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…
Favorite Tools: The Ball Point Awl
Sometimes success is all about having the right tool for the job. A ball point awl is one of my favorite softie-making tools. Here's how I use it: To free fur from seams. When you sew with faux fur, bits of the fur pile will get caught in the seams. Freeing the fur from the…
Two Essential Tricks for Sewing Thick Fabrics
Today I I have two great little tips for you that will make sewing softies from plush fabrics easier. Have you ever sat down at the sewing machine with a softie piece pinned and ready to sew only to find that you can hardly fit it under the presser foot? I love to use faux…
Sewing With Fleece: Tips and Tricks for Making Great Softies
Shelley the Snail pattern available right here. Fleece is an amazing fabric for sewing softies. Here's why: it's machine washable it's easy to find in almost any fabric store it comes in a huge variety of colors and patterns it's super soft and huggable it's durable it's forgiving of stitching mistakes Despite fleece's many fantastic…
Hemostats Explained
Hemostats are my very favorite softie making tool. Also known as surgical forceps, hemostats are a wonderful tool for easily turning softies right side out and for stuffing them firmly. I use my hemostats so much that I've developed a callus on the forefinger of my right hand! In this short video I demonstrate how…