Designed and Released in 2025
Another farm animal to add to the Pudgy Plushie Collection!
There are so many fun fabric combinations, patterns and colors you can use to make your own unique piggy. It’s your pig…make it your way…even with wings!
This pattern has some options, and the options you choose will determine the skill level and time commitment for this project.
Need some inspiration? Check out the pigs I made and all the creative, fun and awesome pigs the pattern testers made below!
Includes:
Full Size Templates
Two Snout Options
Two Nostril Options
Two Hoof Options
Wing Option!
Easy to Follow Bite-Size Instructions
Photos Accompany Each Step
A separate premium add-on Video Tutorial is available for purchase.
If you need the Project Planner PDF, you’ll find it at the bottom of this page.
Skill Level: Adventurous Beginner with Intermediate - Advanced Options
Skills and Techniques Used
- Fundamental Sewing Basics
- Sewing Moderate and tight Curves
- Clipping Curved Seams
- Attaching Safety Eyes
- Hand Sewing (to close opening plus to add optional eyelids and optional snout overlay)
- Stuffing
- Stabilizing Ears (optional)
- Adding Wire to Ears (optional)
- Soft Sculpting/Thread Sculpting (optional)
- Sewing Facing (optional pocket nostrils)
Photo Gallery
Materials and Tools Needed
- 2/3 yard smooth minky (alternative fabrics: fleece, quality cotton, repurposed clothing, etc)
- 1/4 yard minky for hooves (alternative fabrics: fleece, quality cotton, repurposed clothing, etc)
- ~7″ x 12″ piece of minky for inner ears (same alternative fabrics – SAF)
- ~4″ x 4″ piece of minky for base snout (SAF) more needed for overlay option.
- ~8″ x 11″ piece of minky for inner ears (SAF)
- 4″ x 4″ piece of flex foam, heavy interfacing, felt or batting for inner base snout – more needed for overlay option.
- ~20 oz fiber filling
- 2 – 12″ chenille stems for tail support and curling (more needed for ear bending option and wing option.
- 1 pair 30mm, 24mm, or 20mm safety bolted eyes (or make them from fabric) *30mm shown
- Notions: scissors, thread, sewing machine, etc.
Pattern Testers' Swanky Swine Gallery
I get so excited when a pattern has reached the testing phase. It is such a joy to see what everyone makes, employing their creativity to bring it to life. The testers provide the polish to the pattern and tutorial. They give of their valuable time and talents and I appreciate them immensely! A huge thank you to each one of them!
Makers joined in the pattern testing from around the globe, from several states within the USA to England, Australia, South Africa, Canada, South India and Argentina!
Pattern testers used a variety of fabrics, including: cotton, fleece, minky, corduroy, velvet, denim, faux fur, flannel, long pile minky (Luxe Cuddle®), etc.
Testers made their pigs with standard plastic safety eyes, sinker safety eyes, and fabric applique eyes.
Testers’ skill levels ranged from 2-5 (confident beginner to very advanced). We even had a 14 year-old and a 16 year-old join us in this testing process! Some advanced sewists sewed a plushie for the first or second time. Three of the pattern testers created their pigs by sewing entirely by hand.
Have fun and let your creativity drive you! You can even add a zipper pouch into your pig to make it a soft piggy bank! Here’s a tutorial on how to do that. (Pattern Tester Katie West made a piggy bank plushie by adding a black fabric strip to the back to represent the slot). I’d love to see your finished pig! You can share your makes in my Facebook Group or even email them to me.
Pigs Do Fly!!
You know I had to add wings as an option for a pig and several testers had fun adding them to theirs!
Fun Embellishments!
There was definitely no lack of creativity in this group of testers! Here are some of the fun embellishments they adorned their swine with.
An embroidered nose, repurposed jeans, heart belly and foot applique, bows, flowers, curly wig, hats (handmade macrame and a straw store bought one), scarf, yarn hair, dress, frayed denim eyelashes, sleep mask and personalization on the foot. You’re only limited by your creativity!
Alterations/Hacks
Reducing or enlarging the size! This can alter the look and be super fun…but those tiny ones may require hand sewing.
Loraine Keeney said “I did a couple of things differently to give a young piglet look… I took out out the bottom nose gusset…gave me the look I wanted. Rena’s patterns are so easy to adapt for a different character. I chose a simple snout…this one was printed at 70%. Oh… I made boots for him…gave him a longer leg look too.”
Elizabeth Moore made this pig at 50%, she hand sews everything regardless, but this size certainly has smaller pieces that are easier sewn by hand.
This set is one pig at 100% and one at 50%.
This set is one pig at 100% and one at 2x.
Pattern Tester Vikki Handyside made one of her pigs with jointed arms and legs and a jointed neck/head.
Pattern Tester Chris Mills made their pig into a wart hog! They drafted their own templates to create tusks, lips and warts. They reduced the ear size by 25%. They also added faux fur in the seam of the back of the head for the ‘mohawk’ and added a fur tip to the tail. You can draft your own fur tip or if you have the Blissful Bovine pattern, just use those tail and tail tip templates.
Also, if you’ve ever wondered what the ‘sinker’ safety eyes look like on these plushies…Chris used sinker eyes on this warthog.
No matter how you make this piggie your own, it is sure to bring smiles to children and adults alike!
Why Make a Swanky Swine?
Inspires active play and imagination.
Makes a memorable and fun gift.
I’m totally dressing the pig…because this little piggy is going to market!
A plush piggy bank is harder to break. (add the zipper pocket to make it a piggy bank!)
A memory pig is so much more unique than a memory bear!
You will tap into your own creativity when you make it.
Sewing and crafting are therapeutic.
Thoughtful gift.
Wonderful addition to any toy room.
Sell finished pigs at handmade markets.
You’ll love watching it come to life as you make it.
You’re never too old to cuddle a soft toy.
Grab the Project Planner PDF!
It is difficult to accurately describe the skill level needed for each project as the skill level itself can be quite subjective. Each traditional skill level has a wide spectrum of ability associated with it. I have tried to assign a general skill level to each pattern, however, please review specific techniques used in the pattern to determine if it is a good fit for you to try. Keep in mind I write my tutorials in bite-sized easy to follow steps, each accompanied with photos.
I aim to have each pattern attainable for a confident beginner and some have variations that may be more advanced, but they are optional. You’ll be provided with all the instructions, tips and material list to create a plush toy just like those pictured in the tutorial…I keep nothing secret. Each pattern and tutorial provides the blueprint for you to make it just like I have. An easy to make pattern doesn’t have to be simplistic looking…it can look amazing!