I realize that designing and sewing a stuffed animal may be a new sort of project for many people. If you sew at all you probably already have much of what you'll need to get started and, as I point out in the trailer, you can make beautiful softies from humble materials. But there are a few speciality supplies, like fur and eyes, that you might enjoy trying out. Here are some recommendations for where to find them.
In Stuffed Animals there's a fun pattern for a furry puppy:
When you make this guy you'll see how to design a toy with a turned head, which is a pretty cool technique, and you'll get to experiment with sewing with fur.
Check out Luxury Faux Fur, a shop on Etsy with a great selection of fur fabrics. Here you can buy just a 1/2 yard or 1/3 yard cut so you're not buying and storing more fabric than you need, and you can find fun, funky colors unavailable in big box fabric stores. For the puppy you could use some gray and chocolate brown shag, for example.
If you've never made a classic teddy bear, give it a try. The teddy bear was literally the very first stuffed animal that gained commercial popularity and it retains it's classic appeal today. Use the pattern in Stuffed Animals to see how the pieces come together, and then design your own unique bear using those basic building blocks.
I like safety eyes for teddy bears and there's a whole section in Stuffed Animals that explains how to use them. Most fabric stores carry only a limited selection of safety eyes, usually just 12 mm black and brown. Don't feel limited, though! Find every kind of eye size, shape and color you could hope for at 6060 on Etsy.
I just ordered 10 pairs of 12 mm safety eyes in a rainbow of colors. Aren't they pretty! Makes me want to sew. I'm thrilled that a package of eyes from 6060 will be included in the book release giveaway on May 7!
It's fun to experiment with new fabrics and try out some new techniques. Supplies from these Etsy shops will get you started on your stuffed animal making journey. It's a fun one!
I’ve ordered from 6060 before – fast service and great selection! Thanks for the fur link – I have a pretty good selection of fabric stores in my area but it can still be hard to find nice fur.
You are such a useful person! I’ve been looking for a source for a certain size cat eye and here it is – yay!
Received your book last week – that is going to prove invaluable in the future, can’t wait to put it to use.
I'm so glad you found the eyes you were looking for, Caroline, and enjoy the book!
As always, you have given us such great information…so generous! I have been making a certain type of bunny for years and could only use brown or blue eyes, if I could find those! And the fur…..yay for a different source! I will be placing orders from both companies very soon. Can’t wait to check out your book. Just ordered it today!
Hi Kathy,
Terrific! I can sit and look through shop listings for safety eyes for many, many hours. I love good eyes! I hope you enjoy the book!
-Abby
i am making stuffed toys. I need to know where to get embroidered eyes for wild animals. I have used the safety eyes before, but am worried a little one could choke on them. Any clues??? Thank you so much for your time.
I usually embroider the eyes by hand. You could also use an embroidery machine, or pay someone who has an embroidery machine to make them for you. I hope that helps!
I came to your site in search of eyes for the animals I crochet. By any chance do you know a good place to find arm and leg joints to pose the animals?
I was looking where can I buy material to make stuffed animals when I was pregnant of my son I made a soccer ball for him and now I want to make one for my grand sond but I don’t know where to buy material or patterns
You can find lots of materials online. I’m not sure where you live, but you might try Fabric.com for fleece and other soft fabrics. I sell patterns here on my site, or you can look on Etsy. Good luck!