Learn how to make toys from a pro - book review: Stuffed Animals by Abby Glassenberg

I love solving mysteries.

Specifically, crafting mysteries.

Each mystery solved adds another super power to my crafting arsenal.

My biggest crafting mystery to date:

How to make professional looking stuffed animals.

My first stuffed animal was a bunny made out of 2 circles of white felt, purple felt ears, an embroidered face and a pom-pom tail. I think I was about 11 years old.

The 2 circles stitched together for the bunny’s body made a flat, disc-like shape.

It was nothing like the commercially manufactured toys that could stand on their own and had 3 dimensional bodies and heads.

How did they do it?

It was a mystery that I needed to solve.

Since then, I’ve spent years experimenting, sewing, researching patterns, and looking at commercially manufactured toys in an attempt to decode the secret of stuffed animal making.

My education was a disjointed struggle of trial and error.

Why wasn’t there one place with all the information I needed to make my own stuffed animals?

Then a few months ago I heard that toy maker, pattern designer, and teacher, Abby Glassenberg (of While She Naps fame), wrote a book about everything you need to know to design and construct your own stuffed animals.

Finally!

The book I wish I had when I started my toy making quest was here.


I am so happy to share Abby's book with you today and the cute project I made from it.

The book is:

Stuffed Animals: From Concept to Construction
 

by Abby Glassenberg.

Stuffed Animals is not just a book with some projects to sew.

Stuffed Animals is a complete education in toy making.

It contains 16 projects and 52 lessons.

By following the lessons in Stuffed Animals, you won’t have to go through the years of struggle that I did.

You’re so lucky!



Part 1: Getting Started shares the tools and materials of the trade, as well as the process of designing and making stuffed animals.

Even though I’ve made a lot of stuffed animals before, I still had an “Ah Hah” moment in almost every paragraph.

The real heart of Stuffed Animals, however, is in the lessons which are in Part 2: Projects.

There are 52 lessons that cover everything from making basic shapes, through advanced construction with specialty materials.

You get a chance to practice the lessons as you make the 16 adorable projects included in Stuffed Animals.

I decided to make the the Ram because it tackled one of the biggest mysteries I had when I was learning to make stuffed animals before this book.

The head gusset.

A head gusset is what gives the head of a toy its fullness and shape.


The Ram is project 3 in Stuffed Animals and contains

Lesson 12: Head Gussets (Abby clearly explains the “what, why, and how” of making head gussets),

Lesson 13: Safety Eyes,

Lesson 14: Increasing Your Success with Long, Narrow Parts,

and Lesson 15: Embroidering a Nose and Mouth with Long Straight Stitches.

It also answers the question: How much stuffing is enough?


Since I wanted to focus on the head gusset, I decided to skip making the Ram’s body all together and instead make my Ram into a faux taxidermy (which Abby actually shares how to do later in the book).

I traced the pattern for the Ram and extended the neck a little bit (as suggested).

I used fuzzy fleece for the Ram’s neck and back of the ears, and felted woven wool for its face. Both fabrics I already had in my studio. I didn’t have any white wool for the face, so I used a light grey herringbone instead.

I also already had safety eyes. Stuffed Animals has a resource list on where to purchase safety eyes and other toy making materials and tools.

The sewing instructions for the Ram were easy to follow and included helpful step-by-step photos.

Below is an image of the two sides of my Ram’s head and the head gusset so you can see what the head gusset looks like before it’s sewn.




If you were to just sew the two sides of the head together without the head gusset, you’d get a very flat head (like the bunny I made when I was 11).

By adding a head gusset, you’re widening the space between the two sides of the head, giving the head a 3 dimensional shape.

The below image shows the two sides of my Ram’s head and the head gusset all sewn, turned right side out, and stuffed.



Stuffed Animals has instructions to make the horns for the Ram extra cute by adding a machine stitched, striped surface texture. I decided to skip adding the extra surface texture and used fabric that had big stripes already on it.

Instead of mounting my Ram faux taxidermy onto a wooden plaque (which I didn’t already have in my studio), I mounted it in an embroidery hoop (which I have tons of).

I stitched the Ram to a piece of dark fabric, then placed the fabric into the embroidery hoop.

With a couple of stitches, I attached a circular piece of cardboard to the back of the fabric in the embroidery hoop to help counter-balance the weight of the Ram.

Below is a pic of my finished Ram.

I can’t begin to tell you how much I love it!




I named it “Ally” because I watched a season of Ally McBeal while making it.

Also, I figured the Ram could be “Ally from the Alps.”

I stitched her name onto a little golden plaque made out of felt, then glued it to the fabric in the embroidery hoop.

It’s cold up there in the Alps so I knit Ally a scarf and hat.

What do you think of Ally?

I’m over-the-moon happy with her.

There were several techniques used in the making of Ally that improved on my current knowledge, and even looking at the pattern for the Ram was informative.

I can’t wait to try another project and learn more.

