Tribble Making 101 | USS Tiburon

Welcome to the USS Tiburon's Tribble Making 101.

It is our hope that this page will help our members make Tribbles for the Tiburon's various projects.

Our goal is 300 Tribbles for Fan Expo Denver 2024.

In order to meet this goal the USS Tiburon realizes that just Tribble making days is not going to work. This page is designed to give step by step instructions and tips on making the USS Tiburon's Tribble variations.

The Tribbles are the Tiburon's way to thank Denver Pop Culture Con (formerly Denver Comic Con) for the free space they generiously have given us. All the monies that are reaised from the profits of the USS Tiburon's Tribbles is donated to Denver Pop Cutlure Con's charity Pop Culture Classroom.

Pop Culture Classroom is a Colorado charitable organization focused on enhancing and improving student’s learning experience through the use of comic book media. Proceeds from Denver Comic Con, now Denver Pop Culture Con, fund the staffing, supplies and infrastructure of The Classroom program that promotes literacy through the medium of sequential art and storytelling. “Storytelling Through Comics” is a graphic literature creation program that is offered free of charge to schools, teachers and community organizations. The program currently offers students an educational experience that includes instruction in reading & vocabulary, writing stories, and eventually the creation of the students’ own comics. Completed entries are then published in a class collection.

Here are the materials you will need in order to make a USS Tiburon Tribble from scratch.
- USS Tiburon Tribble Pattern
- Long Haired Faux Fur
- Polly Pellets
- Polly Fill
- Cutting Tools (scissors, razor blade, etc)
- T-shirt material (or something similar)
- Thread & Needles
- Sewing Machine (optional)
The obvious most important part of making a Tribble is the USS Tiburon Tribble Making Pattern.

Click below to download the pattern.

The Pattern is here

Your step by step instructions

Step 1: Determine the Nap of the Fur

All furs have a direction that the fur "grows" in, called the nap.
When creating a USS Tiburon Tribble, you want to keep the nap in mind, and make sure that it runs in the same direction on both sides of the USS Tiburon Tribble.
Remember to place your pattern pieces in the direction indicated!

Step 2: Trace the Pattern on the Back of the Fur

Step 3: How to Cut Fur

There are several ways that you can cut the fur. Below are the two most popular options.
Option One:
When you use scissors to cut through fur, you're also cutting the hairs along the entire cut line. What a mess!
Instead, use a razor blade or X-acto knife to cut through JUST THE BACKING of the fur. This way, all of the hairs stay in tact, and the backing will pull apart cleanly. You may get a few stray hairs that come away, but it's much better than the pile of fur you'd have on your hands if you'd cut through it with scissors.
Option Two:
You can also cut the fabric back of the fur using just the tips of sharp scissors. You must only make small clips at a time to ensure you are not cutting the fur itself.

Step 4: How to Pin the Fur

Start by folding each half, fur side in so that the little v-notches align.
Sew these together, making a little bowl with the fur inside.
Take the two bowls and pin them together, fur side in.
It's important to pin your fur pieces accurately along the seam lines if you're planning on sewing it.
Carefully tuck any hairs that are sticking out into the body of the fabric. You want all of them to be on the outside of the seam!

Step 5: How to Sew the Fur

Now that you know your seams are secured in place, you can take it to your sewing machine. You can use a slightly larger stitch with fur, so it's easier to pull out any trapped hair.
Fur is very thick! Your sewing machine may have trouble where the butts of the USS Tiburon Tribbles are. You may have to advance by hand.
Leave a few inches on one wide end of the of the USS Tiburon Tribble open. Once the rest has been sewn, use this opening to turn the USS Tiburon Tribble inside right.

Step 6: Make the Bean Bag

The Bean Bag is the "heart" of the USS Tiburon Tribble. This Bean Bag is used as a weight inside the USS Tiburon Tribble.
Clean tees are often recycled for this, just cut into a 4” wide strip, fold in half and sew up one short and one long side.
Fill the pouch roughly half full with Poly Pellets. The use of a funnel is highly recommended.
Sew the open end closed and divide out the beans along the length of the tube and zip 2 seams next to each other every 3” or so.
Cut between the seams to separate the completed bean bags.

Step 7: Stuffing the Tribble

OK, so now you should have your USS Tiburon Tribble shell and your bean bag all ready for stuffing.
Start by stuffing about 40% of the shell with the Poly Fill.
Place the bean bag at the core of the USS Tiburon Tribble shell.
Work Poly fill around bean bag.
Finish stuffing with Poly Fill. Careful not to over fill. We want nice sized, soft USS Tiburon Tribbles, not ones that look like they are about to explode.

Step 8: Finish the Tribble

Now that your USS Tiburon Tribble is stuffed it's time to finish the USS Tiburon Tribble.
You will now need to take your needle and thread and hand sew the opening in your USS Tiburon Tribble.
First make sure to move any of the fur away from your stitching. Nothing worse then sewing the fur into the USS Tiburon Tribble and trying to pluck it out.
Use plenty of thread and sew it in an in an in-and-out and pull tight. Remember: this is thicker fabric, you will need more thread.
Sew along the seam line. Sew by hand along the original seam line with nice, small stitches for strength. Overlap the fur, and make sure to knot the thread well. Carefully clip any hanging threads to finish the job.
Once the USS Tiburon Tribble is all closed, there is one final step: brushing! Take a pet brush and brush the fur, making sure to pull as much of the fur out of the seams as possible.

Welcome to the USS Tiburon's Tribble Making 101.

It is our hope that this page will help our members make Tribbles for the Tiburon's various projects.

Our goal is 300 Tribbles for Fan Expo Denver 2024.

The Pattern is here

Your step by step instructions