Australian Homespun - June 2018

the seam again to strengthen the

neck curve. Sew the back seam from

the tail slit to circle B.

24

Match two tail shapes,

right sides together, and

sew from G-H.

25

Clip into the seam allowance

on both curved sides of the tail

gusset. Pin one side of the tail gusset

to the I-H edge of the tail. Sew from

I to the H circle. Repeat this step to

attach the other side of the tail gusset

to the other tail shape. Clip the

curves, trim the seam allowances

and turn the tail right side out.

26

Insert a small amount of stuffing

into the tip of the tail, then align

the raw edges and sew the opening

closed using a^11 ⁄ 8 in seam.

27

Insert the tail into the body

through the opening in the

body gusset and pull the raw end

about 1cm (^3 ⁄ 8 in) out through the slit.

The tail centre seam should face

towards the back of the body and

align with the seam in the body. Open

out the seam allowances in the body

so they lie flat, then stitch close to the

edge of the slit to attach the tail. Turn

the hind section of the alpaca right

side out to check that all the body

fabric has been caught in the seam.

If it hasn’t, re-sew the seam.

28

Sew a footpad to the bottom

of each foot. To do this, clip into

the seam allowance at the bottom

edges of the feet at about^1 ⁄ 4 in intervals

and trim the side seams of the feet to

(^1) ⁄ 8 in to reduce bulk. Fold the footpad
in half and mark the centres. Pin the
footpad to the foot, matching the
centre markings to the foot seams.
With the footpad side underneath,
sew around the circumference of the
foot, removing the pins as you go.
29
Clip into the seam allowance
around all the curves, especially
the front and back neck curves and leg
curves, trim the seam allowances where
needed, including on the footpads, then
turn the alpaca right side out.
30
Stuff the alpaca firmly with fibre
fill and ladder stitch the opening
closed with matching thread. If you
want the tail to lie flatter against the
body, tack it in place with a few
invisible stitches underneath.
31
Match two blanket shapes,
right sides together, and stitch
Step 23
Step 25
Step 27
Step 28
Step 31
Step 32
Back view of standing alpaca
Step 22
ANTHEA’S FEET TIP
Draw the seam allowance onto the
base of the feet with an erasable
fabric-marking pen to help guide you
when clipping the seam allowance
and sewing on the foot pads.