Here are a few other lessons from Stuffed Animals that I wish I knew a long time ago:

Lesson 4: Sewing a Sphere

Lesson 11: Eyelids

Lesson 19: Dressing and Accessorizing Your Softie

Lesson 31: How to Design a Jointed Animal


I can tell that Stuffed Animals: From Concept to Construction is going to be one of the most used resource books on my craft shelf.


Click here to order and take a peek inside Stuffed Animals: From Concept to Construction.


Also be sure to check out Abby’s wonderful blog, While She Naps, where Abby talks toys, sewing and business. Listen to her podcast and sign up for her newsletter (you’ll love it).


Click here to check out Abby’s blog, While She Naps, and pattern shop, Abby Glassenberg Design.


Have you already made a project from Abby’s book, Stuffed Animals: From Concept to Construction?

Have you had any struggles or “Ah hah” moments in your own toy making quest?

I’d love to hear about it.

Leave a comment below to share.

And good luck solving your next crafting mystery.


If you found this post interesting, I hope you'll join me to get weekly emails on how to craft a happy life - and make something cute in the process. For signing up you’ll also get a FREE Picnic Pals minis hand embroidery pattern.

Click here to join (it's FREE too!)

36 comments:

  1. Love your ram,,,and it has nothing to do with the fact i'm an Aries. LOL Too cute. I've made a few stuffed toys and am always amazed at how well they turn out,,but this book would take them to a whole new level. Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I found this book at the public library and was really excited. I recently decided I wanted to learn to sew stuffed animals, and this seemed like the perfect how-to. I'm going to start with the fish at the beginning though.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ally is Awesome, and extra Adorable with her knitted hat and scarf.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Your ram is so incredible! I love everything about her. Thank you so much for this lovely and in-depth review of my book, Alyssa. Ally is awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Abby Glassenberg is a genius and I love your take on her pattern!! I think your fabric choices are as adorable as your faux taxidermy idea too. So cute I might steal it! Have you heard about the sew-along she's hosting for the public domain vintage toy patterns?

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love this book and have made several projects from it! I love your ram - it looks fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
  7. —FAB—U—LOUS— Alyssa! I just discovered Abby and all her incredible resources. You two are a perfect pair!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I too made the ram from Abby's book, but adapted it slightly to make a lamb instead. I love the way she explains the process so simply, takes all the mystery and room for error away. One of my favourite books is her Artful Bird - the patterns are so cleverly constructed.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  10. sooo cuteee :)
    I really cant make 3D doll, it's kinda hard for me, i'll prefer 2D doll LOL

    ReplyDelete
  11. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  12. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  13. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  14. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I know this is late but...rams are male, dear. There is no female ram. However, the project is very cute. Also, why hang it as though it is a trophy? Best to let him run free up in the mountains.

    ReplyDelete
  16. It looks cute! I love your Ram & Ally…they are so pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  17. This is really great work. Thank you for sharing such a good and useful information here in the blog for us.
    We are a leading Google Adwords Company in India. We create attractive and innovative marketing strategies and provide solutions for all your Google Adwords Services needs.

    ReplyDelete
  18. There are many attractions in Thailand like its food, culture, parties, hospitality but apart from them, there is one more element which acts as a tourist magnet for couples families and various people around the globe who are on a vacation. That element is its group of beautiful islands and beaches, Thai islands are filled with the beauty of nature. Famous teddy bears

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thanks for nice information
    Rollup kids are a leading toys wholesaler, distributor, supplier in Dubai, UAE. Rollup kids deals with wholesale soft toys, kid’s toys, baby dolls, wooden toys, fidget spinners toys, stuffed animals toys, plush toys and remote control car wholesale toys
    Toys Wholesaler, Supplier and Distributor Dubai, UAE | Doll Wholesaler, soft toys, kids toys, baby dolls, wooden toys, fidget spinners toys, stuffed animals toys

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hello I am so delighted I located your blog, I really located you by mistake, while I was watching on google for something else, Anyways I am here now and could just like to say thank for a tremendous post and a all round entertaining website. Please do keep up the great work. Toy

    ReplyDelete
  21. While you probably know the big players in the adult dating market like AdultFriendFinder.com,  finding unicorns

    ReplyDelete
  22. plush toys You made such an interesting piece to read, giving every subject enlightenment for us to gain knowledge. Thanks for sharing the such information with us to read this...

    ReplyDelete
  23. gifts to Pakistan from USA I am glad to read this post. Will be hoping to see more from you.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Absolutely love this detergent! The fragrance is divine and lasts so long. Also, it's super convenient to send gifts to Pakistan for your loved ones. Highly recommend!

    ReplyDelete
  25. thanks for your marvelous posting! I really enjoyed reading it, you happen to be a great author.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I must say you’ve done a very good job with this.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Your web site is great. I was extremely touched by this post.

    ReplyDelete
  28. You made some good points there.

    ReplyDelete
  29. I was actually captured with the piece of resources you have got here.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...