Jimothy the Raccoon & Friends Sewing Patterns

July 28, 2026 By

Love Jimothy the raccoon? Sew him with us. This trio sewing pattern is fun, easy and great for new sewists. Make a coaster, a keychain or an Christmas ornament … or applique a towel or shirt. This Jimothy sewing pattern has step-by-step instructions for 3 projects but once you learn how to make the applique, you can put Jimothy on a whole host of things.

Jimothy Sewing Pattern Includes

  • Tracing Templates for Jimothy the Raccoon
  • Tracing Templates for a Bison / American Buffalo
  • Tracing Templates for a Boy
  • Tracing Templates for a Girl
  • Step-by-Step Written Instructions for an Applique (shown on towel)
  • Step-by-Step Written Instructions for Keychain (or bag charm or Christmas Ornament)
  • Step-by-Step Written Instructions for “Quilted” Coaster (shown with 2 options – Jimothy only)
  • Lots of photos

Sewists love to capture moments in time in fabric and thread. Commemorate and sew a fun Jimothy raccoon, bison / American buffalo, or tourist for your bag. Or tie ribbon on them and make Christmas ornaments. The bison reminds us of our brother who attended CU Boulder. CU Buffs have an American Buffalo as their mascot. If you’re a fan of professional football like us, then you probably know someone that’s a fan of Buffalo Bills. Whatever your reason, this pattern makes it easy to sew fun projects.

Sewing Pattern Now Available

The easy step-by-step sewing pattern for Jimothy, Bison / American Buffalo, Boy and Girl is now available in our Etsy shop. It includes tracing templates for Fimothy and Friends and 3 different step-by-step instructions for making a towel, keycahins and coaster.

Buy the pattern on etsy

Jimothy Sewing Pattern – Melting Our Hearts

When we saw Jimothy online, the first thing on our To-Sew List was the keychain. And we fell in love with it. The keychain is light weight and melts our hearts.

Second on our To-Sew List was the towel. We fell even more in love with Jimothy upon appliqueing him to a towel. It looks soo good next to the sink. Guests will get a real kick out of it.

Third and finally, we had to “quilt” a coaster. For this project we decided to go old school and sewed Jimothy with simple straight lines. Top stitching can be done with any technique like swirls or jagged “fur” scruff. But we opted for a geometric look.

Get the Jimothy & Friends Sewing Pattern Trio

Sew with us. Get your copy of Jimothy and Friends Sewing Pattern in our Etsy shop.

Make Jimothy as a coaster, keychain or applique for a towel or shirt – the pattern includes tracing templates for all three. But it also includes tracing templates to make a bison / American buffalo and a guy and gal tourist as a keychain or applique. Customize them with different fabrics to your hearts content.

Why Do You Need a Jimothy and Friends?

  • Bag charm
  • Luggage Tag
  • Christmas Ornament
  • Coaster
  • Towel Applique
  • Shirt Applique
  • Santa Gift Exchange
  • White Elephant Gift
  • Gift for Animal Lover
  • Fun Home Decor
  • Gift for Silent Auction
  • Quirky Coaster for Special Event

Jimothy & Friends Upcycle

If you want quick and easy projects to make with your stash, this is it! We upcycled and stash busted for all of these projects. The fabrics were all remnants and bed linens picked up at a second hand store. The cork on the back of the coasters is an old roll we inherited from our dad when he retired from woodworking. We used snippets of stabilizer and batting we had in a remnants pile. This is the ultimate upcycling and sewing project to make practical and whimsical gifts.

Get your copy of Jimothy and Friends Sewing Pattern, today.

Filed Under: Adult, Animals, Appliques, Bath, Boy, Child, Christmas, Dining, Football, Girl, Great as Gifts, Home Decor, Kitchen, Patterns for Sale, Quilt, Sewing, Super Bowl, Toys, Yarnitect Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Billy Bison Pin Loom Plushie

July 23, 2026 By

My love of bison (and an incident at Yellowstone) inspired me to create a pin loom bison stuffed animal. These impressively powerful mammals possess a quiet strength as they feed across the prairie. They are social creatures that seem unbothered by all the things around them.

For others in my family, the bison makes them recall their time at the University of Colorado. I imagine a blue bison could rile up a Buffalo’s fan or two!

