These days LOTS of people sew lovely keepsakes with my  Calico Bear pattern but when I designed this pattern in 2008 (WOW, I just realised that’s over a decade ago!!!!) I had no idea that it would become so well used (and LOVED!) by keepsake makers around the world.

 

What’s is even more AMAZING to me is how many people have created their own Keepsake Businesses using Funky Friends Factory patterns, making money by selling items they create using my toy sewing patterns! 😀

 

 

I cannot tell a lie – it gives me a lot a joy to see home sewers (sewists?) like me making money by selling items they create using my patterns… because it’s been a long journey for ME to achieve MY dream of working from home doing something I love.

 

I wonder why Calico Bear has been one of the most popular Funky Friends Factory patterns which my customers use to sew lovely keepsakes – I guess because he’s so simple yet so versatile!

He’s been resized smaller (you can see Calico Bear made into a Mini Keepsake Bear here).

 

It is very easy to resize the pattern ~> you don’t need to buy a ‘mini’ or ‘maxi (enlarged) version’ of the pattern!

 

I have a blog post about how to resize a toy pattern with information about resizing patterns. BUT seriously, it’s so easy. ALL you need to do is to print the pattern at a larger or smaller size!

 

AND LOOK ~>
a Maxi Keepsake Bear
and a Mini Keepsake Bear!!! 🙂

 

HOW cool is that?

You can make ANY size Keepsake Bear from the SAME pattern! 😀

(AND: The instructions are exactly the same for any size you make.)

 

 

Sew Tilley is a small handmade business, based in the Scottish borders, run by Tilley, who sew lovely keepsakes including bear and animal keepsakes, cushions, blankets and lots more! I loved reading the story behind her creative sewing business. Her husband let her purchase her first sewing machine with a voucher they received for their first wedding anniversary.

What a good man!!! 😀

 

Not only has Tilley made LOTS of Mini, Maxi and Standard sized Keepsakes…

 

…she also makes and sells lots of my other Funky Friends Factory patterns which she has resized to make a Mini and Maxi version of the original patterns!

 

Look at her cute resized
Lion keepsakes!

 

 

BUT what I am the MOST impressed about is that Tilly is happy to promote the fact that she uses my Funky Friends Factory patterns to make her keepsakes. Here you can see a credit she’s given on her website – SewTilley.com. (She has even added a link for people who want to sew their own toys to check out my sewing patterns on my website!)

 

 

Wow!
Isn’t it great to be part of an industry where we CAN support each other’s business?

 

I can send people who want someone to sew them a keepsake toy to a Keepsake Business and they can send toy makers to me. It’s a win-win for BOTH of us because we service two very different types of customers (some people want someone else to sew them a keepsake  toy and other people want to sew their own toys!)

 

Thanks Tilley –
you ROCK!!! 😀

 

The Maxi Bears made by Tilley are resized to be about 19inches sitting height (That’s 160% or 1½ times the original sized Calico Bear). She also makes Standard size Keepsake Bears (Calico Bear’s original size – 100%) and she makes Mini Keepsake Bears which are resized to be about 9 inches sitting height (That’s 75%  or ¾ of Calico Bear’s original size).

So… if you want a Maxi Keepsake Bear, I highly recommend SewTilley!!!  

Tilley can create a lovely custom-made keepsake just for you with a turn around time of about 6 weeks… or you can use my pattern to sew you OWN Maxi Keepsake Bear!

Do you sew lovely keepsakes too?

Tag your social media posts with #funkyfriendsfactory and who knows, maybe the next featured FFF toy-maker could be be YOU!!!! 😀

I can’t wait to see YOUR Maxi Funky Friends toys!

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Till next time,
Happy sewing,
xxx

Pauline