Want to learn how to make a Chiikawa plushie with an embroidered face? This photo-based guide follows a blue-and-white Hachiware plush, from tracing the facial features to assembling the body and closing the stuffing opening.
If you want to learn how to embroider a face on a doll, steps 1–3 show the hand-embroidery process on Hachiware’s flat face panel before assembly. This plush face embroidery section covers tracing the features, backstitching the outlines and filling the eyes and cheeks.
Hachiware is the character demonstrated throughout the sewing steps. The cover also shows Chiikawa and Usagi, but their individual construction is not demonstrated here. Use the pattern pieces for your chosen character rather than assuming their ears, face panels, and tails are interchangeable.
You will need a sewing pattern alongside this guide. For a project in this series, explore the Chiikawa, Hachiware & Usagi plush sewing pattern bundle. Check the listing and supplied instructions for the exact pattern options and assembly details.
Materials and tools
Prepare the following for the Hachiware version shown:
- White and blue plush fabric
- White and dark embroidery thread for the face
- Matching sewing thread and needles
- An embroidery hoop
- Water-soluble stabilizer for the front and suitable embroidery backing
- A fabric marking pen, tested on a scrap first
- Fabric scissors and pins or clips
- Soft toy stuffing
- Printed pattern pieces with their alignment marks
Fabric quantity depends on your chosen pattern size. The cutting photo shows approximately 5 mm of seam allowance outside the drawn sewing line. Follow your pattern if its allowance differs, and do not add a second allowance if one is already included.
How to embroider a face on a doll: Hachiware photo guide
1. Prepare the face for embroidery
Begin with a piece of white plush fabric large enough for both the face template and embroidery hoop. Leave extra fabric around the template; do not trim it to the final face shape yet.
Trace the facial features and alignment marks onto water-soluble stabilizer. Place it over the plush side of the fabric, with the pile pointing downward, and secure the layers in the hoop. Add embroidery backing behind the area you will stitch.
Keep the fabric smooth without stretching it out of shape. The face needs to remain aligned with the sewing pattern after it comes out of the hoop.
2. Backstitch the facial outlines
Follow the drawn guides to backstitch the eye outlines, mouth, and cheek lines. Switch thread colors where the design requires it.
Work carefully around the small curves. Shorter stitches make it easier to follow the shape of the mouth and eyes without turning a curve into a series of sharp corners.
The reference photos show the reverse side as well as the front, so you can compare the stitched outlines before beginning the filled areas.
3. Fill the eyes and finish the expression
Fill the white eye highlights first. The photo sequence works from the center outward with closely placed stitches, covering the fabric inside each marked area.
Next, fill the dark area around each highlight. Follow the changing direction of the guide marks around the eye rather than keeping every stitch at the same angle. Work around the outer area, then complete the remaining central section. Keep the white highlights visible.
Repeat for the second eye. Fill the cheek marks so they are wider through the middle and narrower at the ends. Complete the small eyebrows, the connected nose-and-mouth shape, and the separate curve beneath it.
Pause before removing the hoop to check both eyes together. Correcting a small gap is easier now than after the head has been assembled.
4. Transfer the alignment marks and cut the pieces
Remove the hoop and smooth the face panel. The tutorial uses a needle to transfer the marked alignment points through to the reverse side. Match the paper face template to those points, then trace its outline onto the back of the fabric.
Prepare the remaining head, body, ear, arm, foot, and tail pieces. Cut paired pieces as mirrored pairs where indicated. Transfer the darts, attachment positions, and turning-opening marks before moving the paper templates.
Leave the required seam allowance outside the sewing lines. Keep small pieces grouped by body part so a mirrored pair does not get mixed up.
Remove the stabilizers according to their manufacturers’ instructions before they become inaccessible inside the plush. This removal stage is not shown in the supplied photo sequence; let any damp fabric dry before continuing.
5. Sew the ears and blue head panels
Sew each ear pair with right sides together, leaving the attachment edge open. Trim excess allowance carefully where needed, turn the ears right side out, and add a little stuffing as shown in the tutorial.
Join the first blue head panel to the upper edge of the embroidered face, matching the center and side marks. Position the ears at their marked attachment points and secure them within the allowance.
Sew the darts in the second blue head panel, then join it to the head assembly with the ears positioned between the appropriate layers. Check the ear alignment before completing the seam.
6. Add the back of the head and front belly
Attach the white back-head sections to the blue head assembly along the marked seams. Keep the designated opening available for turning and stuffing later.
Join the front belly panel to the lower edge of the face. Match the alignment marks first, then distribute the fabric evenly between them before sewing.
Check that the face and belly are oriented correctly before stitching. At this stage, the embroidered face should sit above the rounded belly panel.
7. Make and attach the arms, feet, and tail
Sew the arm and foot pieces in pairs, leaving their attachment edges open. Trim where needed, turn right side out, and stuff lightly.
Attach the arms at the side marks and the feet at the lower belly marks. Position the finished parts toward the inside of the assembly so they emerge on the outside after turning.
Sew the blue tail, turn it right side out, and add stuffing. Place its open end at the marked position in the back-body seam, following the photo guide.
8. Finish assembling the body
Join the back-body sections and connect the remaining body seams, checking that the limbs and tail are caught securely in their intended positions.
Join the back of the head to the back of the body. Do not stitch across the designated turning opening. Before turning, inspect the inside-out shell for missed seams and misplaced attachments.
Turn the plush right side out through the opening. Gently ease the ears and small limbs into shape without pulling hard on their seams.
9. Stuff and shape your Hachiware plush
Add stuffing through the opening at the back of the head. Build the shape gradually, distributing small amounts into the head and body rather than pushing in one large clump.
Check the plush from the front and sides as you work. Massage the filling into hollow areas and redistribute any lumps. Aim for an evenly rounded face and body without stretching the seams or distorting the embroidery.
The tutorial shows the empty shell as well as the stuffed plush, which makes this change in shape especially easy to see.
10. Close the opening with ladder stitch
Fold the seam allowances inward along the opening. Take a small stitch along one folded edge, then a matching stitch along the opposite edge. Continue alternating sides and gently draw the thread tight to bring the edges together.
Secure the thread and hide the end inside the plush.
The reference uses a hair dryer to remove heat-erasable pen marks. Only use that method with a compatible pen and fabric, following their care instructions and testing a scrap first. Other marking products may require a different removal method.
Common questions
Can I sew this plush by hand?
Yes—the supplied tutorial demonstrates hand embroidery and backstitch construction. The face and small curved pieces require patience, so allow yourself time to work in sections.
Is this a Chiikawa or Hachiware tutorial?
It demonstrates Hachiware, the blue-and-white character from Chiikawa. For Chiikawa or Usagi, use the corresponding pattern and instructions for their different features.
Does this article include a printable pattern?
No. This is a guide to the photographed sewing process. You can get the sewing pattern here: Chiikawa Sewing Pattern Bundle
Why is my plush lumpy after stuffing?
Check whether filling is concentrated in a few areas. Redistribute it gently and add small amounts where the shape looks hollow. If the outline remains uneven, check the seams and darts rather than continuing to add stuffing.
Choose your next sewing project
Ready to choose your character? View the Chiikawa, Hachiware & Usagi sewing pattern bundle. For another project from the same series, explore the Momonga plush sewing pattern.