Jimothy the Raccoon & Friends Sewing Patterns

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.

Billy Bison Pin Loom Plushie

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

Pin Loom Flock Pattern

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.

Cardinal Christmas

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:

Granny Square Birds in Different Yarn Weights

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:

Don’t Worry, Crochet Stress Balls

Don’t stress, do you best… crochet a stress ball! This ebook contains 8 whimsical designs for stress balls. Squeeze them, toss them, catch them. Crochet a stress ball for your friends and family.

Stress balls are great conversation pieces on your desk. Attach a key chain and secure this to a bag. Crochet the entire collection and use them as a barometer of your mood:

  • smiley face = happy,
  • bomb = moody,
  • flower = everything’s rosy.

These are made with everyday supplies. The stress ball itself is a flower filled balloon. Pattern includes written directions and lots of pictures.
– 8 Ball, Magic 8 Ball
– Rose, Flower
– Globe, Earth, World
– Eyeball
– Star (Captain America style)
– Smiley Face
– Bomb
– Spike Stitch

Each ball uses remnants of yarn and can be crocheted quickly making them perfect for last minute gifts.

The balls are about 3 inches wide/tall.

Stress Ball Crochet Patten on Etsy

The Stress Ball Crochet Pattern ebook is available on Etsy.

Available on Etsy.

Share the love, post our picture to social media. We so appreciate it!

Get all 8 stress ball crochet patterns in our ebook.

Bones the fish Pin Loom Pattern

Weave your own fish skeleton with pin loom squares!

Bones, the fish, is a stuffed animal made from pin loom squares. Make your own with either a 4″ or 2″ square pin loom. Only 1 pin loom is needed!

Beginner friendly, this pin loom weaving pattern includes step-by-step instructions with photos. It will teach you how to fold, roll and sew together shapes to create a stuffed animal that’s just a little fishy.

Bones, the fish, on Etsy

Bones the fish Pin Loom Pattern is now available in our Etsy shop.

Available now on Etsy.

Buy the pattern on etsy

We’ve owned several fish. Some have lived long healthy lives, others not so long. The orange bone fish skeleton stuffed animal reminds us of those poor little gold fish we won at the county fair when we were little. We were full of excitement and looked forward to caring for them for the rest of our lives! All too soon did we learn that pets live shorter lives than us, and carnival won gold fish lived the shortest!

Share the Love

We’d be thrill to have you share this pin loom pattern on social media. Post one of our pictures to pinterest, facebook, instagram or wherever you love to browse for pin loom projects.

Thank you!

Reviews of our Pin Loom Patterns

We receive lots of 5 star reviews for our patterns. Here’s what a few people have said about our other pin loom patterns:

  • “Great pattern! I’m looking forward to making one…” – Linda
  • “Very well organized pattern. Instructions are easy to follow. Would recommend.” – Elven
  • “Just started! So far easy to understand!” – Rita

Stuffed animals that look like fish bones are really funny and surprisingly fun to gift and decorate with.

  • Add bones to your Halloween decorations. It would be particularly fun next to any other skeletons you decorate with.
  • Add catnip and make it a cat toy (do NOT use safety eyes on toys for animals or babies).
  • Give as a gag gift to friends and family that love to fish.
  • Pair this fish with the cat from Zoo Crew (see picture below).

Be a Toy Maker

Be a toy maker! We have lots of stuffed animals you can make with a single square pin loom. Use a 4″ pin loom for traditional sized toys…or for miniatures, use a 2″ square pin loom!

  • Bones the Fish Skeleton – is available as a separate pattern.
  • Ginny the Cat – is available in Zoo Crew ebook which features 12 loveable stuffed animals.
Zoo Crew ebook 12 animals to pin loom weave on 4" or 2" pin loom. Pictured with penguins, dogs, elephants, bunny rabbits.

Which little fishy will you make?

Get Bones, the fish, Pin Loom Pattern on Etsy.

