Companion Cube Plushie

So this is what I’ve been hiding for two months from NebuK (which was given to him as a birthday gift): a Weighted Companion Cube plushie from the game Portal. Literally everyone who has played that level is infatuated with this cube… I mean, it has pink hearts all over! And you have to carry it through the whole level. It just has to grow on you. Unfortunately, I don’t have any progress pictures. It has been hard enough hiding and making it without someone noticing who lives in the same room. Hey, for once I’m proud that I managed. Couldn’t help that our friends and maybe everyone in university knew about it since I did most of the work while lectures (NebuK was sick in bed at those two days ^^;).

That most of the work has do be done by hand was a blessing and a curse at the same time. Pulling out a sewing machine out of nowhere and hiding it again would have been too much of a hassle. But sewing by hand takes long and I’m sure my hands hated me back then. Of course I could’ve bought the plushie since there’s an official one out there. Don’t like it that much though (it looks so different from the game… 🙁 ). Buying would’ve been cheaper but it’s also smaller! And we know bigger is (not always) better! It measures 18 cm x 18 cm x 18 cm which sounds small but I assure you it’s large enough to rest your head on.

It’s a little skew if you look at it from certain angles so my work of craftsmanship is not perfect but I don’t want to do it again. ^^”

It also has a hidden pocket if you remove a certain heart pad. It isn’t very big but an IKEA lion plush fits in perfectly. Of course the pocket is optional but I thought it would be funny if you could leave home with only the cube (you could use it as a wallet or let it hold your keys! Think of the possibilities!). Whatever.

Here’s the pattern !

The internet knows of quite a few people who have made Companion Cube plushies. Just search for it but I haven’t found tutorial one that persuaded me to use. They inspired me nevertheless so I’m thankful.

I can’t remember how much fabric I’ve bought. Ask for 25 cm of dark gray, light gray and a little bit of light pink and you should be on the safe side. Try to get a thicker light gray material. I did so by accident but I happened to be lucky. ^_^ I assume you don’t want to make the pocket. But take some pink thread if you go shopping, you’ll need it for the ornamental seam. Yes my version isn’t correct, the lines coming from the center are pink and not light gray. But it was too late when I noticed ^^; Having a sewing machine is highly recommended, try to use it whenever possible.

Cut out everything first. You’ll need a while. I decided to make the corner pieces from three smaller ones because it looks better. On each of the longer sides of a small corner piece there’s 0.5 cm space you can use for sewing it on another part. Don’t fret too much about it if it’s a little off, you’ll barely notice when it’s done.

Prepare the center pieces next. Get the light gray circles and your pink hearts. Pin one onto each circle so it won’t slip while you’re working. Use the whip stitch (also called satin stitch) and follow the edge of the heart, try to begin and end your stitch on the wrong side of course. With the fluffy fabric I used, you can’t see the stitch anymore. I tried to do it with the machine but that was a disaster. =_=

Apply those ornamental seams on your dark gray squares NOW. I did it *after* sewing them together and it was a pain. So do it now! And do it with the machine. Use whatever stitch your sewing machine is capable of and fits best. There’s a high probability your machine won’t like this because you’re adjusting it with weird settings (big stitch-width.. like 2 mm and small stitch interval, at best you don’t want it to look like a zigzagstitch). If you notice that it is not sewing forward, use a little force…. I haven’t found another way, really u_u. Afterward, sew the center parts on. It’s more convenient to do it now as well.

Sew the cube sides together (you’re always working on the wrong side, remember?) and leave one edge open. Attention, they’re originally arranged like this. You can copy this but I just arranged them randomly. Turn it around and stuff it, take your time stuffing so it’s evenly distributed. Now prepare to master the ladder stitch because that’s the only stitch you will be using from now to completing this plushie. Close the last edge and all you have to do from now is to use the corner and edge pieces and sew every one of them on.

Done!