Today's edition: a drawing Roxanne made when she was 4-years-old of a little girl with brown, curly hair.
The pieces I'm doing now are all made from felt because they will all be displayed together in a store window. When I begin taking custom orders the toys will be made from a variety of materials so that they will be a bit more huggable and more easily washed. If you are eager for a custom toy from your child's drawing you can order now from Wendy Tsao, a Canadian artist who makes them, too! Check out her work! She does a great job.
Hi Abby-
She’s adorable! I love how you got the exact colors and movement of that curly hair. Just popping in for a blog visit while I procrastinate. 😉 I hope you are well.
Carrie
Thanks for sharing Wendy Tsao’s site. What a wonderful original idea to turn a children’s drawing into a lovable stuffed toy.
Good luck on your new venture.
Oh, I just love these! You capture the drawings so beautifully and bring them to life.
So cute! I love your plushies and to think, I just missed learning from you in Cambridge! I moved to Central Florida now. Boo.
She’s really sweet – I love the way the body is outlined in the same colours as the original drawing. In the UK, we wouldn’t be able to market this as a toy due to the difficulty/expense of complying with safety regulations. But then, as an adult, I do find this appealing. I wonder if you could market it for adults – as a sort of keepsake from their kids’ (or grandkids’) childhoods. Certainly a few soft toys would be easier to keep and display than stacks of drawings that kids generate!
Interesting. Are the softie designers in the UK who sell handmade softies at all, via Etsy or elsewhere? Are they in violation of the law? That seems awfully strict.
My understanding is that you need to either buy materials which are already certified as safe for children, or you get the finished toy tested yourself. When I looked into the latter for my bears, the costs were far too high – certainly for someone selling their items themselves, via Etsy or whatever.
As far as buying safe materials goes, I have been told you can’t buy plastic joints in the UK which are certified safe for children, and I have enquired of a few felt wholesalers whether their fabrics are safe. The answer was that they couldn’t give a guarantee. My search wasn’t exhaustive though – I could be over-stating the case.