Labubu Who?? Free ITH Keychain Charm Plush Pattern
- carlene.brooks
- Jun 23
- 5 min read
Enjoy this adorable and FREE ITH embroidery pattern complimentary from myself to you
Stitch out Time: 18 min Approx. per charm
Labubu's are what you would call a monster that we are all unsure if they are cute are not. They are such a recent hot item it is almost impossible to get your hands on a real Labubu without snagging an accidental Lafufu! As such I took the time to create this charming keychain plush based off this popular doll. Enjoy these free files complimentary :)
These little monsters belong to Popmart as well as their original creator Kasing Lung.
Recommended Materials
5mm Bunny/Otter Fabric for the fluffy part of the head. I recommend searching via Aliexpress using those terms! You could also experiment with any type of fabric you see fit but I enjoyed the extra fluff
1mm doll skin fabric via Aliexpress. I used this which comes in a variety of colors for the face and inner ears. Shannon minky no longer sells great skin colors so I opted for this shorter pile fabric that worked wonders! It is NOT mochi minky.
1/4" Ribbon for the keychain clasp
Jump Ring
Keychain Clasp of your choice
To start out with ANY in the hoop embroidery patterns it is essential to first hoop your stabilizer. You can cut a size from a roll that will fit between both embroidery hoop frames. The frames should fit snuggly and not easily pop apart. You can adjust the frames via a small turn knob on the top or bottom. I prefer to only ever open and close the bottom one.
When creating using ITH (in the hoop) patterns it is also essential to only use tear away stabilizer. I prefer the lighter weight of 1.5 oz's so that it doesn't hurt my hands pulling it away later. If you use cut away it will be more frustrating and time consuming.
Let us begin by opening the head file! THIS PATTERN IS 4x4 HOOP SIZE ONLY
TIP: It is cheaper to buy a whole roll of stabilizer than pre cut sheets for certain hoop sizes. The roll will last a lot longer if you're considering the cost of materials.
2. Grab your fluffy minky color of choice and allow the machine to tack it down to the hoop in a square outline.
Then stitch the following the step showing where the face is going to go via a circle.
3. If you're using fluffy fabric and not just minky I recommend taking a moment using some scissors OR be like me and use some type of shavor to shave down the face area inside the circle.
This omits excess bulk and provides a nicer finish to the embroidery later on.
TIP: If you are curious about my little shavor I purchased it off Amazon. Type in Pet Paw trimmer and they should pop up! Mine even has an LED light when I am shaving to make it even easier to use. Highly recommend if you are going to start working with fluffy fabrics
4. Lay down the skin fabric and allow the machine to tack it to your project in a circle.
Take some small scissors and trim away the excess nicely.
Now cover your whole project with water soluble stabilizer. You may need to use pins/tape in the corners of the project to hold it in place due to the fluffy fabric.
5. Your machine will now stitch the following details in this order:
* Nose - Any Color
* Eye Whites
* Pupils - I used dark Pink Here
*Iris - I used light pink here
* Teeth - The machine will stitch each tooth seperately in case you want to add color per certain teeth. So it will stitch teeth x9 starting from left to right
* Eye Shine - White
*Face outline/Eyebrows - Skin Color
**REMOVE WATER SOLUBLE STABILIZER ONCE FINISHED HERE. JUST PULL IT AWAY FROM THE DESIGN**
6. Now we can add the keychain loop at the top of the plush. First it will stitch a curved line to somewhat show us where the top of the head is. This can be harder to see with all the fluff.
Then use a 3-4" length rubbon folded in half to place down inside the Lafufu head. You can see mine stops just at my finger tip in between the eyebrows. Tack this in place via the next step.
7. The final step is to cover the whole design with another fluffy piece of bunny/otter fabric. Your machine will tack the whole design closed! Thus finishing the hooping.
Remove hoop from machine and pull design away from the stabilizer. Remove ALL excess stabilizer away from the back of the design. Carefully use sharp scissors and cut design out turning right side out.
TIP: Use a "slicker" pet brush to brush your fur downwards after turning. It allows the fur fabric to sit in place properly. You can also use these brushes post stuffing to work the fur out from the sewn seams for a more professional finish!
8. Rehoop some more stabilizer and open the ear file now. Grab some of the 1mm doll fabric and lay it down onto your project. Your machine will stitch the fabric to the stabilizer via a square.
Choose your inner ear color of choice. I just went with a pink here. Cover with water soluble stabilizer and stitch the inner ears.
Once finished pull the stabilizer away from the project easily.
9.Cover the hoop with some more bunny/otter fabric of your choice.
The machine will tack the ear shape out closing up the ears.
Once finished you can cut your ears along the bottom of the openings somewhat curved as shown to the left where I drew curved lines. This will allow us to ladder stitch them easier onto the curve of the head shortly.
Once your design is turned right side out it is important to determine how you want the final design to look/feel for your charm.
I would recommend either leaving them as flat charms (unfilled) OR using Mochi stuffing. I opted to stuff mine softly with Mochi stuffing. Due to Mochi Stuffing's nature it remains very squishy inside the charms. Thus giving them a slightly plump look and making them fun the squeeze,
9. The last and final step it to take some hand sewing thread and ladder stitch the bottom closed of each charm! Then you will ladder stitch each ear onto the top of the plush working in a circle securing them well. I perfer to also ladder stitch with a thicker ulphostery thread to limit the chances of items coming off later. Waxed thread works well too! Anything thicker and stronger I also will recommend.
10. Congratulations! You've just successfully finished your very own Lafufu! Feel free to add any type of keychain clasp you would like to the ribbon via a jump ring. These adorable designs are meant to be shared with others and I felt it was only right to bring them to life as a free tutorial for all! Thanks for tagging along!
Want to check out a few more beginner friendly patterns? Here are a couple below that people tend to enjoy. You can check them out on my website under the patterns section! Thanks for being here with me and happy stitching!
