How to Tell Which Side of Fleece is the Right Side

First, happy 4th of July to you!

We went to the Needham parade this morning. Our eldest daughter, Roxanne, is away at sleep away camp for a month. This is the first time she isn’t with us on the 4th of July, one of her favorite holidays. She’s very patriotic. The little girls were excited to be together, though!

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I’m super excited about a new fleece doll I’m working on right now. I really love working with fleece and I think it’s a great material for toys that kids actually play with. It’s soft and perfect for hugging. It’s durable and you don’t need to worry about getting it dirty. If you take your fleece doll into the garden for a tea party (or a stuffed animal funeral, as my kids did recently!), and it falls in the mud, you can put it in the washing machine without a problem.

When you sew a softie you almost always need to sew two pieces right sides together. But which side of fleece is the right side?

On standard fleece the right side is nubbly and the wrong side is smooth. When the pattern instructions say, “Place the two pieces right sides together,” it means place them nubbly sides together. Fleece marked “anti-pill” looks this way, too, and tends to be ultra-soft and cuddly.

Some fleece is smooth on both sides. It might be marked as “Blizzard Fleece” if you shop at JoAnn fabrics. To me this sort of fleece feels a bit thicker, too, but it’s still easy to work with. If you want a very smooth surface on your toy, this is a great choice.

It’s funny to be sewing with fleece in when it’s 90 degrees out, but that’s the life of a softie maker!

Happy sewing!