After my sister got me into beading, I just had to try to make my own pattern so I could make a gift for my friend. This is a relatively simple hedgehog pattern and then additional flower + leaf to help make a certain grass hedgehog.
Note, this pattern has few pictures and assumes the creator is already familiar with some basic beading techniques.
Pattern Legend:
inc <C> - add one additional bead between beads (eg, 2 beads between each bead)
inc <CZ> - add two beads in the color order presented by the letters CZ
<C> <N>x - one bead of the color C between each bead N number of times
Materials
- Beading string
- Small needle/ beading needle
- 12/0 or 2mm seed beads (all string lengths are estimated based off of this bead size)
- Scissors (to cut string)
- Filler beads or stuffing
Hedgehog
Basic hedgehog pattern, use the following color legend:
B - Brown
Bl - Black
W - White (or a cream color, this is the belly color)
Body
~180cm of thread (assuming 12/0 2mm beads)
- +4 B in a loop, tie off (4)
- B 2x, W, B (4)
- Inc B, inc BW, inc WB, inc B (8)
- B 3x, W, B 4x (8)
- B 2x, inc W, inc W, B 2x, inc B, inc B (12)
- B 2x, W 3x, B 7x (12)
- B, W 4x, B 7x (12)
- B, W 3x, B 8x (12)
- Inc W, W 2x, inc W, B 2x, inc B, B 2x, inc B, B 2x (16)
- W 5x, B 11x (16)
- W 5x, B 10x, W (16)
- W 4x, B 11x, W (16)
- W 4x, B 10x, W 2x (16)
- W 3x, B 11x, W 2x (16)
- W 3x, B 10x, W 3x (16)
- W 2x, B 11x, W 3x (16)
- W 2x, B 10x, W 4x (16)
- W, B 11x, W 4x (16)
- W, B 10x, W 5x (16)
- W, B 4x, skip, B 4x, W 6x (15)
- B 9x, W 6x (15)
- B 8x, W 3x, skip, W 3x (14)
- B 8x, W 5x, B (14)
- Skip, B 4x, skip, B, W 6x, B (12)
This is roughly when you want to start looking to fill the body up a little bit - B 5x, W 5x, B 2x (12)
- B 2x, skip, B, W 6x, B, skip (10)
- skip, B x2, Bl, W, inc W, W, Bl, B 2x (10)
- skip, W, W, skip, W, skip, W, W, skip, B (6)
Finish filling the body - W 4x, G 2x (6)
- W 3x, skip, W, skip (4)
- Skip, skip, W, W (2)
- W, loop through last two W, add a black nose to the tip and loop through the whites some more
Legs
~80cm thread
- +4 W in a loop, tie off (4)
- Add 1 or 2 W beads (preference) and cross thread them through the middle of the loop
- Thread the first leg into one of the spots indicated in the picture below (I prefer to start top right)
- Once your first leg is tied, thread the needle through until you reach the next leg point and repeat steps 1-3 until you've added all your legs.
Done!
Grass Hedgehog
Yes it's that one. This pattern is a bit more complex to add small flowers into the upper part of the body. Unfortunately, the crystal beads I used really hide the yellow dots. If you use crystal/shiny beads I would recommend trying to find some better contrasting yellow/green.
If you don't want to add any additional dots, or add your own random pattern, then just use the body pattern above.
Color Legend:
G - green
Gd - dark green (leaf)
P - pink (flower)
W - white
Y - yellow
Body
~180cm of thread (assuming 12/0 2mm beads)
- +4 G in a loop, tie off (4)
- G 2x, W, G (4)
- Inc G, inc GW, inc WG, inc GY (8)
- G 3x, W, G 4x (8)
- G 2x, inc W, inc W, G 2x, inc YG, inc G (12)
- G 2x, W 3x, G 6x, Y (12)
- G, W 4x, G 5x, Y 2x (12)
- G, W 3x, G 6x, Y, G (12)
- Inc W, W 2x, inc W, G, Y, inc G, G 2x, inc G, G 2x (16)
- W 5x, G 3x, Y, G 3x, Y, G 3x (16)
- W 5x, G 10x, W (16)
- W 4x, G 11x, W (16)
- W 4x, G 10x, W 2x (16)
- W 3x, G 11x, W 2x (16)
- W 3x, G 3x, Y, G Y, G 4x, W 3x (16)
- W 2x, G 3x, Y 2x, G 3x, Y, G 2x, W 3x (16)
- W 2x, G, Y, G, Y, G 6x, W 4x (16)
- W, G 11x, W 4x (16)
- W, G 2x, Y, G 7x, W 5x (16)
- W, G 4x, skip, G, Y, G 2x, W 6x (15)
- G 6x, Y, G 2x, W 6x (15)
- G 8x, W 3x, skip, W 3x (14)
- G 3, Y, G 4x, W 5x, G (14)
- Skip, G, Y 2x, G, skip, G, W 6x, G (12)
This is roughly when you want to start looking to fill the body up a little bit - G, Y, G 3x, W 5x, G 2x (12)
- G 2x, skip, G, W 6x, B, skip (10)
- skip, G 2x, Bl, W, inc W, W, Bl, G 2x (10)
- skip, W, W, skip, W, skip, W, W, skip, G (6)
- W 4x, G 2x (6)
Finish filling the body - W 3x, skip, W, skip (4)
- Skip, skip, W, W (2)
- W, loop through last two W, add a black nose to the tip and loop through the whites some more
Legs
~80cm thread
- +4 W in a loop, tie off (4)
- Add 1 or 2 W beads (preference) and cross thread them through the middle of the loop
- Thread the first leg into one of the spots indicated in the picture below (I prefer to start top right)
- Once your first leg is tied, thread the needle through until you reach the next leg point and repeat steps 1-3 until you've added all your legs.
Leaf (make 2)
Follow the pictures, the smaller leaf should come out at an angle and that is expected.
~60cm thread
- 3 Gd in a chain
- 2 Gd chain, loop through closest loop, add 2 more Gd in a chain
Note: be aware that the first bead in the second chain (marked with a red 'x') will have a lot of thread looped through it, try to make sure the bead you choose has a wide opening to accommodate that
- Back to first chain pair, 2 Gd chain, then add one Gd to the end of the chain
- 2 Gd chain, 1 Gd end of leaf
- Loop back through the leaf, 2 Gd chain, add 1Gd to end of chain
- 2 Gd chain, add 1 Gd to end of chain
- 2 Gd chain, 1 Gd end of leaf
- Loop through leaf to give structure
- You will end up with something that looks like this:
- Stitch the leaf to the side of the hedgehog, green dots go to green dots
Flower (make 2)
~60cm thread
- +6 P in a loop, tie off
- inc4 P 6x (5 total beads between each bead in the loop, these create your petals)
- Thread each part of the first loop to the pink loop dots marked on the hedgehog above (in the last step of the leaf pattern)
Done!
Conclusion
You can add a metal loop through the nose or the back if you want to create a key chain. Here's the whole gang together!
Special thanks to Lumpy, my first test hedgehog. Couldn't have built this pattern without her :)
