Make Your Own Soft Toys

This wonderful collection of handmade toys will delight children both young and old. The 25 projects, designed by expert craftsman Rob Merrett, take their inspiration from traditional playthings, including dolls, animals, and more. Begin with Baby’s First Soft Toy—delightful gifts for newborns designed in soft colors and gentle prints. Nursery Novelties is next, with easy patchwork and appliqué embellishments, followed by Activity Toys, where clever designs will stimulate young children’s minds. Creature Comforts has adorable animals that are perfect for little ones in a range of pretty fabrics. Finally, Divine Dollies is packed with trendy, vintage-looking rag dolls that you will love to make. Rob also develops the concept of “Kids Forever,” where designs should appeal not just to children, but also to adults who will appreciate his stylish, retro approach. Each toy comes with clear, step-by-step text and beautiful photography and artworks that will guide even a novice stitcher, helping them to produce gorgeous gifts with a charming, handcrafted feel.

This technique-filled workshop for creating soft toys, with 16 projects and 52 lessons, covers everything from the basics to advanced construction elements.

Havens helps home sewers create adorable soft toys whose looks fall somewhere between classically cute and Japanese modern and which can be extensively customized.

Provides patterns and detailed instructions for constructing a teddy bear and offers tips on assembling and adding character to each bear

Step-by-step instructions to make dolls, teddy bears, puppets and animals

Traces the step-by-step development of twelve toy patterns encouraging creative designing by the beginner or advanced toymaker

Make your own unique and huggable soft toys with this quirky collection of 12 easy-to-sew stuffed animal patterns, so cute they are guaranteed to make children of all ages smile! With fun photography and clear detailed diagrams inspired by Japanese pattern books, each step is then broken down in jargon-free instructions--which beginner sewers will find super-helpful--while more advanced sewers will be able to work from the diagrams alone. As well as giving readers all the advice they need on materials, stuffing and sewing techniques, all the templates needed are given at actual size, meaning readers can trace them straight off the page and start sewing straight away! The 12 cute stuffed animal designs will delight boys and girls alike and include patterns for a monkey, an owl, a bear, a dragon, a tiger, a cat, a dog, a hippo and more. All the toys are made in washable and affordable quilt-weight cotton, so you can choose your own favourite colors and prints to get creative with!

Softies--simple cloth characters to sew with basic tools--are popular worldwide for good reason: easy, fun designs give the successful results that inspire a new generation of kids to sew. This guide to the zenki way, from the founder of Sew a Softie, helps parents, teachers, community organizations, and kids make a good thing even better! Using the zenki method, everyone can create huggable softies--and more importantly, design their own. The zenki secret? Two squares of felt, only four straight lines to sew, and a key design feature: wide seam allowances, allowing arms, legs, wings, hair, and more to be cut from the border (no inserting or pinning). Try it with these 14 different zenki characters to make, brimming with quirky personality and ready for your own touch. Each project builds designing know-how and has clear photo-by-photo instructions. Learn the zenki way to become an unstoppable softie designer, and a lifelong sewing lover.