I didn’t have any dark brown fur, so I decided to make the front of the bison with a textured stitch. The smocking stitch became especially prominent by warping the pin looms in a single strand of yarn, and weaving it double stranded. These two brown colors of Caron Simply Soft yarn really contrast nicely.

For me, determining the size of the head kind of dictates the size of the rest of the body. First, I imagined the different parts of the body in shapes, squares, rectangles, triangles, and cylinders. Then I determined the size of looms that would accomplish those the best.

I ended up using 6 different pin looms: 1″ and 2″ right triangle looms, 2″ and 4″ square looms, and 1″ x 4″ and 2″ x 4″ rectangle looms.

With a little folding, rolling, and tucking, this little bison quickly took shape. His finished size is 11″ long x 4″ wide x 7″ tall. For complete instructions, you can find the pattern in our Etsy shop. It includes step-by-step written instructions, charts, and photos.

Unlike those found in the wild, this one likes to cuddle!

Happy Weaving,

Deborah

Share the Love

Love pin loom weaving or Bison? Share one of our photos on social media.

Want to make one? The bison – American buffalo pin loom weaving pattern is available now in our Etsy shop.

Buy the pattern on etsy
Filed Under: Animals, Boy, Child, Girl, Patterns for Sale, Pin Loom, Sports, Toys, Yarnovator Tagged With: , , ,

Card Playing Mats Sewing Pattern – Samba and More

May 5, 2026 By

Attention Card Sharks! The hottest game in town is Samba. And card holders and card mats are all the rage. I’ve made several for my mom’s card groups and now you can too with this fun and easy sewing pattern. They aren’t just for Samba. My mom uses her card mat for Ponytail Canasta and Hand, Foot & Toe, too.

I created several proto-types and included my top favs in the sewing pattern. Choose between a rollable style card playing mat or a foldable style. Both styles are beginner friendly sewing patterns with step-by-step instructions and lots of photos.

Card Playing Mat Sewing Pattern includes:

  • 18 Pocket Foldable Card Playing Mat
  • 16 Pocket Rollable Card Playing Mat
    • Modifications to make this as a 12 Pocket Rollable Card Playing Mat
  • 12 Pocket Foldable Card Playing Mat
  • 8 Pocket Card Playing Mat
  • 2 Pocket Card Holder (single sided)
  • Step-by-Step Written Instructions
  • Lots of Photos
  • Helpful Tips and Tricks

Available now on Etsy

The fun and easy Card Playing Mat Sewing Pattern is available now in our Etsy Shop.

Pockets, Pockets, Pockets

Choose the card playing mat that’s best suited for your card game of choice.

  • Samba needs 16 pockets for working books.
  • Ponytail Canasta needs 12 pockets for working books.
  • Hand, Foot & Toe needs 12 pockets for working books.
  • Hand & Foot needs 12 pockets for working books.
  • Closed Books can take a lot of space, so 8 pockets works great.
  • Hand, Foot, & Toe needs a 2 pocket card holder.
  • Most games have a foot and need a 1 pocket card holder (but ours comes with 2 pockets).

18 Pocket Foldable Mat – Samba

You really only need 16 pockets for Samba but the foldable card playing mat has 18 which is 3 sections with 6 pockets in each. I love this option because the 7’s can either be collected with the low cards or it can be collected with the Sambas.

How I Organize My 18 Pocket Samba Card Playing Mat

  • Section 1: Low Cards – 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
  • Section 2: High Cards – 10, J, Q, K A
  • Section 3: Wilds, Sambas

How My Mom Organizes Her 18 Pocket Samba Card Playing Mat

  • Section 1: Low Cards – 4, 5, 6, 8, 9
  • Section 2: High Cards – 10, J, Q, K A
  • Section 3: Sambas, 7, Wilds

Card Playing Mats are a Space Saver

Card playing mats are practically essential at my mom’s club house. They play Samba on small card tables and people are (or were, rather) always elbowing each other for more table space. Cards would often drop on the floor because they were collecting books right to the very edge of the table.

The Samba card playing mats keep things nice and tidy…but most importantly, condensed. After repeated requests, I finally made my mom not just 1 card playing mat…but 2 (a foldable and a rollable mat).

