MATERIALS, part II

WHAT MATERIALS DO I USE FOR MY CUDDLIES?

1. Fleece. I use this for the main body of the plushie.  It's soft, and, as I've said before, it's very forgiving.  Its edges do not fray, and it's machine washable.




2. Felt.  I like this sturdier material for eyes.  I sew the layers of the eyes together before adding them to the body, to help give them structural integrity.









3. Stuffing.  The more you stuff (within reason, of course), the sturdier your plushie will be and the more it will able to literally stand on its own.  It will also be less lumpy after a trip through the washing machine, because the stuffing won't have been able to move around as much.  You can use a "50% off one item" coupon at Joann's for one of these 5-lb. babies, and you're good to go.

4. Thread. Your piece will have a better life-span if your thread is reliable.  And you won't have to deal with breakage as you work.  I sometimes use more delicate, colored threads for accents, but it's not really worth the hassle if you want to make sure your piece will stand up to actual use.







5. Sewing needles. You never know when you'll need to sew some accent pieces by hand, or repair a small structural issue that your machine can't access.  You can use basic needles or long, doll-making needles.  Whatever works best for you.  I like to have a little needle-holding capsule that can hold a few needles on the go.  And magnetic needle cases are awesome!  They keep your needles from straying...






6. Sewing machine!  Your best friend.  It's fun to sew by hand, but for nice, strong seams, and a speedy job that gets you to the fun accent-work more quickly, the sewing machine's the way to go.  I use a basic, foot-pedaled Singer Touch & Sew.  It has 69 pre-programmed stitches (both functional and decorative), with a handy pull-out stitch guide.  It also has a button for reverse-stitching or knotting the threads
together (like making a knot when hand sewing to prevent unraveling).  The front of the base opens into a compartment for storing bobbins and other small "notions," and the entire left side of the base pulls offwhich can be handy if you're working on a narrow-diameter piece like a sleeve tube or plushie.  And always have extra sewing needles!  You never know when you'll need them.