MATERIALS, part I

WHAT MATERIALS CAN YOU USE?

I have tried a couple different materials in making stuffed animals.

Yarn: It is easy to crochet or knit a plushie, because crochet is just a series of yarn loops.  You can unravel or work over any section you don't like.  The creature does show off any shaping mistakes (or, as you can also call them, "experiments"), so it's helpful to use or make a pattern if you care about symmetry...  If your yarn is very loose, the stuffing will show through, so some people line their projects with a thin fabric to hide any cotton/beans/whatever filler they're using.





Felt:  Felt works fine, because it's a relatively sturdy fabric. I did find that if I stitched too close to the edge of my fabric, the pressure of the stuffing would make my stitches start to strain the seams, to the point where I had to go back and re-stitch a few bursting spots by hand.  I could see the stitching when I used felt, so I made sure to use a complementary thread color.  Felt's a good material to use if you want a more sturdy end-product that can stand up on its own once stuffed.





Faux Fur: This fabric has a wonderful feel, and makes a great plushie.  It can be very annoying to work with, though.  All of the edges shed crazy amounts of fuzz, which gets on you, your floor, into your sewing machine, etc.  But the result can be very rewarding. Hugging this giant pillow can get addictive.







Fleece:  This is what I currently use.  My sewing machine still collects a little fuzz around the bobbin cradle, so I'll eventually have to get it professionally cleaned, but so far it's been worth it.  The fleece is soft and very cooperative, and it's edges will not fray.  I find that it also tends to hide seam stitching better (although if you stuff anything tight enough, it's seams will show, because the piece will literally be thinking about bursting).  It also makes a cuddlier end product than felt or yarn.  And it's machine washable!