First, you need a stuffed animal. This fox pattern is available here, but you can use any animal you like as long as it's not made of fur, and you don't have to sew your own. I used the fox but modified the tail like this:
so that the light strand could go up the tail, too. I cut a curve into the side and then handstitched the tail on.
Next, I stuffed the fox and left the bottom open.
And now comes the fun part. You get to cover the whole creature with Stiffy! This stuff is so fun, I swear. You basically brush it on thick and let it dry. It turns the fabric into a hard shell. And it doesn't stink! Extra points for that!
Now you get to eviscerate your animal. After the Stiffy is totally dry, gently pull out all the stuffing. I used a pencil wrapped in duct tape to poke up into the far corners and grab the stuffing. Sort of spin the pencil around in there.
Like cotton candy!
Trim the bottom edge off so that the fox stands up straight. And cut a snip out for the light cord.
And stuff the light string inside and up the tail and into the head. Please use LED lightsso you don't burn down your house.
And voila. You can really use any animal for this, and you don't have to sew your own. Just coat it with Stiffy, and then cut an inconspicuous hole in the back to remove the stuffing and insert the lights.