Hi, I’m Pauline McArthur, the Australian soft toy designer behind the Funky Friends Factory.

When people ask me HOW the Funky Friends Factory got started…I say that it all began with a BUNNY!

Actually, No, it all began with a BABY… …well,

LOTS of babies!!!

You see, I began making ‘Baby-safe Bunnies’ for all my friends’ newborn babies with sewn on faces and no chewable, choke-able bits. They were so popular that I moved on to mass-production (that’s where the ‘factory’ bit comes from!) My husband’s favorite TV couch was taken over by soft toys!!! To keep him happy I designed him his very own toy dog. We were living in a tiny apartment and couldn’t have a real puppy so I created a substitute based on the neighbours’ puppy.

Jake the Jack Russell was born and the Funky Friends were TWO! Jake was designed with movable joints so he could sit, stand and cock his head to one side. He’s really cute but rather complicated! I’m rather impatient and prefer things that don’t take forever to make.

That’s why I’ve made sure all my other patterns are as easy as possible!!!

You can read  a little more background about  WHEN, HOW and WHY I got into pattern design HERE.

…and learn about the process that goes into my toy sewing pattern design process HERE!

I’ve been sewing and knitting my own toys and dolls since I was a kid, but it took until my 30s (OK, mid-30s) to realize that you’re never too old to do what you love! I’ve always worked in the optometry field (which pays the bills) but my passion is sewing. If there’s one thing I’d love to do all day, it would be to sew…. Over the years it’s been a great joy for me to see other people make and sew toys using my toy patterns!

I hope you enjoy my little critters as much as I do…

Happy sewing!
Pauline

(Pauline McArthur)
Australian Soft Toy Designer

FUNKY FRIENDS FACTORY