THE POCKET COYOTE

By RMH

A cute pocket-sized bean-bag coyote toy, completely machine washable (if you use washer-

friendly filling, that is). I designed him to promote my first young-adult novel, Masks

(http://TheMasksBlog.blogspot.com), which is mostly about teenage superheroes but also about

a long-tailed supernatural coyote who takes an interest in his fellow modern myths. About the

size of a beanie baby, he has become the blog’s mascot … and my toddler niece likes him, too!

YOU WILL NEED:

• 1/8 yard gray polar fleece (I recommend anti-pill, as it lasts longer)

• 1/8 yard tan or cream polar fleece (again, anti-pill is preferred)

• Remnant of black fleece for tail tip (if it’s big enough to cover your hand, it’s big enough

to work for this purpose)

• Two eyes (I used 8mm solid black plastic eyes, available at most craft stores; you might

also make your own eyes out of leftover black fleece)

• A fist-sized glob of polyester fiberfill stuffing

• About 4 or 5 ounces (1/2 cup) of bean-bag fill (I used plastic pellets; beads, dried beans

or rice will work, too, but rice and beans will make it impossible to machine-wash your

coyote without turning him into soup or pudding).

• Shears or sharp scissors

• Funnel (optional)

• Needle

• Thread

CUTTING OUT

1. Cut pattern pieces out of paper (see last page of this pattern).

2. Choose a “right” and “wrong” side of your fabric. The “right” side is the side that will be

on the outside of your coyote. The “wrong” side will be on the inside. Which side you

choose to be which doesn’t matter very much as long as you’re consistent.

3. Lay the pattern pieces out on your fabric. If you are making a monochrome coyote, be

sure to cut enough copies of each piece (trace around a piece with tailor’s chalk to cut

multiple copies). If you are making a two-tone coyote with a black tail-tip, as I am, be

sure to cut the correct pieces out of the correct fabric. Lay all pieces either right-side-up

or wrong-side-up. If a pattern piece must be reversed, reverse the piece of paper and

place it on the fabric with the paper facedown and the fabric as usual.

4. Pin pieces down and cut around each piece. Please note: These pieces include seam

allowances. They are indicated by dotted lines. If you want a larger seam allowance, cut

a bigger margin around each piece.

HEAD

1. Stitch ears, keeping right sides together, matching

notches, and leaving the bottom edges open. Turn

ears right-side out. Set aside.

2. Stitch head back pieces together at center back seam,

keeping right sides together.

3. Stitch lower jaw pieces together at center jaw seam,

keeping right sides together.

4. Stitch face to lower jaw, matching notches and

keeping right sides together. Stitch a scrap of black

fleece to the end of the coyote’s muzzle for a nose.

Attach eyes where indicated.

5. Pin ears to front of head, keeping right side of ear

lining against right side of face. Align un-notched

lower corners of ears with edges of face, and fold

notched corners toward face before pinning. This

fold will give your coyote ears a more three-dimensional look.

6. Pin head back to head front, keeping right sides together. Stitch, catching ears in seam.

Be sure to stitch this seam carefully, as your coyote will probably be picked up by his

ears with some regularity.

7. Turn head right-side-out, check seams for security, and set aside.

TAIL

1. Stitch each tail-tip piece to a tail piece, keeping right sides together.

2. Stitch tail top and bottom together, keeping right sides together and leaving the base of

the tail open.

3. Turn tail right-side-out, check seams for security, and set aside.

BODY

1. Stitch body pieces together along spine, leaving

neck and tail edges open.

2. Stitch foreleg and hind-leg pieces to belly,

keeping right sides together.

3. Stitch upper body to lower body, matching limbs

and keeping right sides together. Leave the neck

and tail edges open.

4. Turn body right-side-out and check seams for

security. Turn body inside-out again for final

assembly.

FINAL ASSEMBLY

1. You should now have three pieces: a body, a head, and a tail. Stuff the head firmly.

2. Insert the stuffed head into the neck cavity of the inside-out body. Align the head in the

cavity, matching the lower jaw pieces to the belly piece and the center head-back seam

with the spinal seam of the body while keeping right

sides together. Pin if necessary.

3. Stitch head to body, right sides together,

adjusting ease as necessary.

4. Turn head and body right-side out. Check

seams for security. You should now have a mostly

uninflated coyote with a stuffed head. All he needs is

a tail—but don’t sew it on yet!

5. Fill the coyote’s body with bean-bag filling,

pouring it through the, er, tail-hole. If your tail

opening is small, use a funnel to get the filling in.

Add more or less filling to taste; you want a coyote

with a nice heft, but not one more than two-thirds

full. Remember, he’s got to flop around like a bean

bag.

6. Insert the open end of your tail into the hole

in the back of the coyote, pushing in the edges of the tail-hole as much as possible so you

don’t have raw edges sticking out of your seam. Stitch around the hole, making sure the

tail is securely attached (remember that stuffed animals are often dragged by their tails!).

7. For the advanced crafter: give your coyote’s head a little extra

definition by creating a dent between his head and muzzle. I tied a

knot in my thread and pushed my needle from the lower jaw

through to the upper, pulled the thread tight, and then made a very

small stitch and pushed the needle down again in another direction

to create another dent. My coyote has a row of tiny “divot stitches”

(sorry, but I don’t know what they’re actually called) all around the

base of his muzzle, top and bottom, to give him that slightly wolfish

look.

8. Tuck your finished coyote into your pocket and leave his head

poking out to startle passersby!