You can make your own card playing mats, too. Sew some for your team, and if you’re feeling generous, make some for your opponents as well.

Samba Card Playing Mat Now Available

This Samba Card Playing Mat Sewing Pattern includes 5 mat sizes total (some foldable, some rollable). It’s available now in our Etsy Shop.

Get your card playing mat sewing pattern now on Etsy.

Buy Now on Etsy
Filed Under: Patterns for Sale, Sewing, Yarnitect Tagged With: , , , ,

Mushroom Pin Cushion with Basket Crochet Pattern

February 5, 2026 By

Mushroom Pin Cushion with Basket is an easy crochet pattern you can make in a weekend. It’s darling to display but even more fun to use. It’s the perfect size for collecting yarn snips (or candy wrapper). If you like to sew or embroider, it’s great for tossing thread snips as well. Or, you could store notions it it for crochet, knitting, weaving, sewing and quilting.

I, Dana, woke up one day with a vision for mushrooms on a grassy knoll. I wasn’t sure if I could recreate my vision…but it came out pretty much as I’d envisioned it. I love that it can be decorated with straight pins. I love that it’s cute…and practical at the same time.

About the Mushroom Pin Cushion and Project Bag Crochet Pattern

The crochet pattern includes everything you need to recreate a mushroom pin cushion with basket of your own. It includes:

  • Mushroom in 2 sizes
  • Basket
  • Connector Piece
  • Tab for holding mini scissors, crochet hook and pencil
  • Step by step written instructions
  • Written in US terms

The size is great for putting on a side table, arm of a chair or at your work table. My mushroom and basket has a permanant home on my desk which doubles as my sewing table. The measurements are approximately:

  • Pin Cushion: 5.75″ wide x 5.75″ deep x 3.5″ tall
  • Basket: 4″ wide x 4″ deep x 5″ tall

The crochet pattern is rated easy because there aren’t lots of stitch patterns. It is made with stitches as small as a slip stitch and as large as a double treble. Pieces are worked in the round and in rows. It’s interesting to note that the same stitch pattern is used on the bean bag (base of pin cushion) and on the basket. But they look different because one is crocheted in rows and the other in the round.

Mushroom Pin Cushion and Basket on Etsy

The Mushroom Pin Cushion and Basket first appeared in Crochet World Summer 2024. We have the rights back to sell direct to you. Find it now in our Etsy Shop.

Buy the pattern on etsy

The Mushroom Pin Cushion and Basket is So Useful!

One of the things I love most about this Mushroom Pin Cushion with Basket is that it’s useful for lots of different hobbies. It has a little tab sewn to the lining with 3 sections to hold small things like pencils, mini scissors and crochet hooks. Here are my favorite ways to use the mushroom pin cushion and basket…and yes, I’ve used it for each of these things:

  • Project bag
  • Yarn snips trash basket (for knitting, crochet and weaving)
  • Thread keeper (trash basket) (for sewing, quilting and embroidery)
  • Notions keeper (sewing clips, stitch markers, etc).

Yarn for Mushroom Pin Cushion and Basket

The yarn used to make the Mushroom Pin Cushion and Basket is Cascade 220 Superwash Sport. It’s a light weight (size 3) superwash merino wool yarn. As of today, it comes in 83 colors! We chose this yarn specifically for color options and yarn weight. It is thin enough to create beautiful stitch definition and sturdy enough to hold the 3D shape of the mushrooms (with fiber-fill stuffing inside).

Get your copy of the Mushroom Pin Cushion and Basket now.

Filed Under: Crochet, Flowers, Home Decor, Patterns for Sale, Sewing, Yarnitect Tagged With: , , ,

Heartfelt Pillow Crochet Pattern

January 30, 2026 By

Vibrant, colorful, and floral, this crochet pillow is lovely not only around Valentine’s Day, but all year long. The rainbow of colors make it a great addition for spring and fall decorating…and summer, too! And placing the flowers in a heart shape captures how we all feel about them…we love them.

