I absolutely love handmade dolls. The desire to make dolls is what drew me into sewing in the first place and I never get tired of looking at and admiring the way artists create people in miniature form with fabric and thread. The opportunity for creative expression is truly endless. Today, I’ve gathered five handmade…
Abigail Brown’s Fabulous Flamingo Pattern
Abigail Brown in her studio. Abigail Brown is one of my favorite artists. She makes soft sculpture birds, and we share the same first name, so I’ve been a fan of her work for many years. When I wrote my first book, The Arftul Bird, I was able to feature several other bird makers and Abigail was…
Awesome Handmade Toys: Rag Dolls
Pumpkin was my very special doll when I was six or so. She had red hair that I’d washed and played with so much it was matted. Her face was plastic, but she had a cloth body and a dress you could take on and off. She was my favorite. I still love dolls and…
3 Softie Makers You Should Know About
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…
A Plush Lover’s Gift Guide: Soft Toys to Make and Buy for Kids Big and Small
I love stuffed animals. And I especially love handmade stuffed animals. As we head into the holiday shopping season, I’m excited for an excuse to buy some special plush for friends and family. Here’s my hand-picked selection of softies that would make amazing gifts for kids and adults alike. Owl Pillow by my mimi, Big…
Awesome Handmade Toys: Jenny Maj of Fluffmonger
Jenny Maj is an artist and plush maker living in Greensboro, North Carolina. She is a member of my private Facebook group for soft toy designers and earlier this month announced that she’d opened a shop on Etsy called Fluffmonger to sell her plush toys. When I saw the images Jenny had created for her…
4 Plush Makers You Should Know About
One of the things I love best about the Internet is that it gives me the ability to find beautiful work by plush makers around the world. In the past, hunting for this sort of work was really difficult. I was dependent on a few images sporadically published in obscure magazines with no way to…
Softie Kits to Sew: A Round Up
One of the first softies I ever made was a fleece bunny and carrot from a kit my mom sent me in a care package when I was in my early 20’s and living on my own. My mom is a big buyer of kits. I made the bunny and it was the first softie…
Awesome Handmade Toys: Michelle Jewell of Finkelstein’s Center
Before we jump into today's post I want to invite you to something new. I've recently created a private Facebook group for people who design sewing patterns for toys and dolls. It's called the Softie Designers Forum and it's already amazing. This is a place to ask all those detailed questions about pattern templates and…
Awesome Handmade Toys: Jess Quinn
The post is part of an occasional series called "Awesome Handmade Toys." These posts feature toy makers whose work I think is particularly fresh and inventive. You can see previous posts in the series here. I also pin toys to my Inspiring Softies pinboard on a regular basis if you're looking for more inspiration. +++++…