This is a crochet pattern review of the Petal the Sunflower Turtle designed by Happy Turtle Crochet. Review done by Candace of T&C Crafters for EyeLoveKnots.
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It’s me, Candace with T&C Crafters.
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My biggest market of the year is coming up in just two short weeks, and I have been making inventory non-stop to prepare! The event is a sunflower festival where visitors can pick sunflowers from the nearby fields in addition to shopping from the handmade vendors, so I wanted to have a whole section of sunflower-themed items to sell for this event. When I saw the Petal the Sunflower Turtle pattern by Happy Turtle Crochet, I knew I needed to make a ton of these cuties for my show!
The Mini Sunflower Turtle pattern (known on Etsy as Petal) is an easy pattern to follow that requires very minimal sewing. It is perfect for batch-making for market prep, and is so customizable! You can make these cuties in a variety of color combinations, sizes, and fibers to have a whole collection! If you like sunflowers, turtles, or both, I highly suggest you try out this adorable pattern!
Materials I Used to Make Petal the Sunflower Turtle:
- Smallest Turtles: Worsted Weight Acrylic Yarn – I used Red Heart Super Saver in Buff and Medium Thyme for the bodies, Coffee for the center of the sunflowers, and Lemon and Saffron for the petals.
- Regular Size Turtles: Chenille Yarn – I used Bernat Velvet in Mushroom for the bodies, Premier Just Chenille in Cocoa for the center of the sunflowers, and Bernat Velvet in Golden Moss and Premier Just Chenille in Lemon for the petals.
- Largest Turtle: Super Chunky Blanket Yarn – I used Bernat Blanket Speckle in Cream for the body, Big Twist Cuddle in Cardamom for the center of the sunflower, and Big Twist Cuddle in Gold for the petals.
- G6/4 mm Crochet Hook for the smallest and regular size turtles – I used my WeCrochet Dots Hook.
- J10/6 mm Crochet Hook for the largest turtle – I used my Clover Amour Ergonomic Hook.
- Polyester Fiberfil Stuffing
- Yarn Needle
- Black Felt Eyes – I used 10 mm for the smallest turtles and 15 mm for the regular size and largest turtles.
- Hot Glue
- Petal the Sunflower Turtle, Paid Crochet Pattern by Happy Turtle Crochet via Etsy
Material Notes:
The pattern calls for a E5/3.5 mm crochet hook. I usually use a G6/4 mm crochet hook when working with chenille yarn and worsted weight yarn, so I just went with my usual method. If I were to make these turtles again, I would probably size down my hook for the worsted weight yarn because there were some small gaps between stitches once the turtle was assembled.
This pattern is meant for bulky or super bulky yarn. The designer used Yarn Bee Velvety Smooth and Premier Just Chenille. I found that Bernat Velvet was close enough in thickness that it worked well with the Premier Just Chenille.
I also tried the pattern out in different types of yarn, including worsted weight yarn and super bulky blanket yarn. As I mentioned before, I would size down my hook in the future when working with worsted weight yarn. For the blanket yarn, I found that a J10/6 mm crochet hook worked well.
This pattern requires some sewing and stuffing. For these types of projects, I recommend using a steel yarn needle to make sure it doesn’t break when sewing the pieces together, as there is sometimes a bit of tension on the needle when the piece is stuffed. Not a lot of stuffing is required for this project.
The pattern materials call for 12 mm safety eyes. I opted to use felt eyes since that’s what I use on most of my stuffed toys. I went with 10 mm black safety eyes for the smallest turtles made with worsted weight yarn. I used 15 mm black safety eyes for the regular size turtles and the largest turtle with blanket yarn. I could have opted for larger eyes on the largest turtle, but I thought they looked too big. In the pictures provided in the pattern, the designer used Kawaii-style safety eyes with little white spots, and I thought those were super cute!
How Long Does It Take to Make Petal the Sunflower Turtle?
These turtles are pretty quick makes. Each one took me just over an hour to make from start to finish!
Measurements:
The smallest turtles made with worsted weight yarn measured about 4 inches wide, 4.5 inches long, and 2 inches tall.
The regular size turtles made with chenille yarn measured approximately 4.75 inches wide, 5.75 inches long, and 2.25 inches tall.
The largest turtle made with blanket yearn measured approximately 8.5 inches wide, 8 inches long, and 3.5 inches tall.
Gauge:
Gauge is not provided in this pattern and is not critical. You just need to make sure your hook size and tension do not allow gaps to form between your stitches, as that may cause stuffing to come out of your finished piece.
If you want your finished turtles to be the same size as mine, you can follow my gauge:
- A magic ring with 8 single crochets using worsted weight yarn and a G6/4 mm hook measured 5/8 inches in diameter.
- A magic ring with 8 single crochets using chenille yarn and a G6/4 mm hook measured 3/4 inches in diameter.
- A magic ring with 8 single crochets using blanket yarn and a J10/6 mm hook measured 1 1/4 inches in diameter.
Making Petal the Sunflower Turtle:
The Petal the Sunflower Turtle pattern is a relatively simple amigurumi style pattern that works up quickly. You begin by making all the legs, the tail, and the head. When making the body, you make the sunflower, and then work around the underside of the sunflower to create the body. The legs and tail all get crocheted right into the body, so this project is relatively no-sew. The only sewing that is involved is attaching the head to the rest of the body.
I would definitely recommend this pattern for a confident beginner. The most difficult part of this pattern is likely the connecting of the legs and tail to the rounds when creating the body. I found that when doing this part, it is best to hold the legs flat facing into the center of the body, and then folding them out after they have been connected. There are pictures provided in the pattern to help with this step, but you may have to trouble-shoot this part a little when getting used to the pattern.
If you are making these turtles for market prep, like I am, this is the perfect pattern to batch make. You can make all the legs, tails, and heads individually, and then make the bodies when you have all the other pieces done. By making all the pieces in batches, I found myself spending less time looking at the pattern, and was able to make the turtles much more quickly.
I really love how these cute little turtles turned out, and I think they are going to be a huge hit at my upcoming sunflower festival! I am hoping to make some more so that I have plenty to sell. I will also be making a bunch of other turtles to go with them using the Tank the Turtle pattern I have reviewed in the past!
If you think this turtle design is cute, be sure to check out all the adorable turtle crochet patterns by Happy Turtle Crochet! There are tons of unique turtles that have all sorts of cute shells, including succulents, daisies, roses, and even ice cream cones! I plan on trying some of the other patterns out in the future!
If you decide to make your own Petal the Sunflower Turtle, be sure to let us know what you think of the pattern in the comments below!
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You do such beautiful work. Such a fun variety!