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Hi I’m Pauline, this blog is where I share all the latest Funky Friends Factory News, Giveaways, Competitions plus LOTS of toy-making tips & tutorials to help you sew the cutest soft toys EVER!

August 2026 MAKER OF THE MONTH – wins a FREE Funky Friends Factory Pattern!

Sep 6, 2026 | Blog, Competitions & Giveaways

We’ve had so many cute entries this month from beautiful butterflies to marvellous memory bears! Read down to the end of the post to find out who won this month’s maker’s prize.🏆

Let’s take a look…

 

We begin with a beautiful Butterfly!

Aide Ponce sewed this pretty pink and purple Belinda Butterfly.

Click HERE to buy the Butterfly Sewing Pattern

 

Sue Snyder Tessmann sewed some cute memory toys for her great niece and newphew. Here you can see Patch Pussy Patch Pussy Cat sewn from a hospital blanket. 

Click HERE to buy the Cat Sewing pattern.

 

 

And here you can see Ellie Elephant Sue Snyder Tessmann sewed for her great nephew from his hospital receiving blanket.

 

AND here’s a close up of
the embroidery on his paw pad!

Click HERE to buy the Elephant pattern.

 

Lauren Gradwell sent in a photo of her First Funky Friend. I think her Larry Lion looks amazing and I love all the different fabrics and textures she used!

Click HERE to buy the Lion pattern.

 

 

Next up, a pretty pair of Tilly Tortoises sewn by Lorna Moore – aren’t they sweet?

Click HERE to buy the Tortoise pattern.

 

 

Micheline Chamberlain used the Harmony Highland Cow Pattern to make a precious keepsake in memory of her Grandad who was a Toronto Maple leaf fan.

 

And Pat Pruitt used the Harmony Highland Cow Pattern to make a replica of a local Highland Cow!

Click HERE to buy the Highland Cow Pattern

 

 

Emma Boulton enlarged the Puppy Dog Pete pattern to make a beautiful BIG friend for her granddaughter! (If you want to know how to ENLARGE the size of a pattern to make the toy at a smaller size – check out the TIP below…)

Click HERE to buy the Puppy Dog pattern.

Puppy Dog Sewing Pattern

 

 

TIP: HOW to re-size a toy pattern

If you want to know how to enlarge a pattern to make a BIGGER toy (or how to ‘shrink'(reduce) to make a smaller toy – check out the “How to resize a toy pattern” blog post HERE.

 

In this post you will find:

😀 How to ENLARGE or REDUCE a pattern.
📊 How to make an EXACT SIZE toy ( a simple math formula).
🖨 How to PRINT an enlarged pattern at home (poster print option).

 

 

 

Beautiful baby birds!

This beautiful blue Best Wishes BABY BIRD was sewn by Nancy Ciccosanti.

 

And this beautiful blue Best Wishes BABY BIRD was sewn by Nikki Snell.

Click HERE to buy the BABY BIRD pattern.

 

 

Joy Davies says she couldn’t resist sewing Coco Chameleon in this fabric. I think it’s a perfect choice for camouflaging a chameleon!

Click HERE to buy the Chameleon pattern.

Awesome Aussie toys!

Teresa Teefey made and donated some Kiki Koalas to use as fundraisers for wildlife carers and received these cute photos back.

Click HERE to buy the Koala pattern.

Koala sewing Pattern

 

 

And this wonderful wool Wodger Wombat sewn by Patricia Murray for an overseas visitor.

Click HERE to buy the Wombat pattern.

 

 

This super cute set of Joey Junior Kangaroos was sewn by Teri Wolff – (one upsized to 150%). 

Click HERE to purchase the Kangaroo pattern.

Joey Junior Kangaroo pattern

 

 

I LOVE seeing First Funky Friends – like this wonderful Plattie Platypus sewn by Nicole Cicerone. She used a fun combo of textures too.

Click HERE to buy the Platypus pattern.

 

Ooooh!

have you seen?

TIP: Get the EASIEST
Funky Friends Factory pattern
for *FREE*

Learn everything you need to know about sewing soft toys with my FREE toy-making Course. I share ALL the tips & tricks I’ve learned about sewing toys over the last 20+ years in a daily email series packed with photos, diagrams and videos. This FREE toy-making Course includes everything you  need to know about sewing toys – from how to read a pattern to how to stuff a toy, AND it includes my easiest pattern – Plattie Platypus.

 

(Yes! It’s FREE!)

 

Toy Making Course - PLATYPUS -collage

 

 

 

Next up, some happy HIPPOS!

This FUN, festive Heather Hippo hiding among the Christmas decorations was sewn by Sharon Cupp-Wagner. 

 

These Heather Hippos sewn by Clare Southwood were made from pre-loved clothes as precious keepsakes. 

