Felt Robot Pattern

Robots never fail to capture the imagination, whether it's in a utopian world like The Jetsons' or an apocalyptic chaos like the world of Terminator. We humans really seem to love the idea of anthropomorphic machines walking among us. As an avid science-fiction reader, some of the robot representations that have really stuck with me throughout the years are Isaac Asimov's The Positronic Man, Kurt Vonnegut's Tralfamadorian from Sirens of Titan, Douglas Adams' depressed robot Marvin in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and most especially the robot animals in Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. Do you have a favourite robot?

If you've ever wondered what robots will actually look like once we get there (soon!), check out the BBC Horizon documentary Where's My Robot? on YouTube.

I hadn't realized it until now, but I guess I'm actually kind of a robot geek. I've also had a longtime interest (though not necessarily belief) in The Singularity and, for completeness, I feel I must throw in a link to The Coming Technological Singularity: How to Survive in the Post-Human Era by Vernor Vinge.

Ok, enough of that, on to the pattern:

This set of templates is for a very simple friendly robot that can be made into an ornament or brooch, or can be used as an appliqué on pretty much anything. I think he'd look especially cute on a bag or a zip pouch. He is very easy to customize. For example, use a hat or mustache instead of the heart, or make a wonky robot by positioning his limbs at a slight angle.

Click HERE to download the free pattern. 

This is an image file that can be shrunk or blown up to the desired size. It can be used to make anything from a lapel brooch to a cushion. If you prefer a PDF of the pattern, it is available through Craftsy HERE.

This little fellow was inspired by Sir Robot, a quilt block pattern that is available through Craftsy as well.

Here are some more awesome free robot projects that I found:

Have you ever wanted to make your own army of tiny robots? You can! Download and print the PDF templates from Next to Nicx to make your own army of tiny cardboard robots! (Well, ok, it's actually meant to be an advent calendar, but I can think of so many other uses for these lovable cardboard dudes.) The PDF template contains 24 foldable robots - 2 per page. Each robot's head is also a box for filling with tiny treats.Use them as a gift box, or fill them with nuts, bolts & gears to make them extra roboty.

I absolutely love this DIY Stuffed Robot tutorial by A Little Inspiration. Any geek would be proud to have one of these on display.

For a much simpler, but still satisfyingly geeky, project make a robot head pillow using this tutorial from Elite Cosplay. How can a rectangle and two circles be this awesomely cute? I can imagine myself losing control and making a sofa-full of these throw pillows

If you have old sweaters lying around, how about turning them into robots as well? This DIY Valentines robot tutorial from Bugheart includes a pattern and instructions for making a robot cushion from felted sweaters. For your leftover scraps of fabric, Instructables has a tutorial and pattern for a coffee cup cozy featuring their robot logo. 

This is not the last you will hear from me regarding robots! I've got some robot embroidery to talk about as part of this series as well. (Check him out down here on the bottom left.) A pattern for that little project is coming up soon.