Do you want to sew a toy, but don’t know where to start?
Maybe you’ve got a toy pattern, but you’re nervous?
Maybe you’ve just sewn a toy and want another easy pattern for your next project?
If that’s YOU
– HOORAY –
you’ve come to the right place!🥳
We asked the 10k members of our Pattern Fan Club on FB to contribute ideas for this blog post – it was tough picking just 10 of their toy making tips for beginners!
Tip 1. Transfer all pattern marks and letters to the fabric:
✅ This is my #1 tip for all makers, regardless of sewing experience!*
✅ You can use a pencil, fabric marker, or special sewing pen that erases with air, water, or heat.
* I know this sounds so simple BUT don’t let this fool YOU ~> this seems to help 99% of people who get stuck!
Tip 2. Use the Step-by-Step Photo Tutorial:
✅ Most people said to look at the step-by-step photos AS you sew.
✅ You can find the link to the photo tutorial in the pattern. Look for a box called SEE ME SEW (usually on the bottom of page 3).
🙋♀️Tech help: If clicking the link does not work, try copying and pasting it into a browser. Some PDF viewers don’t activate the entire link when you click it.
Tip 3. Use an easy fabric first!
✅ Fleece is a great starter fabric! Start with regular polar fleece – it’s a flat fleece (no extra fluff or furry bits), it doesn’t fray, it’s forgiving of mistakes and it’s nice and CUDDLY!
✅ The second easiest fabric is quilting cotton. It’s is easy to work with because it is not very bulky, so it’s easy to pin! Lots of people have also had experience sewing with this kind of fabric.
✅ Don’t START with fake fur and fluffy fabrics! Thick fluffy fabrics can be hard to work with because they are bulky which makes them harder to pin and sew together. 🤯
Tip 4: Start with a Beginner / Easy pattern:
✅ There’s a section for EASY PATTERNS on the Funky Friends Factory website – just go to the home page and scroll down till you see it!
✅ These patterns are the easier because they don’t have a lot of pattern pieces.
Which Teddy Bear Pattern is EASY?
✅ I’ve designed Ben the Beginner Bear to be and EASY teddy bear pattern.
✅ Click here to find out WHY he’s a perfect “ALL-ROUND BEAR” – great for beginners, experienced makers AND everyone in between!
✅ You can read about Ben and all the other teddy bear patterns here, in the COMPARE THE BEARS and bear FAQ blog post.
Looking for a FREE easy teddy bear pattern?
✅ Honey Teddy Bear is a free pattern that I give to my newsletter subscribers as a thank you gift.
✅ If you haven’t got the pattern already – scroll down to the bottom of the page and sign up for my newsletter!
Tip 5. Test with non-sentimental fabric first!
✅ If you’re making a keepsake, it’s a good idea to sew a test toy BEFORE you cut up precious clothes or sentimental fabric!
✅ Sew a test toy with similar fabric so you know how the pattern will work in that fabric.
✅ Charity shops are a good place to find similar clothing items to use in a test toy.
Tip 6. Use interfacing for clothing & very stretchy fabric (Stops toys bloating!😵)
✅ Interfacing is used to stop fabrics stretching out of shape.
✅ Always use interfacing when sewing a memory bear from clothing items.The best interfacing for memory bears is an iron-on, medium-weight, woven interfacing (like Pellon 101 or Vsilene G700).
Three quick guidelines for WHEN to use INTERFACING:
✅ YES! T-shirts, onesies, and stretchy fabrics do need interfacing.
✅ NO! You don’t need interfacing for regular fleece and quilting cotton.
✅ YES! If you’re using multiple types of fabric in a project (like fleece cottons and T-shirt fabrics), do interface all of the fabrics so they have the same amount of stretch.
Tip 7. Don’t worry about being too slow or making mistakes.
✅ “Slow down, you’ll get there FASTER.”
✅ Don’t skip steps, jump ahead or take shortcuts.
✅ Use lots of pins to hold the pieces together so they don’t slip as you sew. (A quick check of the seams to make sure everything caught and sewed together correctly is much easier than finding it after you turn it right side out at the end.)
