Toy Viking Ship

For those of you who enjoy sewing, here’s another simple project to help you celebrate the Viking heritage. This cloth Viking Ship is a wonderful soft-sided toy that will give your child a great introduction to Scandinavian history. If you don’t have a child to give this to, then turn it into a quaint ornament to adorn your Christmas tree.

What you will need:
Black fabric pen
Brown fabric
Other patterned fabric
Needle and thread
Padding material
Ribbon (if making Christmas ornament)

Take a swatch of brown fabric and cut it into a square at least five inches in length, larger if you wish to make a bigger ship. With your black fabric pen, start from slightly off the center of the square and draw a spiral that is wider on one side than on the other (see example drawn on paper to left). This will create a dimension of depth and the impression of wood.

Fold your square in half so that your spiral is facing inside. If your fabric is thin enough, you should still be able to see your lines through the fabric. Pick an outer line to serve as the contour of the ship’s hull and sew along this line to create base of the ship. Leave enough room on one side to allow you to turn your fabric and insert stuffing. Cut off the excess cloth.

Once you’ve fastened your thread, gently pull the material out again so that your pattern is facing the outside. Insert a moderate amount of stuffing through the opening you’ve left, making sure to distribute it evenly, then sew the opening together using a blanket stitch.

Now you can start on the sail. Pick a fabric that has a bold, distinctive pattern, such as stripes, plaid, or polka-dots. Cut this into a square approximately 4 inches in length (or proportionately larger if you’re making a bigger ship). Fold this in half and turn inside out. Sew the two sides together, leaving a generous margin, clip off the excess fabric, and turn the material so that the pattern is facing outwards again. Insert padding into the open end, then close the remaining side with a blanket stitch.

The last step is to sew the sail onto the body of the boat. Take the sail and position it (long-side down) evenly across the top of the body. Now angle it slightly so that one side dips forward and overlaps the end of the boat where the lines appear narrower. The other end of the sail should rest evenly across the top of the base. This will make the ship appear as if it were sailing toward you. Using small stitches, sew the two pieces together.

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