Well, in between making a new batch of platypus stuffed animals, I was finally able to finish my next try at my dinosaur patterns. Here’s a comparison picture of the first round versus the second: As you can see, I made the new dinosaurs just a bit bigger. I may try increasing the size again. […]
Designing New Patterns, Part 2 Read More »
One of my most popular products is my platypus stuffed animal. Because of this, I am often asked for the plural of “platypus.” It’s an odd word and many people guess “platypi” and sometimes “platypuses.” I thought it would be fun to do a little research and find out what really is the acceptable plural
What is the Plural of Platypus? Read More »
Have you ever thought about starting your own handicraft business, but worried about a lack of space? After all, you need an area to make your products, and area to store your products, and an area to get items ready for shipping. Or maybe you weren’t sure you could afford the equipment you might need
A Look at My Workspace Read More »
In my last post, I explained how to use two simple embroidery stitches to make eyes for your stuffed animals and dolls. Now let’s take a look at appliqué. The name may sound daunting, but the technique is very simple. It is simply attaching a small fabric shape to the top of a larger piece
How to Make Appliquéd Eyes for Stuffed Animals Read More »
Eyes are a very important part of a stuffed animal. Just a small change to an eye’s size, shape, or position can significantly change the expression of the toy. Also, the choice of eye depends on the intended recipient of the stuffed animal. For example, you don’t want to use buttons for eyes on a
How to Make Embroidered Eyes for Stuffed Animals Read More »
My journey into the world of sewing stuffed animals began when I was quite young. When my parents gave me a sewing book as a gift, I immediately skipped ahead past the “boring” projects and completed the two stuffed animals at the end of the book. My creations were rough, but I loved them. After
How I Got Started: From Hobby to Business Read More »
I’m always looking for new project ideas. Recently, I decided to develop a set of dinosaur stuffed animals. I thought it would be fun to write a series of posts about the process of creating a pattern from start to finish. First, I had to pick which dinosaurs I wanted and how many to put
Designing New Patterns, Part 1 Read More »
Late in November, a customer contacted me and asked if I could make a giant version of my platypus stuffed animal. The project sounded like a lot of fun, so I ran a few calculations and decided it would be possible to increase the size of the toy and assemble one in time to ship
Making a Giant Platypus Plush Toy Read More »
Hey everyone! I’ve been crafting stuffed animals from my own patterns for a long time and I thought you would like a glimpse of what it takes to create a stuffed animal from scratch. Meet my platypus plush: This stuffed animal has proved to be my most popular product so far, which is great because
Making a Platypus Stuffed Animal Read More »
Well, it’s been a while since my last post, but things have still been busy behind the scenes. I’ve been working on this item for some time, and now I am very excited to announce my newest product: An adorable rabbit stuffed animal! This plush bunny measures about 17 inches tall, from the tip of
Meet the Store’s New Stuffed Animal! Read More »