✅ Usually it’s just a simple mistake – and your unpicker can fix it!
The important thing is to have FUN sewing your toy! NO one’s perfect PLUS wonky toys have character!
8. Learn HOW to stuff a toy – it’s easy when you know how!
✅ Check out the toy-stuffing blog post – there a VIDEO to show you how to stuff a toy and great tips for stuffing toys. (Answers stuffing questions like “How much stuffing do I need?” and “Where do I get the most popular type of stuffing?”)
Tip 9: Take the FREE toy-making course (Get a free FFF pattern!)
✅ Learn everything you need to know about sewing soft toys with this FREE Toy-making Course.
✅ Get the EASIEST TOY PATTERN – Plattie Platypus – for FREE!
Tip 10. WATCH Pauline sew Honey Teddy:
✅ Click the image below to see Pauline sew one of her toy patterns!
✅ If you haven’t got the pattern already – scroll down to the bottom of the page and sign up for the Funky Friends Factory newsletter!
These beginners did it, and you can, too! 🥳
Here’s a collage of “first Funky Friends” made by our Pattern Fan Club members. Some of these sewers had never even used a sewing pattern before!
Thanks everyone for your fantastic suggestions!
If you have a great TIP for beginners that we left out ~ leave a comment below!
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Till next time,
Happy Sewing,
Pauline
xxx
These are great tips. Marking the pattern carefully is absolutely key to creating a special toy or doll or anything being made.
Also mark all of your pattern pieces carefully and completely when tracing the pattern onto cardstock. I also keep my pattern pieces close when sewing, in case I’m having an issue.
Being an “old” hand at Funky Friends my tip would be: make yourself a drink, sit in a comfy chair and READ THE PATTERN FIRST, FROM START TO FINISH!!! I still do this every single time – you will be surprised at how much it helps you in the wonderful of creating a Funky Friend.
Hey Sandy! I can just picture you doing this… just not sure it’s a cuppa tea or a cocktail you’d be drinking? LOL😂
For being a beginner sewing stuffed animals. I have a tip; Always sew to the end of the material because when you turn the right side out you might have a hole where the seams meet
One of the best things about sewing is mistakes can easily be ripped out so you can start over. So don’t be fearful of sewing! Just start, you may just surprise yourself.
That’s so true!!!🥰
Use lots of pins and take your time. Also, cut yourself some slack if you make a mistake. Mistakes are an opportunity to try again and make it better😁
I think people are too harsh on themselves, even when their toys look VERY cute, they are still critical of their own sewing?😭
Wish I had time to make each and every pattern and with all the beautiful fabric I would be in heaven!
Everyone starts as a beginner. FFF patterns and Pauline’s wonderfully created community REALLY make it doable for all. It’s fun and addicting. There is help in different formats, support and inspiration.
The patterns are SO much better than others I had tried. Take your time, enjoy and tackle at the pace that works for you. I love each one, as it take on it’s personality as I add an ear or arm or such. Very glad I found FFF.
Thank you for your lovely words of encouragement, Mary!
Don’t iron over pattern markings if you’re using a Frixion pen for marking! I traced out my pattern onto interfacing, then ironed the interfacing to the fabric and just like magic all my marks vanished! I knew frixion pen was erasable – I thought with friction, didn’t read it was erasable with heat! So I had to redraw everything again!
I did that ONCE too!!!!!!😖😝
Sometimes I baste by hand or even sew some permanent seams by hand because the pieces are small and I find it difficult to get them in the throat of my sewing machine. I think it is quicker to sew by hand than sewing it incorrectly by machine and unpicking the seam.
Oh my gosh … I’ve just found funky friends , think this might become my new obsession … with 4 small grandchildren I think I need every pattern 🤣but I will just have to start with an easy one first .. Any suggestions for a newbie ? 🙏
Hi Leanne! Your comment made me laugh – I tell people – beware, sewing toys can be addictive!!!🤣 There is a link to my easiest patterns in TIP 4 of this blog post… and you can try my easy Plattie Platypus pattern for free, if you do my FREE toy making course (link in TIP 9) Have fun sewing your grandkids unique toys!