Sewing can be really scary for some new crocheters, but don’t worry, in this blog post I’ll show you how to conquer your fears and learn a one size fits all technique for sewing amigurumi pieces together.
To sew amigurumi pieces together, hold the open (unseamed) piece on top of the closed (smooth) piece. Thread a tapestry needle and insert the needle through the next stitch of the closed piece, then thread it under the stitch of the closed piece directly under. Thread it upwards through the next stitch of the open piece, and repeat.
I’ll break down each of these steps in more detail in the blog post below.
If you prefer video tutorials, check out the one below!
In this blog post I’ll be using a few terms to describe different amigurumi pieces: flat pieces, open pieces, and closed pieces.
Flat pieces are flat crochet pieces that are worked back and forth and have only one seam that’s flat.
Open and closed pieces are both worked in the round. The different between them is that closed pieces are amigurumi parts that have been finished off, so that it forms a smooth sphere. In the example below, the body of the penguin is a closed piece because we’re attaching an open piece to a smooth surface.
The open piece is a piece worked in the round, such as an ear or leg that has not been finished off in the round (it doesn’t look like a sphere), and likely has stuffing showing.
Table of Contents
How to sew an open piece to a closed piece
This technique is for if you have an open piece (an amigurumi piece where the stuffing is exposed) that you have to sew onto a smooth, closed piece.
In the example below, I need to sew the beak onto the head of the penguin. In this case, the open piece is the beak, since the stuffing is exposed, and the head of the penguin is the closed piece that I am sewing the beak onto.
1. Pin the open piece in place
The first step is always to pin the piece in place. In photo 1 below, you can see that I’ve pinned the beak onto the head, so that it stays secure and so that I can see how the final product will look.
2. Insert the needle through the first stitch of the open piece, from the top
Thread a tapestry needle (I prefer bent tip needles for sewing, which you can read about here), and insert the needle through the next available stitch on the open piece, coming down from the top. See photo 2 for reference. Pull the needle through.
3. Thread the needle under a stitch on the closed piece
Take a look at the closed piece under the stitch you just threaded your needle through. Find the stitch on the closed piece that is closest to your needle, and thread the needle under it (see photo 3 for reference). Pull the needle through.
4. Thread the needle upwards on the open piece
Finally, thread the needle bottom up into the next stitch on the open piece. “Bottom up” means that the needle should go from the inside of the open piece to the outside (see photo 4 for reference).
5. Bury the tail
To bury the tail, thread the needle through the next stitch, and then push it out anywhere else on the closed piece. Pull on the needle to make sure that the open piece is secure, and then cut the yarn flush with the surface of the closed piece. If you can still see the yarn poking out, stuff it back into the closed piece with the back of the needle. See photo 5 for reference.
And now you just have to repeat those steps all around until it’s secure! You don’t need to go through every single stitch (and indeed that might be overkill), but make sure that if you tug on the open piece lightly that it feel snug and that it won’t fall off. Sometimes I’ll go around twice, just to make extra sure.
This basic formula works for pretty much every type of open piece to closed piece join that you might encounter, and this technique ensures that the “seam” from sewing won’t be visible. My biggest pet peeve is seeing where other people have sewn pieces together, and so if you follow this tutorial you can avoid that!
If you’re just getting started, I recommend your first project to be my Mini Whale! This project is aimed at complete beginners — I worked really hard to provide a full video tutorial, blog post, as well as free downloadable PDF! This is the pattern to start with if you’re a complete beginner 🙂
This is a tutorial for complete beginners and goes through how to create the entire project from scratch. The accompanying PDF pattern can be found below and the blog post here.
This is a tutorial for complete beginners and goes through how to create the entire project from scratch. The accompanying PDF pattern can be found below and the blog post here.
How to sew a flat piece to a closed piece
Flat pieces are also a common type of amigurumi piece — these are usually arms or legs that have been seamed shut, like in the example below, or are just worked flat.
In the example below, I’ve demonstrated with a flipper piece that was originally worked in the round, but then was crocheted flat to make it into a flat piece. Follow the steps below to sew it onto the closed body piece!