Granny Square Flamingo

The latest in our granny square birds series is…the Flamingo!

The flamingo is a late arrival to the Birds of a Feather Volume 2 crochet pattern. It was added 2/26/25. Not only that…but both versions of the flamingo have been added to the pattern. Yep, the furry version and the crocodile stitch version.

Granny Square Flamingo Videos

The crochet flamingo is different enough from the other birds in volume 2 that we created a few videos just for it. The crochet pattern has links to the how-to crochet flamingo videos including:

  • How to Stuff / Create the Flamingo Neck
  • How to Crochet a Flamingo Bill
  • How to Crochet Crocodile Stitch Flamingo Wings

Granny Square Flamingo on Etsy

The Granny Square Flamingo is now available in our Etsy shop in the Birds of a Feather Volume 2 collection.

Buy the pattern on etsy

What’s Included in Birds of a Feather Volume 2

Birds of a Feather Volume 2 has 9 granny square birds. Each bird is crocheted with only 2 small granny squares. Volume 2 includes all of these birds:

  • Crow / Raven
  • European Robin
  • Flamingo – 2 versions
  • Black Breasted Red Phoenix Rooster
  • Rubber Duckie
  • Mallard
  • Goose
  • Seagull
  • Red Winged Blackbird

In addition to instructions for making stuffed animals, Volume 2 has a couple of very exciting additions. All of the birds from both Volume 1 & 2 can become useful items like:

  • Cell Phone Holder
  • Lined Zipper Pouch (except Flamingo)
  • Bag Charm

As with the birds, there are step-by-step written instructions for making the cell phone holder, zipper pouch and bag charm. And each of these practical items have a TON of photos so it will be easy to customize your granny square bird.

Buy Birds of a Feather Volume 2 on Etsy in our shop: Yarnovationsshop.

Granny Square Birds of a Feather Vol 2

We are thrilled to introduce Birds of a Feather Volume 2 of our wildly popular Birds of a Feather crochet pattern. This new pattern (written in USA terminology) has 8 more birds and several really awesome features including a lined zipper pouch and a cell phone holder! Each bird is made from 2 granny squares. But now they are so much more than a simple amigurumi pattern. Let me introduce you to the new flock in town.

Granny Square Chicken: Black Breasted Red Phoenix Rooster

Volume 2 has a new granny square chicken crochet pattern: the Black Breasted Red Phoenix Rooster. This rooster is best known for it’s big bushy black tail and long gorgeous red feathers. As you can see from the photo above, we’ve crocheted it in two different styles…a traditional crochet square and a primped and fluffed version. The crochet pattern will teach you how to make both styles.

The tail of the fluffy version pictured above also has a secret. It’s a cell phone holder! WHAT?!

Granny Square Birds: Rubber Duckie, Mallard and Goose

Here’s a fun trio for your desk: duck, duck, goose! A fellow crocheter wrote to asked if we had a rubber duckie pattern in our granny square chicken collection. She is a jeep girl and apparently giving rubber duckies to other jeep lovers is a thing. Well, Melissa, here you go!

After a little trial and error, Deborah created a mallard with the iconic green head and white ringed neck. Not only that, she added the little blue tail feather. It’s amazing how much detail you can get in a small granny square! She did make a note that the mallard is more challenging than the other birds due to all the color changes. There are so many tails, she said she only had to add the tiniest amount of stuffing.

As a last minute addition, we decided we couldn’t have 2 granny square ducks without a goose. So the mother goose was added. As an aside, this would be a cute little bird to gift at a baby shower with a copy of nursery rhymes.

Birds made from 2 granny squares each: black breasted red phoenix, crow / raven, seagull, european robin.

More Granny Square Birds: Crow / Raven, European Robin, and more…

There are 8 birds in this granny square flock. The crow / raven is the easiest bird to make…if you don’t mind working with black yarn! If you’d prefer, you can make it in white to create a white dove. We include yarn colors for that option.

