The inspiration for this project, as most projects do, came from an unexpected place. I wanted to make something for the Game Life contest, and this idea popped into my head. I had originally wanted to make a pose-able plush of the Hollow Knight, from the game Hollow Knight, by Team Cherry. I ended up majorly simplifying the project into just a simple plush, as I wasn't sure what to make the internal armature out of, and it sure wasn't going to be wire coat hangers.

So, pull up a seat, and join me on this wild adventure of fun, sweat, and learning about yourself!

Oh, and a material list:

Sewing Machine
White and Black Fleece
Roatary Fabric cutter, scissors
Sewing machine
Chopstick
Stuffing (I use an old pillow)
Patience
A seam ripper
Willingness to learn from your mistakes
Scrap gray fabric (I used a $1 pair of goodwill pants)

Step 1: Draft a Pattern, and Sew!

I use Silhouette Studio when designing, as I can simply cut the pattern out when I am finished.

The original idea for only cutting half the body came from a tutorial I saw on how to make a teddy bear, found here.

Ultimately, I just went with duplicates of the front and back, and sewed them together. Unfortunately, this made the limbs rather long and thin, which when the stuffing is stuffed into it with a chopstick, it isn't as soft as a larger area as, say, the body.

Note: I'm still not sure on how to do the eyes, or anything circular, for that matter. I would appreciate any suggestions in that department.

Note Note: I had laid out all the components for a pre-sew on the cutting table, and I felt like Dr. Frankstein! Life! Give my Creature life! All I needed was a strike of errant indoor lightning, or a simple sewing machine....

Step 2: You Are Now a Tailor

The Hollow Knight also wears a cloak, and I wanted to include that in the build. Since the body had several places where I had missed joining the two sides properly together, there were a lot of outside seams. This was due to the pattern of the body only being one half of it, with overlap in the middle, not the full body, an attempt to make the plush have a bit more body, but the cut sides were incongruous, to say the least. Please DO NOT do this- just make the pattern for the full body as simple as possible, and cut out the full body shape.

So, as part of the overall costume, and a way to cover things up, we will make a cloak, out of a pair of $1 Goodwill slacks. Choose a good gray color, it can be mens' pants, womens' pants... Doesn't really matter, as you will be ripping a leg off at the seams. Get out your seam ripper and follow the seams, and/or get our your trusty scissors. During this process, I noticed that the scissors would wander when the fabric was not held stiff, and would make a tattered edge, and I decided that I wanted to use that theme in the final product.

So, once you have fully opened the pant leg, get out a ruler, and decide how long you want the cloak to be- I used 6 1/2 inches, and cut rough strips out of the fabric with scissors.

I noticed the pants had a bit of a "neck" for the cloak with a seam, and made that the top. I sewed partially down a vertical area of each strip, following the pins in the third image above.

For the final design, I went for a test fit, pinning the cloak to the back, sewed a foldover for the top, and sewed in a silver button. I folded the fabric in half, and cut with scissors to put the button and buttonhole in.

Step 3: The Verdict

So, cute or creepy? I'm not totally sure, but not everyone I've asked is a fan of this game.

Please vote down for me in the game life contest, So I can win a VR headset! (Please do, I'm a game developer, I would LOVE one). But if not, I've got experience making plush, a true introduction to instructables projects, a cool video game plush, and an idea for the next project!

Stay tuned for Troubleshooting!

Step 4: Troubleshooting

1. Know the fabric you are working with. For fleece, you need to loosen the thread, and use a ballpoint needle. I did not know what either of those things were before doing this project.

2. Ask for help! I had been halted for a while with an inoperable sewing machine because the clutch motor was not fully tightened, and the aforementioned thread and needle issues. I asked on reddit, and got an answer telling me to tighten the circle thing on the end of the other circle to the right of the sewing machine. This is the clutch mechanism.

3. Remember why you want to finish this project! I had a time frame for the game life contest, but I also thought it would be cool to make this item, but you need something to keep you going!

4. Have a clean work area! A clean work area is incredibly inspiring, or at least will remove enough hurdles to creation.

5. Go the simple route! I simplified the project twice- once from using a 3D model of the plush to make a pattern using Plushable, a 3D model to plush online program, and from a posable standable plush to just a normal one, after not knowing what to make the armature out of. (I actually learned blender for this end before giving up on that route.Still useful, but too much.)

6. Give yourself extra extra room when doing fabric stuff, especially plush, as you turn fabric inside out and backwards. And plush is supposed to be soft, so give lots of room for it to be full of softness!