Hewkii & Macku Dolls - BIONICLE MNOG Inspired Plush Toys. 2 Versions!

Plush doll pair inspired by the MNOG Hewkii doll seen in the LEGO BIONICLE Mata Nui Online Game (MNOG).

Some image reference thanks/credit to BZPower and BS01 websites!

UPDATE: Bonus October 2023 "Build-A-Bionicle" Version III printable pattern & tutorial added at end of the original (at step 40)!

Last year someone hoped to commission Hewkii and Macku plush dolls, but I didn’t have adequate supplies, time for research, or health to create an accurate couple.

296 days and four test subjects later, take two!

Used a reference image of the Hewkii doll from the MNOG game, but failed to find a photo of a Macku doll (...if it exists?) and improvised based on the Macku character. I believe the eyes on the Hewkii doll would be more accurate if I had scaled them down slightly, and these dolls are not as wide/plump as reference material. Using Minky or fleece fabric with a bit of stretch would produce a more MNOG accurate fullness. My apologies for any/all inaccuracies! Admittedly I couldn’t resist adding bonus belly buttons.  

These are made from upcycled formalwear polyester, rayon and cotton blend pants/skirts. Pieces are underlined with cotton muslin to protect from potential poly fill leaks through the fabric weave. 

Real leather facial features from old jackets and swatch scraps. Embroidery thread details and button belly buttons.

They are 8-11” tall and weigh 8-11 ounces each. They are somewhat delicate and possibly more suitable as decorative/collector items rather than rough playing, due to handsewn limbs and head. 

My total construction time: 30 hours per pair. 90 hours to make all six dolls simultaneously, from cutting out printed pattern to the last stitch. Illness has greatly reduced my sewing speed, so it may not take so long if you attempt!

I made three pairs/six dolls from materials I had in “assembly line” sewing style all at once, so please note some steps may show duplicate/additional parts in the background. I also made minor adjustments to the pattern notch location during production. These changes are updated in the pattern scans, but I apologize for small tutorial image discrepancies. 

*These are long collage photos, click to enlarge if part of step has been cut off.

*The measurements are in US customary units.

*For personal/non-commercial use only, please.

*All of the seam allowances are ¼” unless otherwise stated.

Tools/Supplies needed: 

Sewing machine.

Iron and ironing board.

Hairdryer.

Press cloth (small piece of thin cotton fabric, laid over garment to prevent shine-marks during pressing).

Tailor’s half circle ham or towels wadded firmly into a ball shape.

Point turner or stuffing stick. 

Scissors and pinking shears/zigzag scissors.

Measuring tape.

Pins and hand sewing needles- darners, embroidery needles and tapestry needles.

Washable/disappearing ink fabric marker.

Permanent glue stick.

Thread:

Embroidery thread, 6-strand in medium brown and light blue (for toe stitching, belly buttons and Hewkii face details.

Polyester sewing machine thread in colors : light blue, medium blue, light tan, medium brown.

#69 Bonded Nylon/Tex70/any thick upholstery thread in dark gray and light tan (for attaching limbs, head and leather details).

For one Hewkii and one Macku doll:

Fabric needed:

Generous fabric estimates, as I used upcycled clothing instead of raw material. I got three pairs (six dolls) from two pairs of women’s size 8 pants, and two women’s size 8 straight calf-length skirts. If using non-upcycled material, I would recommend soft Minky fabrics or fleece. The slight stretch such material would give a more MNOG accurate width/fullness to the dolls.

½ yard of light blue fabric (for Macku body and arms).

½ yard of light tan fabric (for Hewkii body and arms).

1 yard of medium blue fabric (for Macku face/head, hands abound feet).

1 yard of medium brown fabric (for Hewkii face/head, hands and feet).

3 yards of cotton muslin for underlining (optional, for if your colored fabrics are loosely woven).

½ yard dark blue faux suede (for Macku’s heads back).

½ yard dark brown faux suede (for Hewkii’s head back).

Small swatch of thin black leather/faux leather (for eyes). 

Small swatch of thin blue leather/faux leather (for Macku’s trunk details).

Other supplies: 

Mini buttons, 1 blue and 1 tan/brown (for belly buttons).

Poly fill.

Plush weights, if desired.

Terms, stitches, and knots used: 

Hand backstitch. 

Hand running stitch.

Hand prick stitch. 

Ladder stitch.

