How to Sew Together Pound Puppy Pattern

At the beginning of 2026, I set out on a journey to find a pattern… a very specific pattern for a puppy that I could enter into the Royal Adelaide Show.

What I found was a vintage Pound Puppy pattern from 1985 written by Cheryl Vanderwall De Veronica for Millcraft. A photocopy of the pattern is being sold on Etsy (I’m not sure how legal this is, but I plan to dig into this with a copyright lawyer sometime soon).

This pattern isn’t like any amigurumi I’ve ever made; it’s basically a sewing pattern, and you’re crocheting the pieces! Everything (except the nose) is worked flat. I’ve had a number of people reach out for help after I posted my puppies on Ravelry and social media, so this is for all the other Pound Puppy crocheters!

In this article, I’ll explain how to sew the vintage Pound Puppy together with tips and pictures to help you visualise the process.

The first piece in the pattern is the back. 

The tail is crocheted in the final rows of the middle of the back.

For the legs, you will need to reattach your yarn in the designated rows and crochet directly onto the sides (1 stitch per row).

Make sure that the legs are placed evenly on each side! 

You need to know how to count rows to crochet the legs onto the back and belly.   

The belly is crocheted in the same way as the back.

Then the back and belly are sewn together to create the body.

Start by lining up the feet on both pieces. The belly is smaller than the back – you’re not going crazy! This creates the classic Pound Puppy dome shape.

Hold the pieces wrong sides together. 

Using a tapestry needle and a very small seam allowance, sew the pieces together from Row 1, going all around the body, legs, and tail until you get back to Row 1 on the other side. Leave the neck open.

Turn the body right side out. 

The face and forehead are each made up of 2 pieces.

The face pieces have a flat side and one with a point.

Hold the two sides of the face right sides together.

Sew down the flat edge, carefully keeping the rows lined up.

With right sides of the forehead pieces facing, sew them together across Row 1 (the short, flat edge).

The ears for each puppy are different. In this example, I’m making the Terrier with a few adjustments.

I crocheted 2 ears in the contrasting colour (grey), 1 in the main colour (brown), and 1 with a spot.

I held the ears wrong sides together and single crocheted around the outside (brown piece on top / grey piece underneath) to join them.

Leave a long tail to sew them onto the forehead later. 

(Sewing the forehead to the body is explained below)

The sewn-together forehead pieces look like a triangle.

With right sides together, hold the flat edge of the forehead to the top side of the back/body (at the neck) with the pointy end pointing towards the tail.

Pull the sides of the forehead to line them up evenly with the back.

I like to fold the top of the body in half to find the middle stitch (mark it with a stitch marker) and line it up with the seam on the forehead.

Sew together carefully, starting from the middle and working toward the sides with the seam of the body/belly.

Now we need to sew the throat to the face.

With right sides together, line up the final row (small side) of the throat with the seam in the middle of the face on the curved side of the face (where the nose will be).

You’ll need to pull the throat to get it into place down the sides. It doesn’t look like it goes together at first, but it does.

Starting in the middle, sew down each side, lining up the rows as you go.

Leave the head inside out.

With right sides together, carefully line up the middle seams of the forehead and face.

Pull the sides of the forehead to line up with Row 1 (flat edge) of the face.

Sew together, starting in the middle and working to the outer edges.

Don’t sew up the neck (just the sides of the forehead).

Turn the head right side out.

Stuff the Pound Puppy (making sure to get down into the legs and tail).

Sew the opening in the neck closed with an invisible mattress stitch (you can hide this seam with a collar if you can’t get it neat).

Add any extra stuffing as needed before you finish sewing.

The body and the head of the puppy are finished!

Hide any tails inside.

Sew the ears to the forehead according to the pattern placement (or where you think they look best). I sewed them starting at the seam of the face and forehead.

Follow the instructions in the pattern to needle sculpt the face. This was a bit of trial and error for me. I marked the rows with a pin and then pinched them together to see how I liked the look before sewing in place.

Sew on the nose and eyes (I made a chart and crocheted the eyes with a 2.5mm hook and DK cotton yarn, but there are instructions in the pattern for embroidery).

Embroider the paws as per the pattern.

I made my Pound Puppy a collar with rows of 5 single crochets and embroidered ‘Puppy Love’ in black cotton. To finish off, I sewed a little red applique heart to the pup’s butt cheek. 

There is a video of the finished puppy on our Instagram.

• It’s important to think of the process like a sewing pattern (with 2D pieces) rather than a typical amigurumi (with 3D pieces).

• Carefully line up the pieces for the best results. Hold the pieces together with stitch markers and/or pins as you sew.

• Using a tapestry needle with a bit of a point will help to sew through the edges of the rows.