 

Clare used the large space on the hippo’s side to add some embroidered details.

Click HERE to buy the HIPPO pattern.

 

 

We had some super cute Memory Bears this month!

These 2 Gracie GRANDDAUGHTER Bear was sewn by Connie Kinzer-Jackson. 

 

 

This sweet Gracie GRANDDAUGHTER Bear was sewn by Emma Boulton.

 

 

And this Gracie GRANDDAUGHTER Bear was sewn by Debbie Hendricks-Weiderman in long-pile fur.

Click HERE to purchase the GRANDDAUGHTER Bear Pattern.

 

 

This Melody Memory Bear Pattern was sewn by Nathalie Nlg from baby clothes.

 

This Melody Memory Bear Pattern was sewn by Christy Cox –  it’s her Lucky Bingo bear!

 

AND this Melody Memory Bear Pattern was sewn by Cheryl Hodgkinson.

Click HERE to purchase the Melody Memory Bear Pattern.

 

 

This Ben BEGINNER teddy bear was sewn by Lisa Brumpton from a man’s shirt.


This Ben BEGINNER teddy bear was sewn by Lisa Brumpton as a memory bear for a Celtic Football fan.

Click HERE to purchase the BEGINNER teddy bear pattern.

 

 

This  Calico Signature Bear was sewn by Jan Griffiths. He looks very ‘learned’ in his graduation cap! (See the link in the Tip Box below the photo for my FREE Graduation Cap pattern!)

Click HERE to purchase the Signature Bear pattern.

 

 

Want a FREE Graduation Cap sewing pattern?🎓

You can use my free Mortar Board pattern (with video) to make a graduation cap for any Funky Friend. This blog post ALL about sewing graduation toys! You can get the mortar board / graduation cap pattern for FREE plus learn lots of tips for making an autograph toy!

CLICK HERE for my
FREE Grad Cap pattern!

Mortar board graduation korina dacshund image

 

This Buttons the BEST DRESSED Bear was sewn by Lynda Morrison. He looks so cuddly. (See the link in the Tip Box below the photo for my FREE Graduation Cap pattern!)

Click HERE to purchase the BEST DRESSED Bear pattern.

 

 

TIP: Want a FREE flat cap pattern for a teddy bear or soft toy?

I have design a flat cap pattern for my teddy bear patterns. I have created a step-by-step photo tutorial so you can see how to sew my FREE flat cap sewing pattern!

 

CLICK HERE for
a FREE Flat Cap pattern & tutorial
!

 

 

This cuddly minky Keep Me Keepsake Bear pattern was sewn by Nancy M Ciccosanti.

Click HERE to purchase the Keepsake Bear pattern.

 

 

This super cute Honey Teddy sewn by Carol Bermingham with my FREE Honey Teddy Bear pattern. (See the TIP BOX below the photo for my FREE Honey Teddy Bear pattern!)

 

Looking for a FREE easy teddy bear pattern?

Honey Teddy Bear is a free pattern that I give to my newsletter subscribers as a thank you gift. If you haven’t got the pattern already – scroll down to the bottom of the page and sign up for my newsletter.

Meet - Introducing FREE Teddy Bear Pattern

 

 

This Kelsy Keepsake Unicorn was sewn by Janet Herschy from a little girl’s baby clothes.

 

And this pretty pink and aqua Kelsey Keepsake Unicorn was sewn by Lynda Morrison.

Click HERE to purchase the Keepsake Unicorn pattern.

 

 

This Kip the Keepsake Dog sewn by Melissa Burleson as a keepsake dog.

 

And Annette Van Horn sewed this Keepsake Dog out of sweet froggy print. 

Click HERE to buy the Keepsake Dog Pattern

 

 

AND this month’s winner is…

Congrats to this month’s winner Dawn Rimby. who sewed such a cute Calico Signature Bear. He looks so pleased with himself with his bright red ribbon!

CONGRATS Dawn! You win
a FREE Funky Friends Factory Pattern ~>
of your choice!

 

Click HERE to purchase the Signature Bear pattern.

 

Want to win a

FREE toy pattern?

 

It’s so EASY to enter the Pattern GIVEAWAY!

 

Facebook badge - Pauline McArthur

ALL you need to do is post a photo of a FUNKY FRIENDS FACTORY toy that you have made on the Funky Friends Factory Facebook Page .

At the end of each month I draw a winner and post the winner’s name on the Blog the following MONTH. I have an Album on Facebook for all the MAKEROFTHEMONTH winners. You can check it out HERE!

 

 

NOT on Facebook? ENTER by email! 😀

*** You can send me your photos by email too!

 

So come on! Share your photos  ~> The next winner could be YOU!!!


Pauline McArthur - Funky Friends Factory.
Till next time,

Happy Sewing,
Pauline
xxx

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