This Floral Heart Pillow Crochet Pattern includes lots of helpful photos to make everything you see. The pattern includes:

  • 8 Colorful Flower Patterns – each with Step-by-Step Photos
  • 1 Green Leaf Pattern – with Step-by-Step Photos
  • 1 Shell Stitch Throw Pillow
  • 1 Tassel Instructions

Make the pillow exactly as we did, or mix things up a bit. You can create pillow with a wreath by placing the flowers in a ring. Or, make the flowers individually, glue them to a chop stick and make floral picks. Make the pillow without the flowers for a nice textured accent pillow. Make the flowers for wedding bouquets or home coming corsages. Make flower accent pins, headbands, barrettes and more.

What will you make with your crochet flowers and pillow?

Heartfelt Floral Pillow Crochet Pattern on Etsy

The Heartfelt Floral Pillow Crochet Pattern is now available in our Etsy Shop.

Available now on Etsy.

Buy the pattern on etsy
Filed Under: Crochet, Flowers, Home, Home Decor, Patterns for Sale, Valentine's Day, Yarnovator Tagged With: , , , ,

Notebook and Pen Holder Pattern

January 9, 2026 By

Customize and make your own notebook cover (no sew) and pen holder bookmark (sewing) with this fun and easy – beginner friendly – pattern. Find some cute fabric and a composition notebook…and Bam, inspirational notebook.

Create a notebook for guys and gals of all ages. Heck, make a bunch for yourself! Make a journal, or a to-do list, or score pad. Make notebooks for kids for school. Make a notebook for work….and find a possible new side hustle!

Never lose your pen with this elastic bookmark pen holder. Make with or without stabilizer. Fits around a composition notebook from the dollar store or grocery store. Notebooks are 9.75″ x 7.5″ (24.76 cm x 19 cm).

This pattern is quick and easy. It’s a great beginner no sew and sewing pattern.

Notebook Cover and Pen Holder Pattern on Etsy

The Notebook Cover and Pen Holder pattern is available in our Etsy Shop.

Available now on Etsy.

Buy the pattern on etsy

This is a fun pattern because you can customize the notebook for hobbies and interests. You can find some specialty fabrics at craft stores and online. This is also a great stash buster. Have a long skinny strip of fabric? Make a notebook or pen holder!

The no sew Notebook Cover and Pen Holder sewing pattern includes:

  • Lots of photos
  • Step by Step written instructions
  • No sew notebook cover pattern
  • Pen holder sewing pattern
  • Supplies List

Get the Notebook Cover and Pen Holder Bookmark pattern on Etsy.

Filed Under: No Sew, Patterns for Sale, Sewing, Yarnitect Tagged With: , , , ,

Make a Pin Loom – Pattern

December 18, 2025 By

Pin loom weaving is fun…and even more so if you have looms of various shapes and sizes! There are several small and independent companies that manufacture pin looms. We highly recommend them. However, it can be hard to find pin looms in stores (other than weaving friendly yarn shops).

In order to get all the pin loom shapes you might need, you can make your own! This pattern includes pin loom templates for squares, rectangles and triangles measuring 1” up to 6”. Not only can you build your own, we show you how to build them with common household items.

You can make a pin loom from items such as cardboard and straight pins. Those work ok for really small looms like the 1″ square and if used lightly. If you weave regularly or like the larger shapes, we recommend that you build a loom from wood like MDF or plywood and brad nails, all found at your local hardware store.

Build a Pin Loom Step-by-Step

The pattern for Making Your Own Pin Loom is awesome! It answers lots of questions you may have and offers step-by-step information for building a pin loom start to finish:

  • Step-by-Step Written Instructions
  • Tons of Photos
  • VIDEO link to Build a Loom from Cardboard or Foam
  • VIDEO link to Build a Loom from Wood
  • VIDEO link to Weaving a Square (or Rectangle)
  • VIDEO link to Weaving a Triangle
  • Links to Where to Buy Ready Made Pin Looms
  • Templates for Squares: 1″, 2″, 4″, 6″
  • Templates for Rectangles: 1″x2″, 1″x3″, 1″x4″, 1″x6″
  • Templates for Rectangles: 2″x4″, 2″x6″
  • Templates for Triangles: 2″, 4″, 6″
  • Materials List for Building Looms on Cardboard, Foam or Wood

Make a Pin Loom Pattern on Etsy

Buy the pattern with templates to Make Your Own Pin Looms in our Etsy shop.

