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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!

June 2025 MAKER OF THE MONTH – wins a FREE Funky Friends Factory Pattern!

Jul 26, 2025 | Blog, Competitions & Giveaways

We had some really amazing entries this month, from bright and cheerful octopuses (octopii?🤣) to really sweet memory bears. Read down to the end of the post to find out who won our June Maker of the Month pattern prize!

Let’s take a look…

Jess Lidds sewed this beautiful batik Ozzie Octopus for her niece’s birthday!

 

And this awesome orange Ozzie Octopus was sewn by Lynda Copley.

Click HERE to purchase the Octopus pattern.

Octopus Pattern

 

 

Giraffe toys were REALLY popular this month!

The Raff Giraffe pattern is one of those patterns that looks great sewn in LOTS of different fabrics. He makes a very sweet baby keepsake too as you can see with this memory toy giraffe sewn by Linda Belchamber-Venton.

 

Of course he looks great in GIRAFFE fabric, like Kerry Hansen‘s Raff Giraffe.

 

AND Raff the Giraffe looks great in team colours! Christina Wilson-Mejer sewed this cute “sporty” giraffe from a hockey jersey and she enlarged the pattern to 120% to fit the long team name on the gusset (See the TIP for resizing patterns below her photo).

 

Want to know HOW TO RESIZE a toy pattern?

For a tutorial on enlarging or reducing a pattern, go here:
HOW TO re-size a toy pattern!

HOW to resize a pattern

 

Click HERE to buy the Giraffe pattern.

 

 

More wonderful wildlife toys!

This awesome aqua Heather HIPPO was sewn by Lynda Copley in Tula Pink Ever Glow fabric range. If you look closely, you can see Lynda has carefully “fussy – cut” the fabrics to position a hippo in the middle of the face and on her hippo’s shoulder! 

Click HERE to buy the HIPPO pattern.

 

 

Lynda Copley also sewed this pretty purple version of the Scrap Snake! She has used the Tula Pink’s Moon Garden fabric range which has some very pretty snakes on it!  

Click HERE to buy the Scrap Snake Sewing Pattern.

 

Larry Lion looks wonderful as a baby keepsake. This cutie was sewn using receiving blankets by Lindsey Mortimer.

Click HERE to buy the LION pattern.

 

Butterflies and Bulldogs!

Charlotte Welk used such a cute combo of colours and textures for her Belinda Butterfly. She has embroidered the face so this toy is 100% baby safe! (See the Toy Safety TIP below this pic!)

TOY SAFETY TIP:

PLEASE REMEMBER: A toy that will be given to a baby (or child under 3 years old) should NOT have any small parts like buttons, craft eyes, plastic noses or weighted pellets! Check out this blog post for more toy safety information HERE.

Toy-safety-tips-for-home made-soft-toys

 

Click HERE to buy the Butterfly Sewing Pattern

 

 

Lisa Nelson of Sewn for You Keepsakes sewed this precious keepsake version of Butch the Bulldog.

Click HERE to buy the Bulldog pattern.

 

 

We had some super cute Memory Bears this month!

This Melody Memory Bear Pattern was sewn by Julie Lee who has cleverly incorporated the lace detail from the clothing in her memory bear.

Click HERE to purchase the Melody Memory Bear Pattern.

 

 

And Becky Kerr sewed this Ben BEGINNER teddy bear as a school keepsake. She used the wide, single piece tummy to embroider the school details.

Click HERE to purchase the BEGINNER teddy bear pattern.

 

 

Calico Signature Bear was the most popular bear pattern this month!

And Kirsty Grandfield
sewed 4 of them!

I love how each one of Kirsty’s Calico Signature Bears has it’s own unique look and character!

 

Kirsty Louise Barnett sewed this special graduation version of Calico Signature Bear. has it’s own unique look and character! and added a grad cap using the free pattern (see the link below the photo!)

 

 

Want a FREE Graduation Cap sewing pattern?🎓

You can use my free Mortar Board pattern (with video) to make a graduation hat for any Funky Friend, whether you want it to be an autograph toy or not (see the end of this post for more examples).

 

CLICK HERE for my
FREE Grad Cap pattern!

Mortar board graduation korina dacshund image

 

And Sarah Hodson sewed this pretty pink Calico Signature Bear to welcome a 2nd baby!👶💗

Click HERE to purchase the Signature Bear pattern.

 

 

This Buttons the BEST DRESSED Bear was sewn by Sam Griffiths who snapped a pic of all 3 options – without a collar, with a collar, and with his waistcoat added!

Click HERE to purchase the BEST DRESSED Bear pattern.

 

 

This Keep Me Keepsake Bear pattern was sewn by Linda Belchamber-Venton. She has used the large flat footpad area to embroider some special details for her memory bear…

 

It’s such a pretty bear, I couldn’t resist adding another shot from the side so you can see the cute snout shape!!!

Click HERE to purchase the Keepsake Bear pattern.

 

 

This Kelsy Keepsake Unicorn was sewn by Janelle Wyborn. She has really gone the extra mile adding special details – like the fabric flower buttons!

Click HERE to purchase the Keepsake Unicorn pattern.

 

 

Sarah Weinert sewed Kip the Keepsake Dog as a pet memorial so she made patches for both eyes to match the precious pooch. 

 

And Lisa Grosskopf Giebink sewed this cute baby keepsake version of Kip the Keepsake Dog. She used her first grandchild’s 0-6 month clothing items.

Click HERE to buy the Keepsake Dog Pattern

 

 

AND this month’s winner is…

Congrats to this month’s winner Lynda Copley who sewed this super cute Stu Sea Turtle. I LOVE the photo she took of him  upside down – to show how pretty he looks from underneath too! 

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

 

Click HERE to purchase the Sea Turtle 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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