1. Pin the flat piece in place
The first step, like in the previous example, is to pin the flat piece in place on top of the closed piece! This is always a vital step because it helps you visualize what the final product will look like, and help you keep everything steady as you begin sewing.
2. Insert the needle through the first stitch of the flat piece, from the top
Thread a tapestry needle (I prefer bent tip needles for sewing, which you can read about here), and insert the needle through the next available stitch on the flat piece, coming down from the top. See photo 2 and 3 for reference. Pull the needle through.
3. Thread the needle under a stitch on the closed piece
Take a look at the closed piece under the stitch you just threaded your needle through. Find the stitch on the closed piece that is closest to your needle, and thread the needle under it (see photo 4 for reference). Pull the needle through.
4. Thread the needle upwards on the flat piece
Finally, thread the needle bottom up into the next stitch on the flat piece. “Bottom up” means that the needle should go from under the flat piece to over the flat piece (see photo 5 for reference).
5. Bury the tail
To bury the tail, thread the needle through the next stitch, and then push it out anywhere else on the closed piece. Pull on the needle to make sure that the flat piece is secure, and then cut the yarn flush with the surface of the closed piece. If you can still see the yarn poking out, stuff it back into the closed piece with the back of the needle. See photo 6 for reference.
And now you just have to repeat those steps all around until it’s secure! You don’t need to go through every single stitch (and indeed that might be overkill), but make sure that if you tug on the open piece lightly that it feel snug and that it won’t fall off. Sometimes I’ll go around twice, just to make extra sure.
As you can see, the steps are very similar for sewing a flat piece onto a closed piece as an open piece. That’s because the basic concept is the same, except that in an open piece there’s an “inside” and “outside,” whereas for a flat piece there’s just a top and bottom.
Lastly, I’ll go over how to sew a (flat) appliqué on top of a closed piece. It’s a very similar process, but I just wanted to show a quick photo tutorial for it for those who would like the guidance.
More blog posts for amigurumi beginners:
- My Foolproof Guide to Crocheting Amigurumi for Beginners
- What’s the best stuffing for amigurumi? (+ how to stuff!)
- How to Sew Amigurumi Parts Together (easy photo tutorial!)
How to sew a crochet appliqué to a closed piece
Sewing a crochet appliqué (or any flat object) to the surface of a closed piece is very similar to sewing a flat piece — it’s just that you have to repeat the steps all around the border of the appliqué.
1. Pin the appliqué in place
The first step, like in the previous example, is to pin the appliqué in place on top of the closed piece! This is always a vital step because it helps you visualize what the final product will look like, and help you keep everything steady as you begin sewing. See photo 1 for reference.
2. Insert the needle through the first stitch of the appliqué, from the top
Thread a tapestry needle (I prefer bent tip needles for sewing, which you can read about here), and insert the needle through the next available stitch on the flat piece, coming down from the top. See photo 2 for reference. Pull the needle through.
3. Thread the needle under a stitch on the closed piece
Take a look at the closed piece under the stitch you just threaded your needle through. Find the stitch on the closed piece that is closest to your needle, and thread the needle under it (see photo 3 for reference). Pull the needle through.
4. Thread the needle upwards on the appliqué
Finally, thread the needle bottom up into the next stitch on the flat piece. “Bottom up” means that the needle should go from under the appliqué to over the appliqué (see photo 4 for reference).
5. Bury the tail
To bury the tail, thread the needle through the next stitch, and then push it out anywhere else on the closed piece. Pull on the needle to make sure that the appliqué is secure, and then cut the yarn flush with the surface of the closed piece. If you can still see the yarn poking out, stuff it back into the closed piece with the back of the needle. See photo 6 for reference.
And now you just have to repeat those steps all around until it’s secure! You don’t need to go through every single stitch (and indeed that might be overkill), but make sure that if you tug on the open piece lightly that it feel snug and that it won’t fall off. Sometimes I’ll go around twice, just to make extra sure.
Hopefully this tutorial gives you the confidence to tackle sewing your next amigurumi project! Don’t forget, if the photo tutorial gives you any trouble, check out the video tutorial here!
Leave a Comment