Available now on Etsy.

Buy the pattern on etsy

Pin Loom Weaving Patterns

Pin looms are great for weaving up little fabric shapes. These shapes can be sewn together to create countless woven projects from coasters to blankets, to stuffed animals and decorations. You can make a ton of adorable projects with a simple square…but the possibilities are limitless with additional pin loom shapes like rectangles and triangles.

Visit our Etsy shop for lots of fun and exciting pin loom patterns to weave!

Filed Under: Patterns for Sale, Pin Loom, Yarnitect, Yarnovator Tagged With: ,

Pin Loom Flock Pattern

December 12, 2025 By

Introducing…The Pin Loom Flock: 9 Adorable Birds to Weave with Squares and Rectangles. Inspired by the Birds of a Feather crochet pattern, we’re excited to bring our most popular birds to the pin loom community.

9 Gorgeous Birds included in the pin loom pattern:

  • Bald Eagle
  • Cardinal
  • Chicken
  • European Robin
  • Red-Winged Blackbird
  • Robin (and a mini Robin)
  • Seagull
  • Turkey
  • Western Tanager

Shhh…I have a secret for you. All these birds can be made from 2 pin looms (the Robin can be made from 1!). We used 3 to 5 different looms to make each bird so there would be less tails to weave in, but you can make them with a 2″ square and 1″x4″ rectangle (with folding of the rectangle in some cases).

Pin looms we used to make all the birds include:

  • Squares: 1″, 2″, 4″, 6″
  • Rectangles: 1″x2″, 1″x4″, 2″x4″, 2″x6″

The Pin Loom Flock on Etsy

The pin loom pattern to make the Pin Loom Flock is available now on Etsy.

Available now on Etsy.

More about The Pin Loom Flock Pattern

The Pin Loom Flock is a beginner friendly pattern. Every square and rectangle will be woven in plain weave and joined with a simple overcast or your favorite join method. The birds measure: 5.5” length x 6.5” width x 4.5” height. The Chicken measures 7.75” x 5.75” x 6” because it has a couple rounds of single crochet (it is the only bird with crochet).

The pattern includes written instructions as well as helpful photos for rolling and folding shapes to make feet, beaks, wattles, snoods and combs. There are helpful charts to show yarn and loom sizes used to make each bird.

Materials needed are minimal and include:

  • Yarn: Size 4 medium worsted weight
    (Pattern used: Lion Brand Heartland and Basic Stitch, acrylic)
  • Pin Looms (see list above)
  • Weaving Needle (6″) and Yarn Needle
  • Stuffing
  • Safety Eyes: 14 mm – 2 each bird (chicken 18 mm)
  • Crochet Hook (chicken only): G/4.0mm

Birds for the Holidays and Special Occasions

The birds are fun to make for bird lovers, but they are also fun for several holidays and other special occasions.

  • Christmas Bird: Cardinal
  • Thanksgiving Bird: Turkey
  • Halloween Bird: Blackbird (made in solid black as a Crow/Raven)
  • Wedding Bird: Make the Robin in white as a Dove.
  • Sports Teams: Cardinals, Eagles, Falcons, Ravens

Make one of these birds as a Thinking of You gift and add a little encouragement note:

  • “Fly high, little bird!”
  • “Trust your wings.”
  • “Sing your song.”

These little birds are fun sitting on a shelf or at your desk.

Get your copy of The Pin Loom Flock in our Etsy shop now.

Filed Under: 4th of July, Adult, Animals, Armed Forces Day, Boy, Bridal Shower, Child, Girl, Halloween, Patterns for Sale, Pin Loom, Sports, Super Bowl, Thanksgiving, Toys, Wedding, Yarnovator Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Cardinal Christmas

November 10, 2025 By

Cardinals aren’t just sport mascots, they are a gorgeous reminder of Christmas. The cardinal from Birds of a Feather, Volume 1 is a lot of fun to use for decorating and gifting. Here’s how I’d use the 3 pictured above:

  • Smallest cardinal (right) is crocheted in cotton thread and would be adorable looped on a handbag as a charm.
  • Medium sized cardinal is crocheted in medium worsted weight yarn and is the perfect size for hanging on a tree (see photo below).
  • Largest cardinal is crocheted in super bulky yarn and it’s big. It would be a noticeable accent on a dinner table or bookshelf.
cardinal made from yarn from 2 small granny squares. Hanging as an Christmas ornament on an evergreen tree.

