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3 Softie Makers You Should Know About

April 17, 2015

Softies were my route into sewing and they remain at the core of my interest in thread and fabric. I don’t think I’ll ever be a quilter or a garment sewer or a bag maker. When I see a pile of fabric and a sewing machine all I want to do is make a little someone to hang out with. I’m fairly sure I’ll feel this way for the rest of my life.

There are doll and softie makers whose careers I’ve followed for years (Tamar Mogendorff especially) and then there are people whose work I’ve just discovered. Today I thought I’d share three softie makers who fall into that latter category. They each have a distinctive, fresh style and I hope you’ll love their work as much as I do.

1. Alice Mary Lynch is a UK-based doll maker. Her formal training is as a fashion designer and that sensibility is evident in her work.

Alice Mary Lynch

Her dolls are adorned in fine fabrics, beads, and trim and are often very stylishly dressed. There’s a dreamy quality about their faces. These are creatures that would be very happy inhabiting a fairy tale world.

swan princess by alice mary lynchSwan Princess by Alice Mary Lynch

cats by alice mary lynchNell Nell and Dee Dee by Alice Mary Lynch

prince asa by alice mary lynchPrince Asa by Alice Mary Lynch

Keep up with Alice Mary Lynch through her blog where she posts new work about once a month.

2. Skippity Hop Creatures are plush toys created by Edinburgh-based artist Kim Sinclair. Kim has a degree in sculpture. She uses a mix of new and upcycled fabrics to create a range of endearing characters with slightly sullen expressions.

woolen bunny by skippity hop creaturesWoolen Rabbit by Skippity Hop Creatures.

Boston Terrier by SkippityHop CreaturesBoston Terrier by Skippity Hop Creatures

Cream Velour Mouse by SkippityHop CreaturesCream Velour Mouse by Skippity Hop Creatures

Keep up with Kim via the Skippity Hop Facebook page or browse the toys she has for sale in her shop on Etsy.

3. Manafka Mina is a shop filled with colorful faux taxidermy heads by Israeli artist, Hadar Kaplan. Hadar is trained as a graphic designer. Her interest in rendering three-dimensional objects in yarn began with creating plants and cacti and then knitting characters from a 1970’s children’s television show in Israel, Kishkashta.

And now she crochets these fabulously colorful, imaginative mounted heads.

zebra by hadar kaplanZebra by Manafka Mina

boar by manafka minaBoar by Manafka MinaHadar Kaplan

Elephant by Manafka Mina (with artist Hadar Kaplan)

Hadar has a few items for sale in her Etsy shop and you can keep up with her on Facebook.

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Gorgeous, right? And fun and charming and everything good about sewing and crocheting and making.

Got a softie maker to recommend to me? I’m all ears.

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Filed Under: Featured Soft Toy Designers

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Comments

  1. Jen Mullen says

    April 17, 2015 at 4:29 pm

    I’ve admired Alice Mary Lynch’s work for a while, but the others are new to me! Thanks for sharing. That Boston Terrier is too cute for words.

  2. Rebecca Grace says

    April 17, 2015 at 7:13 pm

    Ooh, I LOVE the crocheted trophy animals that Hadar makes! Especially the zebra. How fantastic would those look in a nursery?! Thanks for sharing these special artists and their work.

  3. Shannon says

    April 17, 2015 at 7:49 pm

    Lovely work!

  4. Michele Timms says

    April 18, 2015 at 8:18 pm

    Beautiful creations with amazing attention to detail!!! Thank you for sharing these incredible and talented artists and their work!

    • Abby says

      April 21, 2015 at 6:09 pm

      Sure thing!

Welcome! I'm Abby Glassenberg and I'm glad you're here. While She Naps is a blog about designing and sewing stuffed animals and running a creative business.
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