Archive for September, 2009
Posted Friday 4 September 2009 and filed under: Softie-Related Events
Tags:
Yes Softie-Makers, it is that time of the year once again - Softies for Mirabel for 2009 has just been launched by Meet Me At Mikes!

{image credit: Meet Me At Mikes}
This is the third year of this successful appeal. The Mirabel Foundation assists children who have been orphaned or abandoned due to parental illicit drug use and are now in the care of extended family (kinship care). In a nut-shell, the appeal is asking for you to donate a handmade softie to be sent to Mikes by December 10, 2009. Mikes will then co-ordinate with the Mirabel Foundation to distribute the softies to the children that the Foundation are supporting, just in time for Christmas!
This is a wonderful cause and I do hope you will get involved this year. If you have any questions about the appeal itself, please go over here for all the details. You can also add a picture of your handmade donation to the Softies for Mirabel Flickr Group (and see what others have been making).
And if you need to find a softie to make for the appeal . . . well, that’s what we’re here for!!
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Posted Tuesday 1 September 2009 and filed under: Other Softies, Tutorials/Free Patterns
Tags: ,Beginner project, cute, embroidery, free, Japanese, kokeshi, pattern, softie, stitch
Queens of Softie-making, Melly & Me, have generously posted up the free pattern and instructions for making this gorgeous kokeshi stuffie - so sweet!

{image credit: Melly & Me}
A small collection in different colours would look so lovely, or perhaps you can make them as giveaways for your daughter’s party, or even as little ornaments for the Christmas tree (which is only a few months away - eeek!).
Download the pdf and instructions over here: Kokeshi Stuffie by Melly & Me
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Posted Tuesday 1 September 2009 and filed under: Animal Softies, Sea Animals, Tutorials/Free Patterns
Tags: ,boys, cute, free, pattern, sea, softie, whale
Thank you to Danielle for letting me know about her fantastic free softie whale pattern:

{image credit: Small Dream Factory}
Isn’t he wonderful?! You can make one too by following her super clear instructions and using her downloadable pdf pattern.
Find him here: Softie Whale by Small Dream Factory
Explore her lovely website for more softie goodness (and she has a few more free patterns on offer too!).
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Posted Tuesday 1 September 2009 and filed under: 4-Legged Creatures, Animal Softies, Other Softies, Tutorials/Free Patterns
Tags: ,baby, bear, Beginner project, Cube, felt, finger puppet, free, hand-sewn, pattern, softie, teddy
Thank you to Linda for letting me know about some easy to make softies on her website, Pane Amore Creativita.
She has provided tutorials on how to make a felt cube softie, a felt bear softie, and felt finger puppets:



{image credit: Pane Amore Creativita}
The tutorials are in Italian but you can transalate them into English using one of the translation buttons on her website. Also, these projects are quite easy to follow without the transalation and can be purely hand-sewn.
Find them here:
1. Felt softie cubes by Pane Amore Creativita
2. Felt teddy bear by Pane Amore Creativita
3. Felt finger puppets by Pane Amore Creativita
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Posted Tuesday 1 September 2009 and filed under: Embellishing, Tips-n-Tricks
Tags: ,basic, cloth, hair, shoes, simple, synthetic hair, tip, wig
Elise of Zippypops recently contacted me to let me know that she had some tutorials up on her blog. Elise is a very talented doll-maker and you can view and purchase her beautiful creations from her shop.
In this tutorial she shares how to make a doll’s wig using synthetic hair (purchased from a craft shop or costume store) and how to attach it securely to a doll’s head creating this two-bun hair-do:

{image credit: Zippypops}
Find the tutorial here: How to make and attach a doll’s wig by Zippypops
Elise also shares how you can make these basic doll shoes, which you can then embellish to your heart’s content or keep sweet and simple:

{image credit: Zippypops}
Find the tutorial here: How to make basic doll shoes by Zippypops
Both tutorials are very clearly written with excellent pictures for each step.
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