Today is the Jewish holiday of Purim. We spent the morning making these: hamentaschen. Hamentaschen are the traditional cookie of Purim because they are shaped with three-corners to represent the three-cornered hat worn by Haman, the villain of the Purim story. Filled with something sweet and sticky, such as poppyseed, prune, apricot or raspberry jam,…
All About Polyfil: An Interview with Judy Novella of Fairfield Processing
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…
Generating Design Ideas From Stories in the Public Domain
Classic children's stories are a wonderful source of inspiration for stuffed animal and doll makers. Many of the classic tales are now in the public domain which means that they either have expired copyrights or are ineligible for copyright protection. No permission is needed to use works that are in the public domain and that's…
Make a Bouquet of Felt Flowers for Your Valentine!
Valentine’s Day is almost here. This year, instead of buying flowers for your sweetheart (or for yourself!), whip up a bouquet of felt flowers. They’re quick and easy to make and they’ll last all year. Get my free felt flower tutorials right here: tulips and daffodils.
Outtakes
When I set up a photo shoot for the cover image on a new pattern I take lots and lots of photos, sometimes close to 100. There are so many variables in a shoot like this: the child has to have their eyes open and look happily engaged, the toy has to be facing forward,…
Top 5 Most Useful Thread Types for Sewing Softies
When I sit down to sew a stuffed animal I like to have all the best tools and materials right at my fingertips. Sewing softies isn’t an expensive craft and most of what you need is pretty humble and easy to find: some soft fabrics, a needle and thread, fabric scissors, a marking pen, and…
Free Goldfish Sewing Pattern
I had so much fun over the weekend revisiting this goldfish pattern. By playing with different circle sizes I made some new, bigger eyes and a pair of fat fish lips! I also sewed him from fleece so he’s squishy and soft, but I kept the shimmery organza tail. This fish was the first pattern…
Awesome Handmade Toys: Love and a Sandwich
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. One…
Gather Here: An Amazing Local Fabric Shop
There was a poster up in my dentist's office when I was a child that said, "Ignore your teeth and they will go away." This pronouncement had a profound impact on me, sitting there waiting for my turn in the chair. Because you know what? The same holds true for most things that we appreciate…
New Pattern: Luke and Lily Duck
First off I just want to thank my six-year-old for the names Luke and Lily. These ducks were very nearly Lester and Lucy, but Simon informed me in no uncertain terms that these were not a suitable names for ducks and Luke and Lily were way cuter. Agreed. Always consult with 1st graders when naming…
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