Want to know more about how to crochet smaller or larger granny square birds? Check out our blog post: Granny Square Birds in Different Yarn Weights blog post.

Birds of a Feather on Etsy

We have 19 granny square birds available in 2 volumes. Learn more on Etsy:

Filed Under: Accessories, Animals, Bags, Christmas, Crochet, Home Decor, Patterns for Sale, Toys Tagged With: ,

Granny Square Birds in Different Yarn Weights

November 10, 2025 By
3 Cardinals crocheted in different size yarns from the crochet pattern "Birds of a Feather"

Can you use larger or smaller yarn to crochet the Granny Square “Birds of a Feather”?

Great question! We’ve been asked if the granny square “Birds of a Feather” crochet pattern can made with larger (chenille yarn) or smaller (cotton thread) yarn. The simple answer is, Yes!

No changes are needed for the crochet portion of the pattern if you want to make a bird in larger or smaller yarn. As expected, the thicker or bulkier the yarn, the larger the bird and conversely, the thinner the yarn, the smaller the bird. The only change you’ll need to make in the pattern is the size of the eyes and crochet hook.

Pictured above are 3 cardinals made with different size yarn with NO changes to the crocheted portion of the pattern.

  • Left: Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick, super bulky, 79% acrylic, 20% wool, 1% other
  • Middle: Lion Brand Heartland, medium worsted weight acrylic
  • Right: Aunt Lydia’s Cotton Thread #5
  • Rubber Duckie: (pictured below): Paton Grace #3 light weight yarn, mercerized cotton

Observations about Working with Different Size Yarn

  1. For most yarns we used a hook 1 or 2 sizes smaller than the yarn label recommended.
  2. Thicker yarn will made a bird that may feel more squishy and appear more holey. It’s great for cuddling.
  3. Thinner yarn makes it more difficult to see your stitches. Cotton thread creates a stiffer bird. Great for creating little charms for bags or Christmas ornaments.

Pattern Modifications for Change in Yarn Size

EYES

You’ll want to increase or decrease the size of the button or safety eye depending on the size bird you crochet. Here’s what we used in those pictured on this post.

  • Large cardinal used 5/8” buttons (loop back button which looks similar to a safety eye).
  • Medium cardinal used 10 mm safety eyes.
  • Small cardinal used 5 mm mini brads (like those used in scrapbooking).
  • Rubber Duckie used 6 mm safety eyes.

Birds, Birds, More Birds

There are so many beautiful birds in the world…and we’ve recreated several of them in 2 different crochet patterns. Each bird in these sets are made from 2 granny squares with color changes at just the right place to create different birds. Here’s what’s in each volume:

Birds of a Feather, Volume 1

The original set has 9 gorgeous birds that are fun to decorate with and for gifting. Birds of a Feather, Volume 1 is available on Etsy and includes the following birds:

  • Sunflower Chicken
  • Bald Eagle
  • Bluejay
  • Cardinal
  • Goldfinch
  • House Finch
  • Parakeet
  • Robin
  • Turkey
  • + Bonus: Mini Pumpkin
Duck, duck, goose. 3 birds each made from 2 granny squares. Left is rubber duckie, middle is a mallard, right is a goose.

Birds of a Feather, Volume 2

2 new features were added to Birds of a Feather, Volume 2. The step-by-step instructions for turning granny square birds (any from vol. 1 and 2) into a cell phone holder or a zippered pouch! Volume 2 also introduces some fun techniques to create birds with texture like furry feathers and 3D feathers! This set includes several exciting new birds including:

  • Blackbird / Crow / Raven / Dove
  • Black Breasted Red Phoenix Rooster
  • European Robin
  • Flamingo (2 styles)
  • Goose / Mother Goose
  • Mallard
  • Red Winged Blackbird
  • Rubber Duckie
  • Seagull
  • Stork with Baby Bundle

The crochet pattern for these fine feathered friends are available now on Etsy:

Filed Under: Animals, Patterns for Sale, Tips & Tricks, Toys Tagged With: ,
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