Some craft supplies are, well, kinda sexy. A pack of vibrant Aurifil thread, an Amy Butler jelly roll, or a display of Martha Stewart irridescent glitter: these are the eye candy of crafters. Poly-Fil? Not so much. It's white and fluffy and comes in a big plastic bag.
It may not be the most exciting item at the craft store, but Poly-Fil is a hugely important component of softies. If you make softies, even just occasionally, I'm betting you've got a bag of this stuff stashed somewhere:
I actually love Poly-Fil. In fact I'd proudly describe myself as a stuffing nerd. I recently ordered a giant bag of stuffing and when it arrived I was happy as a clam.Think of all the toys I can stuff!
I'm interested in all facets of stuffing. I want to know how it's made and best way to wash a stuffed toy. I'm interested in the specific properties of different stuffing materials. Poly-Fil is a vital component of every single thing I make. I want to know all about it!
I've been known to make every member of my family help me hold bags of Fairfield stuffing so that I can get out of the store in one trip.
So I called the folks at Fairfield, a leading manufacturer of Poly-Fil, to get the inside scoop. Today I'm really pleased to share with you an interview with Judy Novella, the Marketing Manager at Fairfield Processing.
Judy Novella, Marking Manager at Fairfiled Processing
In our 20 minute chat you'll hear about:
- How Fairfield went from a fur processing company that served the hatting industry in Connecticut to becoming a leading stuffing manufacturer.
- What makes some stuffing "squishy" and some stuffing "crunchy" and whether there's a middle ground.
- What kind of eco-friendly stuffings are on the market now and how they behave
- How Fairfield created an incredibly creative award-winning booth at Quilt Market this fall
Waterfall of quilt batting in the Fairfield booth.
A tree with batting bark and batting flowers at the base in the Fairfield Booth at Quilt Market.
Did you know that Fairfield is a third-generation family-owned company? And that their products are made in the United States?
It was great talking with Judy because she clearly shares my devotion to quality stuffing materials. This stuff may not be sexy, but it sure is important!
I hope you enjoy our interview. (Forgive the echo at the start of our recording, it goes away after a few minutes.) If you have any stuffing questions, please ask them in the comments and either Judy or I will respond. Thank you!
Find Fairfield Processing online here:
I am so happy to finally find information on polyfil. She perfectly describes how the bamboo fill works. It was not a friendly fiber for a more tightly filled stuffed animal at all. Had to take it all out and use polyfil. I do have a question. What is the best fill or the best method for legs? I have a lovely giraffe pattern and I would like him to have a bit more “ommpf” to his legs so that he stands nicely. Either a type of fill or a better technique for stuffing. I have not been able to find information on the technique of stuffing. thanks so much.
Hi Celestine,
I wrote about stuffing in this post which you might find helpful: http://whileshenaps.com/2011/02/elements-of-soft-toy-design-9-stuffing.html
I also write about it extensively in my book, Stuffed Animals, which you can find in my shop or on Amazon.
For the giraffe legs you might try glass pellets for the feet. These are often used by artist teddy bear makers and the give the animal a nice weight so that it can stand on its own. Another option would be wool stuffing which packs tightly, but I would suggest using hemostats to really push it into the legs and pack it firmly.
I hope that helps!