While on a walk one afternoon, we noticed a red-winged blackbird in the cattails along the stream. We love the bright contrast of the red and yellow to the black. If you’re not afraid to crochet in this dark color, this is another really fun and easy bird to make.

We love the little splash of grey that the European Robin has next to it’s chest. This is a gorgeous bird to make with heathered yarns. The flecks in the yarn give the feathers extra depth. And pictured above, this sweet little bird is also a cell phone holder. It’s the one I keep by my desk to hold my phone.

seagull made from two crochet granny squares. One as a zipper pouch with feet attached to zipper pull.

Mine, mine, mine…says the Seagull

The Granny Square Seagull has big personality in this pattern. The knobby knees and dark grey tail really pop next to the white and grey granny squares. We selected the granny square seagull to be a lined zipper pouch and we love how the legs dangle from the zipper pull.

Zipper Pouch and Cell Phone Holder

You’ve met the flock…and we love each and every one. But we are super thrilled to introduce them to you as either a lined zipper pouch or a cell phone holder.

Any of the granny square birds in volume 1 or 2 can be turned into a cell phone holder or a lined zipper pouch. I would venture to say any granny square chicken can be turned into a cell phone holder or zipper pouch so long as it’s the kind of chicken made from 2 granny squares that each measure about 4″ across. However, we recommend our version of the granny square as it has less holes, and will stand up better when stuffed or lined.

Because the lined zipper pouch includes elements of sewing, we turned that into a step-by-step photo tutorial with written instructions. This project is really a lot of fun to make. We sew fabric right to the granny square.

The cell phone holder has lots and lots of photos as well. You’ll be surprised at how simple the design is…yet so practical!

BONUS: Bag Charms and Yarn Weight

If all of that wasn’t enough…we also include instructions for how to turn your granny square birds into bag charms! There are two options in the pattern for securing birds to bags. We have a crochet loop or a strap for a swivel D ring.

Oh, and we talk about different yarn weights and share pictures and pattern adjustments for using various yarn weights from cotton thread to super bulky yarn.

Birds of a Feather, Volume 2 on Etsy

Birds of a Feather, Volume 2 is now available in our Etsy shop.

Available now on Etsy.

Buy the pattern on etsy

Granny Square Turkey Joins the Flock

Birds of a Feather is wildly popular…and now the granny square chicken pattern includes a variation for the Turkey. Gobble, Gobble! Not only does the pattern include the crochet turkey, but a mini crochet pumpkin to go with it.

The crochet turkey stuffed animal has an iconic blue head and a snood along the beak. This amigurumi turkey also has more tail feathers than some of the other birds in the crochet chicken pattern.

The mini pumpkin is quick to make. We used mini bobbles every other row to give it a gourd like bumpy rib.

Both the turkey and pumpkin are crocheted with medium worsted weight yarn. They are pictured above in Lion Brand Heartland Yarn.

Granny Square Turkey on Etsy

The turkey and pumpkin are available in our Birds of a Feather crochet pattern on Etsy.

Available now on Etsy.

Buy the pattern on etsy

Quick Video Tips on YouTube

We made several brief videos on how how to put together the bird. You can see our YouTube Granny Square Bird Videos which include the snood.

These videos are shorts…quick videos on how to crochet various aspects of the granny square chicken including beak, eyes, tail, wattle, snood as well as changing colors mid row and joining squares.

Gobble, Gobble!

Birds of a Feather Granny Square Chicken Pattern

The granny square chicken pattern includes 9 different birds. Each made with only 2 granny squares. Changing the color mid round is what makes each bird unique. The Birds of a Feather pattern includes:

  • Chicken
  • Turkey
  • Blue Jay
  • Cardinal
  • Robin
  • House Finch
  • Gold Finch
  • Parakeet
  • Bald Eagle
  • BONUS: Mini Pumpkin

The turkey joined the flock on 11/7/24. If you’ve purchased the pattern prior to that date and need the revised version with turkey, let us know via Etsy where you purchased the pattern.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yarn Twins