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Soft Toy Making Tips

Soft Toy Making

If you can sew, you can sew stuffed toys! Basic sewing skills are all that you’ll need. Whether you sew on machine or by hand, if you can follow written instructions you will be able to make professional-looking toys, which use very little fabric, and not too much time. Most often it is the simplest advice that is the most important!

Follow these stuffed toy making tips and you'll save yourself a lot of trouble! I have leant so much from other toy makers so if you have a handy tip from your personal experience - please share YOUR soft toy making tip by using the Contact Us page...

OK, Let's Go...

Read the instructions BEFORE you begin, OR take it slowly step by step and keep track of where you are in the instructions.

For good strong seams use quality thread, a new sharp needle and tightly spaced stitching.

Always start and finish off your sewing securely - on a sewing machine, sew back and forwards a few times to begin and end off and for hand sewing, tie double knots. For machine sewing use a ballpoint needle for fleece and a universal/normal needle for corduroy. Check with your sewing shop for the correct needle to use for other fabric types. For hand sewing I like to use Gutterman upholstery quality polyester thread, but most sewing shops will stock a brand of thick strong thread.

Use lots of pins!!! A great trick is to pin one pin from the front, one pin from the back of your work as you go along. Always tack your pieces together when advised to do so – it is a real pain in the **** to have to unpick the pieces if they slip as you sew. I know, I’ve had to do it a few times and it’s very annoying. (Lop-sided ears aren’t always as cute as you’d think!)

Cut off all your ‘starting and finishing’ threads as you go. This way you won’t end up getting them caught in your seams as you sew. The worst thing I did whilst cutting off threads was to nick a hole in the side of a rhino, which I was making as a gift for a colleague. I didn’t have time to make another one so I patched him with “Fray – Stop” but he didn’t look his best!

Try and choose fabrics that stretch as well in both directions and don’t fray. A non-fray type of material is great because you can cut out your pieces and come back to sew them later if you cannot do it all in one sitting. It will also prevent the seams from coming apart once a child starts playing with the toy!

Pre-washing your fabric is always ideal, but I never do! I would say; pre-washing is only necessary if you think your toy is going to get very dirty and need washing. When washing a soft toy, you will need to unpick your final seam of ladder stitches, remove the stuffing, wash gently in warm soapy water and dry thoroughly. You can then reuse the stuffing if you can fluff it out enough or use fresh new stuffing to reassemble your toy.

If you are making your toy for a child, avoid small beads, ribbons and other embellishments that could become a choking hazard. Safety eyes are recommended for all children’s toys and better still would be to sew on facial features!

In this world of mass production, handmade stuffed toys make fantastic personalized gifts for all sorts of occasions (birthdays, Christmas, even Easter and Valentines day) and for all sorts of ages from welcoming a new baby, to toddlers, teens, grandparents and everyone in between!

If you are a beginner and need a soft toy pattern to get started with - become a Funky Friends Factory Member and you'll be able to access the Members FREE soft toy lesson. Follow the easy instructions and pretty soon you’ll have made your very first (and I’m absolutely certain, not your last) stuffed toy friend!

*** Please Contact Us if you have a Handy Tip about your Plush/Stuffed Toy/Soft Toy Making that you'd like to share with everyone... in return we can recomend your website too !

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Member's Soft Toy Making Tips

"Eco-Friendly Bean Bag filling"

Something which might be of interest to the "Green Community". Instead of using plastic pellets for stuffing the animals I used " PINTO BEANS". The seem to work out well and won't slip through the stitching. Just a thought as it worked very well for me.

Jenn, Mammoth Lakes, CA
Wheat bag Heating Tips

just a few tips you may like to pass along… I live in 24/7 chronic pain and I use wheat bags all the time [at least for the last 10 years]

First tip - I’ve never had a problem with fleece but I find it loses the heat quickly so it is best to line the heat pack.

Another tip, if your new heat bag takes 3 mins to get to temp don’t assume it always will - I find after a few uses the bag takes a shorter time to heat. (My big head one took 3.5 mins to heat now it only takes 1.2 to get to the same temp, that’s why you don’t walk away while heating!)

Also it may be worth making Gertie a blankie - I found if you can cover the exposed parts with a teatowel, jumper, towel or whatever is at hand you can make your heat bag last twice or three times as long, (my head one last 20 mins but 2 hours with a cover)

Kind regards, San's