Use your tweezers to stuff the arms and legs of your hippo lightly with batting. Leave a gap in the stuffing at the point where the arms and legs join the body, so that the arms and legs will bend forward. Stuff the body to give it a rounded tummy.
Sew the opening at the base of the body using a slip stitch or other hidden stitch when you have finished stuffing the body. If you like, you can call your hippo complete at this point.
If you prefer to have the hippo with more shape to its body, and a bend in it's arms and legs as shown in the introductory photo, you will need to take some body stitches.
To shape the body sew a stitch in the fold between the body and an arm or a leg. stitch into the arm or leg, then back out and through the body to the other side, pulling your stitch through the opposite leg and back through the body to pull the arms towards the stomach. The stitches will not show, as they will be going through the body. Use similar stitches to sew the legs in a folded position as shown in the introductory photo. When the body shape and arm and leg position are as you want them to be, take your needle out through the bottom of the body at the seam and tie off your thread, tucking the end back into the seam. Enjoy your hippo!
