{"id":8,"date":"2020-11-05T15:52:50","date_gmt":"2020-11-05T15:52:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/?page_id=8"},"modified":"2024-12-16T00:49:14","modified_gmt":"2024-12-16T00:49:14","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blog.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Hi, I\u2019m Pauline McArthur, the Australian soft toy designer behind the Funky Friends Factory.<\/span><\/h3>\n

When people ask me HOW the Funky Friends Factory got started\u2026I say that it all began with a BUNNY!<\/p>\n

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Actually, No, it all began with a BABY\u2026 \u2026well,<\/p>\n

LOTS of babies!!!<\/span><\/h3>\n

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You see, I began making \u2018Baby-safe Bunnies\u2019<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0for all my friends\u2019 newborn babies with sewn on faces and no chewable, choke-able bits.<\/strong> They were so popular that I moved on to mass-production (that\u2019s where the \u2018factory\u2019 bit comes from!)\u00a0<\/strong>My husband\u2019s favorite TV couch was taken over by soft toys!!! To keep him happy I designed him his very own toy dog<\/strong>. We were living in a tiny apartment and couldn\u2019t have a real puppy so I created a substitute based on the neighbours\u2019 puppy.<\/p>\n

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Jake the Jack Russell was born and the Funky Friends were TWO! Jake was designed with movable joints so he could sit, stand and cock his head to one side. He\u2019s really cute but rather complicated! I\u2019m rather impatient and prefer things that don\u2019t take forever to make.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why I\u2019ve made sure all my other patterns are as easy as possible!!!<\/h2>\n

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You can read\u00a0 a little more background about\u00a0 WHEN, HOW and WHY I got into pattern design HERE.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u2026and learn about the process that goes into my toy sewing pattern design process HERE!<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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I\u2019ve been sewing and knitting my own toys and dolls since I was a kid, but it took until my 30s (OK, mid-30s) to realize that you\u2019re never too old to do what you love!<\/em> <\/strong>I\u2019ve always worked in the optometry field (which pays the bills) but my passion is sewing. If there\u2019s one thing I\u2019d love to do all day, it would be to sew\u2026.\u00a0Over the years it\u2019s been a great joy for me to see other people make and sew toys using my toy patterns!<\/p>\n

I hope you enjoy my little critters as much as I do\u2026<\/h2>\n

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\"\"Happy sewing!<\/strong>
Pauline
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(Pauline McArthur)
<\/span>Australian Soft Toy Designer<\/span>
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FUNKY FRIENDS FACTORY<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Come and join the Funky Friends Community ~><\/h2>\n

Come and see some of the lovely toys others have already made!\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

I love seeing the photos posted there of ALL the Funky Friends toys<\/strong> that other people have made.\u00a0<\/strong>Facebook is also a great place for me to announce special offers and run competitions<\/strong> so pop across and become a \u2018liker\u2019 so you can find out about these too <\/strong>\u2026 oh and please drop me a comment or just pop across there now and say \u2018Hi!\u2019 in our Pattern Fan Club Facebook Group<\/a>!\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"\"Want to sew toys for Charity – Share the love!<\/h2>\n

Get started with my FREE teddy bear pattern.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I started the Billion Bears Charity Drive<\/a> as a simple way for me to \u2018give something back\u2019 for all the joy my toy-making has given me and so I have been amazed to see how many charities around the world have benefited from my free Honey Teddy pattern. Find out about more about making toys for your favorite Charity HERE!<\/a><\/p>\n

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And last but not least…<\/span><\/h3>\n

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Some happy snaps of Pauline McArthur… and some of her Funky Friends!<\/h2>\n

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