DIY Christmas Gifts: Cute Bugs You Won’t Have to Kill with Pest Control

What cute bugs can you gift as a plush this Christmas?

• Ladybug plush
• Caterpillar plush
• Butterfly plush

 

Christmas is only several days away. Have you already done your Christmas shopping? Do you have gifts to give your little Filipino nephews and nieces? If you answer no to both questions because you’re blanking on what things to give them, then you might want to hurry up your thinking process. Time is ticking, after all, and before you know it, Christmas has once again come and gone.

It’s a good thing though that we have some ideas you might want to try out. Without further ado, here are some cute bugs you don’t have to kill with pest control:

Source: MoochiOochi Crafts

Ladybug Plush

Ladybugs are adorable in real life, which means you won’t have to work extra hard on your plush to make it attractive to your little niece and/or nephew. Admittedly, you have to exert a little bit of effort to create this plush.

Here’s how you do it:

Materials:

• Black felt for the body and dots
• Red felt for the wings (you can change the color if you want)
• Stuffing
• Glue
• Sewing threads, needles, and scissors
• Keychain ring (optional)

Directions:

• Download and print out the ladybug template.
• Follow the template and cut out all the necessary pieces.
• Sew the tiny black dots on top of the wings.
• Then, sew one of the wings (and its mirror image) on top of the big black circle.
• Sew the other wing on the other side of the circle. Be sure to leave some space between the wings.
• Get the other big black circle and sew the two big circles together.
• Leave a small opening, where you will be putting the stuffing in.
• After you placed the stuffing in, sew the circles shut.
• Get your glue and apply it at the back of the wings that are not properly attached to the body.
• If you prefer, you could add a tiny slot at the side of your ladybug’s body. This is where you will insert your keychain ring.

 

Caterpillar Plush

Another cute bug, which you don’t regularly kill with pest control, that your little nephews and nieces won’t mind receiving this Christmas is a caterpillar. In real life, this tiny insect would wiggle practically everywhere it goes, entertaining the small children.

Creating your own caterpillar plush will be really easy. Just follow this set of instructions:

Materials:

• A fuzzy sock (preferably a colorful one)
• Polystyrene balls
• Googlie eyes
• Stuffing
• Elastic bands

Directions:

• Grab a handful of stocking and place it in the sock.
• Take your polystyrene balls and put it in your sock to create the illusion of ears.
• Get 3 elastic bands. Tie the first 2 bands around the ears, and the third one around the stuffing to create the shape of your caterpillar’s head.
• The next thing you will do is get another handful of stuffing and place it inside your sock.
• Get 1 elastic band and tie it around the stuffing to keep the shape.
• Repeat this process 5-6 times. Then, tie the last elastic band to close the plush.
• Glue the googlie eyes on your caterpillar’s face.

Source: Handmade Cuddles

Butterfly Plush

Of course, caterpillars aren’t meant to always stay in their form. Eventually, they become beautiful butterflies, meaning it would make sense for you to also give the little kids in your life this present. For sure, they will treasure it just as much as the other ones.

To create this adorable Filipino gift, you must do the following:

Materials:

• Lavender felt
• White felt
• Pink felt
• 2 pieces of ric rac (3 inches long)
• Stuffing
• Sewing threads, needles, and scissors
• Googlie eyes (optional)

Directions:

• Download and print out the butterfly template.
• Cut the necessary pieces according to the template (2 lavender body pieces, 2 white wing pieces, and 2 pink wing pieces).
• Get 2 wing pieces (different colors) and sew them back to back. You could add more details into the wing, if you want.
• Get one of the body pieces and pin the 2 wings on it. Take your ric racs and also pin them on your butterfly’s head to serve as antennas.
• Afterwards, take the other body piece and pin it onto the opposite side. The wings and the ric racs should be between the body pieces.
• Sew the entire body in place, but be sure to leave some space, where you could place the stuffing in. Then, sew it shut.
• For extra strength, you could overlap your stitches.
• Add some googlie eyes to make your butterfly come to life.

 

Key Takeaway

Your Christmas gifts do not have to be expensive. In fact, you might even impress your little nephews and nieces if you tell them you made their gift by hand. This will surely teach them that the holidays are not made special through spending more money, but through spending more time with the people, who are special in your lives.

With that being said, you don’t have to give these DIY plushes to other people. You can keep it to yourself as a reminder of a well-made project!