And we’re back!! No excuses for the prolonged absence. Let’s just get stuck back into it!
Check out this excellent time-lapse video on the process of making a plush toy by Love and Sandwich. Nothing solves the mystery of bringing a plush toy to life like seeing it in action. Enjoy!
Melly & Me have started a fantastic little series on their blog called “Tips & Tricks Tuesday“.
Their first tip/trick addresses one common softie-making question: “How do you sew and turn out those small softie parts?“. This includes parts like ears, little arms or legs, feet, horns, etc. that are easy enough to sew up but can drive one to instant insanity when it comes to turning them right-side out.
Melly provides a very clear tutorial accompanied by excellent pics.
{image credit: Melly & Me}
Find it here: Tips & Tricks Tuesday: Turning Small Parts by Melly and Me
Make a Comment ( None so far )Rice Babies provides a great tip on how to use animal silhouettes to make forest-themed stuffies/softies from felt. She used these as giveaways for her child’s birthday party:
{image credit: Rice Babies}
Find it here: Forest Friend Stuffies by Rice Babies
Found via Whip Up
Make a Comment ( None so far )Tantehilde makes extremely cute rag dolls. She shares a very helpful and clear tutorial on how to make a doll’s wig from knitting yarn, and how to attach it to a doll’s head to get this kind of hair style:
{image credit: Tantehilde}
Find the tutorial here: How to Make Doll’s Hair by Tantehilde
Make a Comment ( 3 so far )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.
Make a Comment ( None so far )The fabulous Tamie Snow of Roxycraft has put together a few videos on amigurumi techniques.
Here is a video she has done on Amigurumi Single Crochet:
Find more of her helpful and wonderfully put-together amigurumi demos, tutorials, and videos over here: Amigurumi Lessons by Roxycraft
Make a Comment ( None so far )Here is an excellent tutorial by Crafty Sheep on how to create a gorgeous thick head of hair for a doll (not just for Waldorfs - you could do the same for any kind of handmade doll):
{image credit: Crafty Sheep}
The photos and step-by-step instructions make this tutorial a real winner - it also helps that the doll being worked is just so darn adorable! 
Detail here: Waldorf Doll Hair Tutorial by Crafty Sheep
Related posts:
>> Basic Instructions for Making a Waldorf Doll by Simmy
Make a Comment ( None so far )Following on from the previous post on process, Holly from Two Cheese Please (a talented softie-maker from Melbourne, Australia too!) recently challenged herself to start and finish a doll (from sketch to finished product) in 24 hours.
Due to other priorities, she didn’t quite meet her deadline but this is the final doll (how CUTE is she?!):
{image credit: Two Cheese Please}
Holly shares the process/behind-the-scenes (decisions, obstacles, frustration, rework - who said softie-making was a walk in the park? ) here (listed in order):
>> 1. Now Taking All Bets - A Craft Challenge
>> 2. Extreme Craft Challenge! 3, 2, 1, Go!
>> 5. A New Week and Time for a New Do
Make a Comment ( None so far )I think the process of making something can be just as important as the final result - many lessons are learnt for the next challenge. I find it fascinating to see how others approach the process of making, especially how they turn a sketch on a piece of paper into a 3D object. So I hope you will find the next two posts helpful.
Jodie (of Ric-Rac) is from Melbourne, Australia, and makes beautiful softies (amongst other crafty things). More importantly though, she is kind, generous and has an infectious positive spirit. It is no surprise then that she took the time to share over a number of posts the process for making this little guy, Milton:
{image credit: Ric-Rac}
Who soon had this little lady friend (though Jodie admits that she is not completely happy with her and is still working on her):
{image credit: Ric-Rac}
Here are posts so you can follow along:
>> Step 1: But Where Does It Come From?
>> Step 2: Fantasy vs Reality or Will It Really Work?
More recently, she also posted some progress photos for making these elephants:
{image credit: Ric-Rac}
You can view them here: Pachyderm Evolution
Make a Comment ( None so far )When I started making softies a few years ago, I found it fairly easy to cut them out, sew them up and stuff them. What really stumped me was the the bit at the end when the instructions would say: “Use a ladder stitch to sew up the opening” (that was used for stuffing).
I had no idea what a ladder stitch was. I searched the internet and found lots of diagrams and as great as they were, I just didn’t get it!
Finally, someone had to show me how to do it. And wow - it is the perfect stitch for closing up softies as it ends up being invisible (hence also known as the “Invisible stitch” :-)). I’ve found, in my own experience, that the trick is to keep spaces between each ‘rung’ small and even, and to pull each stitch through tight.
If it is a complete mystery to you too, just watch this clip and hopefully it will make sense!
Via Craftzine.
Make a Comment ( 4 so far )
Liked it here?
Why not try sites on the blogroll...