Basic sewing machine stitch.

 "GL": Grain line, used to indicate that the pattern piece should be cut parallel to the weft.

“CF” and “CB”: Center front and center back.

Seamline: Line on which fabric is stitched.

Notches: Small arrow marks to align pieces accurately. 

Seam alignment dots. 

Dart: Slanted seam to shape fabric. 

Clips- Small snips made within seam allowance to aid in joining and shaping curved pattern pieces.

Mirrored: Same as “cut on fold” on other patterns.

Hand basting/basting: Temporary running stitches. 

Print the 10-page pattern on regular paper. Hand-drawn, I tried to clean it up a bit in an editor, but it is still rather rough and I’m rusty at writing instructions!  Make sure the 1” scaling sample measurement is true to size.

Cut paper pattern pieces out.

Iron fabrics and place cotton underlining on the cutting area. Place your outer fabrics, right-side up on top. This will be treated as one layer of fabric.

Cut out all pieces, using reference photos to ensure proper arm, body, etc. colors are cut. Cut suede head backs without underlining.  Mark your notches with fabric marker. Number pieces. Cut leather details. Clip at marked points. Arrange your pieces on a nearby surface.

Arrange and sew arms (#16), leaving the one marked opening at the shoulder area. Switch thread colors as needed. Trim and finger-press seams open as needed. Turn right-side out. 

Arrange, pin and sew bodies  (#1, #2, #3 and mirrored duplicate of #3). Switch thread colors as needed. Leave the one marked opening in the front/side panel seam that joins  #2 & #3. Trim with shears and press seams open. Turn right-side out. 

Grab foot pieces  (#4, #5 & #6) and sew. Trim, finger press. Pin on foot base and top. Sew. Carefully cut an X shape in feet top. Turn right side out via this X. Switch thread colors as needed.

Stack and sew hands (#17) . Trim, finger press. Turn right-side out. Switch thread colors as needed.

Pin Hewkii head/face pieces  #15 & #12 together, aligning notches. Sew. Fold, pin and sew  #11 tuft dart. Pin tuft onto head. Sew, clip, finger press face seams open.

Hand baste #18 along seamline with #69 Bonded Nylon/Tex70/thick upholstery thread. Arrange lower face pieces (#18 & #19).

Align notches and pin #19 to #18. Place lots of pins and pull the basting thread to even. Hand back stitch, then remove basting stitch. Repeat on other face side pieces.

Pin lower face sides to upper face, aligning notches. Hand baste #11 tuft lower face inside the seam allowance, then machine sew along the actual seamlines. Sew over your hand sewn back stitch on #18 for extra strength, if desired.

Trim and iron press seams open on tailor’s half circle ham. Paste the lower face area seam allowance down with glue stick. Let dry. Sew tiny running stitches with ¼’ -⅜” spaces between them to topstitch, approximately ⅛” from all seam joints. Stitches should puncture all layers and secure seam allowances open, except for the downward folded lower face seam, as shown.

Stick on Hewkii eyes with glue stick at marked location. Pin if they are shifting. Let dry. Blanket stitch eyes on with a strong “darner” needle and gray #69 Bonded Nylon/Tex70/ thick upholstery thread.

Hand gather top edge of tuft (#11) area with gray #69 Bonded Nylon/Tex70/ thick upholstery thread. Pin back piece of head (#13) to front, matching the marked seam alignment dots with the face seam joints. Sew, leaving the marked opening at base. Trim and turn right-side out. Set aside.

Change machine thread colors and grab the Macku head layers (#9 & #20). Sew and finger press seams open. Clip if your fabric weave is tight enough (mine was not).

Trim ½” off of the top layer's (#20) underlining layer. Fold up and paste with glue stick. Iron press using press cloth.  Pin this layer onto the lower head layer at prior marked location. Thread a small “darner” needle with your same machine thread. Sew tiny running stitches with ¼’ -⅜” spaces between them through all layers to secure. Use this same stitching technique to topstitch the center front face seam. This will also secure the seam allowances open.

Remark your pattern details/notches if they have rubbed off. Stick on Macku eyes and head tuft leather with glue stick at marked location. Let dry for a few moments. Iron on back to speed up this process. Pin at edges if slipping. Blanket stitch eyes on with a strong “darner” needle and gray #69 Bonded Nylon/Tex70/ thick upholstery thread. Set aside.

