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Hi the shark

About Hi

The world's friendliest shark

Designer Notes​

Hi! This has quite a story behind it.

A while ago rumours started swirling that IKEA would discontinue it's Blåhaj stuffed shark, which is a universally beloved toy. The FreeSewing community was quite agitated by this prospect. No one wanted to see the worlds friendliest shark becoming extinct. And neither did I.

It turned out that no one in the community had ever taken a Blåhaj apart, and no one had the courage to do so. The only Blåhaj in my household was my daughter's, and I couldn't touch that one.

This seemed like a great project to work on, and the lack of a Blåhaj was not an insurmountable obstacle. So one day I made a trip to Ikea, and bought me my own shark. I took the seam ripper to the poor animal, and transferred it's innards to a sterile bag. The individual pieces were traced, scanned, and used in InkScape to generate a fully functional shark pattern.

It can be scaled up and down between 50 cm and 5 meter. So there is a shark for everyone.

tip

Ikea did not discontinue Blåhaj, and you can still get the blue shark. But if you want one in a different colour, you're at the right spot.

What You Need​

To make Hi, you will need the following:

  • Basic sewing supplies
  • About 1 meter (1.1 yards) of a suitable fabric (Upper body) (see Fabric options)
  • About 0.5 meters (0.6 yards) of a suitable fabric (Belly) ([see Fabric options)
  • Small piece for the mouth
  • Small piece of fabric for eyes
  • Suitable, unraveling, fabric for the teeth
  • Stuffing
  • Topstiching thread (thick thread) for gills
note

This list is based on a default Hi and you may need less or more fabric dependant on the size you are making Hi.

For instance a 500% Hi will need 5 meters (1 meter x 500% = 5 meters) and a 50% Hi will need 0.5 meters (1 meter x 50% = 0.5 meters).

Fabric Options​

Main and Contrast Body Fabrics (Upper body, belly and mouth)​

This plush toy is intended to have three different coloured fabrics, one for the upper body, one for the belly, and a smaller piece for the mouth. If you don't wish to purchase additional fabric just for the mouth, it's a small enough piece that you can likely use a scrap from the upper body or belly fabric.

Hi is designed for faux fur fabric, which most plush toys are made from, but you could also use polar fleece, felt, denim, corduroy, or anything moderately heavy. Lightweight or drapey fabrics may not hold Hi's shape well when stuffed. Fabrics with a two-way stretch will work better than wovens, the stretch should be perpendicular to the grainline.

Teeth Fabric​

The teeth edges are left raw, so should be made from a fabric that does not unravel such as felt.

Stuffing​

Since this is a plush toy, it will need to be stuffed with material. Most of the time you'll want to use polyester fiberfill (polyfill), but if you have a lot of fabric scraps, you can use shredded scrap fabric. However this may be heavier and less soft than fiberfill. It's also worth thinking about whether your Hi may be at risk of getting dirty, or want to go for a swim, as not all stuffing options are washable.

Cutting Instructions​

  • Color 1 (Upper body; Traditionally blue)
    • Cut 2 Body
    • Cut 2 Tail
    • Cut 2 Top Fin
    • Cut 2 Bottom Fin
  • Color 2 (Belly; Traditionally white)
    • Cut 1 Belly
    • Cut 2 Above Mouth
  • Color 3 (Mouth; Traditionally pink)
    • Cut 1 Mouth
  • Color 4 (Teeth; Traditionally white)
    • Cut 1 Upper Teeth
    • Cut 1 Lower Teeth