organelles, but the smaller ones may need to be hand stitched. I mostly used hemming stitches and in some cases running stitches along the edge of the felt. Click here for examples of these stitches

Comments

[lexkeepsitsimple]

I want to try this, I have never really tried sewing by hand but this looks like fun! GREAT JOB!

[flame821]

okay, saved one of the pics from fb to my desktop, hopefully this will be small enough in file size and dimensions to post here. This is a straight on view with the whole nucleus. We split it in half so it can be opened to show the internal parts as well. It also has a long flagella off the back end.

[ChrysN]

That looks awesome, thanks for posting it!

[flame821]

I love this instructable. I did some slight modifications for my son's project using your organelle patterns but enlarged a plushie mochi pattern to make the body. The teacher has asked if she can keep it :-) I have pictures posted on FB if anyone is interested, the files are a bit large for on here. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.320802471275497.75250.100000372403357&type=1 My big mistake was not being able to find one of those carwashing mitts. We tried hand tying and knotting mercantized cotton for cillia.....NEVER try this.

[nonten94]

Thanks to you I've got a 9 in my cell exam! Thank you!

[ChrysN]

Excellent, good for you!

[hardj009]

hOW COME ONE HAS LOTS OF BITS ON TEH BACK AND ANOTHER ONLY HAS A FEW ON THE BACK?

[ChrysN]

It is just a different type of cells.

[I am Lord Voldemort]

Hi! I just came across this Instructable again! I wanted to show you what you inspired! We had to make a 3D model of a cell for Science class and I did a plant cell. Thank you for the idea and the A+!

[ChrysN]

That looks really cool, great job!

[Portalman]

THAT IS SO COOL!!! My sci. teacher would love this. He would give me like 4 A+s.

[mom2justin]

On your second one you look like you use the car mit for the back. Did you just sew it onto the back panel?

LOVE this idea!!

marcy

[blufinger]

wow

[fireman115]

LOL
i just made one of these last year for a biology project

[jgroenert]

This is the Ribisome  that  recenlty won the 2009 nobel prize for biology for researched Venkatraman Ramakrishnan of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England; Thomas A. Steitz of Yale University; and Ada E. Yonath of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot.Now you can sew one!!

All the parts of a cell do very interesting jobs on a microscopic level.

[ChrysN]

That's really cool, they "demonstrated what the ribosome looks like and how it functions at an atomic level using a visualisation method called X-ray crystallography to map the position of each of the hundreds of thousands of atoms that make up the ribosome". 

Maybe I should update my ribosomes to make them look more realistic.

[handprints]

 this is so darned cute and educational!!  I want make a set of cells for my daughter.  She is a senior in high school and wants to do genetic research.  

She can keep one in her pocket and think of her mommy when she is far away at school!

Great instructable!  congratulations!

[ChrysN]

That's sweet I'm sure your daughter will love that, thanks!

[Lettucehead]

Congrads! I voted for you!

[ChrysN]

Thank you for voting!

[Creativeman]

Congratulations on your win! That's super! Cman

[ChrysN]

Thanks Cman!

[Ninzerbean]

Wow! This is so funny! Great job, congratulations!

[ChrysN]

Thanks!

[Creativeman]

Congratulations ChrysN...good luck in the judging. I have a lab background, so appreciate your work. Other 'ibles as well. Thanks. Cman

[ChrysN]

Thanks!

[Lettucehead]

Great! I love all of your instructables so much- I subscribed to you. I'm working on a new one, I'll be sure to send it to you. Thanks!

[ChrysN]

Thanks, I'd love to see your new one!

[seamster]

I really like this! And I appreciate the fact that you stitched everything in place--that represents quite a bit of time and patience. Well done!

[ChrysN]

Thanks!

[rain-oubliette]

If you use it as a pillow, you can learn cellular biology through osmosis. ;)

[jeff-o]

Shouldn't that be diffusion, not osmosis? ;)

[Goodhart]

Hmm, as long as you don't accidentally suck off and swallow one of the mitochondria in your sleep ;-)

[bounty1012]

Lol.

[KMOM14]

What an awesome teaching tool this would make~

[ChrysN]

Thanks! Yes, you could attach little labels to each of the organelles.

[rubberducky47]

would there be some way to make it reversible like you could have a whole cell, then fold it to the inside of the cell? Like those cute little bunnies with holes in their butts that turn into bears?

[ChrysN]

LOL, bunnies with hole in their butt, I've never heard of those, that sounds really cool and it would be great to do that with a cell.

[DorkDude]

That's just plain awesome.

[ChrysN]

Thanks!