Gather trunk pieces #7 &#25  and machine baste underling to outer fabric.Carefully align and pin, starting at the trunk top center.

Begin sewing at the trunk chin marking, around to the other side’s chin mark. Flip the piece upside down and finish the seam. Complex method to accommodate unusual seam curvature. Repeat this on the other side, fully enclosing the trunk. Carefully cut an X shape in the back top of the trunk, making sure it is above the “chin” marking. Turn right side out via this X. Set aside.

Pin the Macku back head piece (#8) to the chin piece  (#10), starting at center and aligning notches. Sew, leaving the marked center area open.

Pin front and back head  (#)  pieces together, aligning notched and center front marks. Sew. Trim if bulky and turn right-side out. Set aside. All machine sewing is completed at this point.

Stuff the bodies and hands to your desired final firmness level. Lightly stuff the feet, arms, hands, heads and Macku trunk.

Thread a strong “darner” needle with gray #69 Bonded Nylon/Tex70/ thick upholstery thread. Sew ⅛” topstitch running stitches along the outer bottom edge of all the feet, approximately ⅛” from the seam joints. Secure all thread knots inside the feet, then add more poly fill to your desired final firmness.

Repeat the same running stitch topstitching method on the head edges. Fill to desired firmness.

Remark your pattern details on Macku’s trunk if they have rubbed off. Stick on the double-numbered trunk leather pieces with glue stick at marked locations. Let dry for a few moments. Pin at edges if slipping. Trim off any unwanted extra leather width from cutting.

Blanket stitch on with a strong “darner” needle and gray #69 Bonded Nylon/Tex70/ thick upholstery thread. Secure all thread knots inside.

Repeat the same running stitch topstitch method from step 23 all around the trunk edges, except 1/4" from seam joints/trunk edges. Secure all thread knots inside.  Fill to desired firmness.  Run some quick stability stitches and glue stick over the X cut.

Pin the trunk on Macku’s face, flush with the edge of the eye leather. With #69 Bonded Nylon/Tex70/ thick upholstery thread and “darner” needle, sew the trunk to head using another line of ⅛” running stitches, positioned in between those created by the topstitching edge. Sew under chin with running stitch. Discreetly secure knots and tuck thread in.

Paste glue stick on the X cut in feet tops if fabric is fraying, let dry. Thread a “darner” needle with #69 Bonded Nylon/Tex70/ thick upholstery thread. Ladderstitch the opening on the front of the body closed. Tie knot and leave thread attached. Align the center foot seam and center back of foot with the marked foot location dots. Pin on and outline with a fabric marker. Ladder stitch on marked lines using the attached needle and thread. Discreetly secure knots and tuck thread in. Pin, mark location, and ladder stitch other foot on. Repeat process on all feet, changing to the tan #69 Bonded Nylon/Tex70/ thick upholstery thread as needed.

Mark a 1” wide circle over previous less-accurate markings on hand tops and arm wrist nub area. Ladder stitch together. Tie and run thread through to the upper arm opening. Secure with a knot and leave thread attached. Fill to desired final firmness.

Draw a circle slightly larger than the opening on the arm. Mark a line on the body side panel, in the center of the arm location point. Draw a circle to match the arm marking. Pin on and ladder stitch together. Discreetly secure knots and tuck thread in. Repeat process on all arms, changing to the tan #69 Bonded Nylon/Tex70/ thick upholstery thread as needed.

Fill heads to desired final firmness. Ladder stitch openings closed with “darner” needle and #69 Bonded Nylon/Tex70/ thick upholstery thread, tie off and leave thread and needle attached.  Thread a “darner” needle with #69 Bonded Nylon/Tex70/ thick upholstery thread. Remark your pattern head hand sewing location guide marks if they have rubbed off. Draw the head hand sewing guide onto the body, referencing head patterns.

Pin on heads and ladder stitch. Discreetly secure knots and tuck thread in. Change thread color as needed.

Remark your pattern Hewkii face detail guide marks if needed. Thread a large embroidery needle with embroidery thread, 6-strand in medium brown. Secure knot at head base. Sew details with ⅛” wide backstitches. Tie and tuck knot at head base on other side

Mark your desired toe locations. Sew a piece of plush-matching embroidery thread straight through the foot from the sole to the top. Stab back through to the sole, ¼” from the edge. Make a stitch ⅛” below the first toe stitch. Cut thread, leaving 3-4” loose. Repeat on other toes. Pull to desired toe indentation level and tie a knot. Tuck threads in.

Sew on the belly button with the same embroidery thread. Repeat on other plush.

Wipe off marker with wet cloth if using water-soluble & blow dry. This will also smooth out any fabric wrinkles.

Patterntesting process! Prototypes began as paper and papertape.

Thanks for stopping in & best wishes!

(Version III): Printable Pattern and tutorial variant!

After discovering an image of the MNOG Macku doll thanks to BS01, I decided to attempt an accurate set of the dolls. But with bonus bellybuttons for added fun! 

I believe I made over +4? test subjects with major alterations while comparing my plush shapes to BS01 images in a collage app. Then two actual fabric test version pairs. And the final set of six! One oddball darker Hewkii due to limited fabric. Fabric is mainly upcycled from formal wear pants/jackets/skirts. Leather eyes from jacket, some new fabrics and fresh and fluffy poly-fill. 

The assembly on these 12 took ~180hrs total over two months. So about 30hrs per pair. 

Alterations from prior tutorial version: 

Embroidery details sewn prior to stuffing plush body  parts and sewing the back head panels on. This prevents stuffing strings from escaping. 

I used darts to shape the new foot pattern, then backstitched down those toe seams with embroidery thread. 

No/few seam turning openings left open- instead discovered a precut (or careful post-sewing cut) “x” method. “X” cut holes  are then sealed/sandwiched when limbs/heads/hands are attached. 

Washable glue stick used instead in case of visible (hair)drying heat-related stains of permanent glue stick. 

No turning seam is left open on the arm pieces. I just stopped my seam ~½” from the bottom ends of each arm panel. This lower open end was then tucked & ladderstitched on the hand at the marked hand panel lines. 

I have not tested this Version III pattern scaled to 100%, as I opted for a bigger batch. 

For non-commercial/personal use only, please. All characters are copyright of LEGO. 

MNOG doll image credits/thanks to the BS01 & BZPower websites!

Some small material abnormalities on a couple of these due to upcycled fabric, as well as the difficulty of detail work in the mini size (I’m afraid a little lopsided in some!) Some of my ladderstitches and knots are possibly peeking out also! Oh well, apologies for imperfect execution, but sewn with love!  Made as gifts. (Done over the sickest spiral of months in my life I’ve ever somehow survived. Medical emergencies & a daily downhill health spiral. Started as a distraction, and I daresay the endeavor has hugely helped keep me alive while driving me a bit mad!) Thank you to this community for being so inspiring. Would love to see if anyone tries the pattern, especially at full size! 

I have not tested this Version III pattern scaled to 100%, as I opted for a bigger batch. 

For non-commercial/personal use only, please. All characters are copyright of LEGO. 

Assembly alterations from original tutorial:

Embroidery details sewn prior to stuffing plush body parts and sewing the back head panels on. This prevents stuffing strings from escaping. 

I used darts to shape the new foot pattern, then backstitched down those toe seams with embroidery thread. 

No/few seam turning openings left open- instead discovered a precut (or careful post-sewing cut) “x” method. “X” cut holes are then sealed/sandwiched when limbs/heads/hands are attached. 

Washable glue stick used instead in case of visible (hair)drying heat-related stains of permanent glue stick. 

No turning seam is left open on the arm pieces. I just stopped my seam ~½” from the bottom ends of each arm panel. This lower open end was then tucked & ladderstitched on the hand at the marked hand panel lines. 

Alterations done on these 12 from my final V3/Build-A-Bionicle pattern print-scaled at 66% percent:

The toe gathers on #1 are optional based on your fabric choice. The materials I used didn’t require gathering to fit foot soles.

I sewed ½”-¾” longer embroidery lines on Macku’s face sides.

The Hewkii head “gathers” mentioned on #22 & #23 are optional unless needed to fit. Each fabric will differ in size. I only had to gather the Hewkii head tuft piece. 

Small photo video of the drafting, test version and final make process. Pictures of my past H&M versions also prior to proper reference/knowledge of the MNOG dolls.

https://youtu.be/E9B0022W25o?si=8UQ5bffPmMrOshbs

Best wishes for you from the Build-A-Bionicle crew!

YT shorts video: https://youtube.com/shorts/2aWjcnX5hLQ?si=RXClKrRrcdg3oho5