āHelp! What’s the fastest toy to sew in one night?ā
That’s the sort of PANICKY question we start getting every December on our Pattern Fan Club question page!šµ This blog post will answer MOST of those urgent “last-minute toy sewing questions” so YOU don’t need to panic! We’ve got lots of info and links to other great blog posts (details below) that you can access 24/7 to get answers.
OK, let’s do this..
Your top 10 holiday gift sewing questions:
We’ve answered each question and added lots of links to blog posts that will give you any extra info you’ll need. (You may need to skim the posts for the headings that are most relevant for YOU).
Don’t worry if your question
isn’t answered here ~>If your specific question isn’t covered hereĀ – you can join the FB Pattern Fan Club GroupĀ to ask questions of your fellow elves!
Q.1. How BIG is this toy in real life?
ANSWER: You can find out the size of each toy in the pattern listing – the size is given in BOTH centimeters and inches – as you can see here:
If you want to see examples of the toys with people – we’ve gathered LOTS of feedback photos of people holding Funky Friends Factory toys. From babies to teens to pets! Almost every photo in these blog posts has a person (or animal!) with a toy. Check these links:
Q.2. I’m making toys for siblings/cousins. How can I make their toys all the same size?
ANSWER: You have 2 options! You can use the sizes from the pattern listings to choose a bunch of toys that are about the same size (See pic of pattern listing in answer in Q1 above)… OR you can enlarge or reduce different-sized patterns so the toys turn out the same size (head to Question 3 to find out how).
Here is an example of similar sized toys
sewn for some very happy grandkids! š§”
Q.3. I have 2 different-sized patterns. How can I make the toys the same size?
For example, one toy is 12 inches tall and the other is 10 inches BUT you want both to be 12 inches in size.
ANSWER: To answer this specific question, you’d want to print the 10 inch toy at 120% in order to make it the same height as the 12 inch toy.We’ve got a blog post on How to Resize a Toy pattern HERE plus our Facebook Pattern Fan Club has lots more info on this topic.
Q.4. I want a memorably massive (HUGE) toy. How do I make this pattern much bigger?
There’s nothing more memorable than a ginormous Giraffe, humongous Hippo… or dragon-sized DRAGON! š
Chloe Gwendolyn made this extra large Diggles Dragon for her daughter! (She thinks she made it 300% and used about 7kgs of toy stuffing!)
Click HERE to buy the Dragon Sewing pattern.
ANSWER: We’ve got a blog post on EXACTLY how to do this! It’s a post about turning a pattern into the size of a body pillow! Certain patterns are easier than others for this, so we’ve included them in this SUPER-SIZING blog post HERE (and included the exact % to use).
Q.5.I’ve got one night to sew a toy. What can I make? or I’m running out of time. Which patterns are fastest?
ANSWER:Ā Generally, the fastest patterns are the ones with larger pieces AND fewer pieces. I’ve compiled those here in the Beginner Patterns section of the website. For extra info about the āBest of the Easiest,ā head to the āEasy Patternsā section of the Gift Giving Guide HERE. It’s toward the bottom, so scroll down. I’d also suggest reading the answer to Question 10!
Q.6. What’s the best beginner pattern for a Xmas gift?
ANSWER:Ā If you’re coming to Funky Friends Factory from a background in quilting, I’d definitely recommend the Silly Scrap Snake. The assembly will be familiar to you from piecing quilts.Ā The Silly Scrap Snake is a fun pattern for all ages and leads to interactive fun. Make it realistic in snake print, soft in fleece, or customized to the recipient’s favorite colors.
Click HERE to buy the Scrap Snake Pattern.
Other quick, easy pattern options are Sammy Shark and Dizzy Dolphin These 2 are LOVED by BOTH boys and girls! (Also use the links in Question 5 above, for LOTS more ideas).
Click HERE to buy the Shark Pattern.
Click HERE to buy the Dolphin pattern.
Q.7. What’s the most popular toy pattern with kids this year?
ANSWER:Ā This year’s standout pattern for kids has beenĀ the Aristotle Axolotl pattern. I’ve never had as many feedback pics of happy kids with their toys as quickly as after the Axolotl pattern release!
AND as pleased with their presents as these kiddies were!
Click HERE to buy the Axolotl pattern.
Q.8. What’s the easiest teddy bear pattern?
ANSWER: Ah, the eternal debate! We get this question so often we wrote a whole blog post about it called āCompare the Bearsā. Scroll down to the FAQ section of the āCompare the Bearsā blog post to get a full overview!
Q.9. What’s the fastest teddy bear pattern?
ANSWER: Another hotly debated question! The FAQ section of the Compare the Bears post (see Question 8) also covers this topic. (Here’s the link to that āCompare the Bearsā blog post again). I’d also suggest reading the answer to Question 10 (coming up next!).
Q.10. How long will this toy pattern take to sew?
ANSWER:Ā This answer varies widely because everyone has different skills, work styles, and experience levels. It also depends on which pattern you’re sewing, how long you take to arrange fabric and color combinations, and how many breaks you like to take!
Try to give yourself time for 3 sessions:
1) reading through the pattern and planning fabric placement
2) tracing and cutting fabric pieces
3) sewing the toy.
It is up to YOU how long each of these 3 sessions takes! When we asked the members of our fan club, the answers usually range between 2 to 7 hours to completely make a toy, from start-to-finish. Where you land on that spectrum largely depends on which pattern you select and how long you’ve been sewing. (If you’re making a keepsake or memory toy from sentimental clothing, this will take longer than a regular toy: you’ll need to use interfacing, plan fabric placement, and make a practice version of the pattern once so you won’t make any mistakes on the actual precious garments.)
Don’t forget to have fun!
Whatever you make will be special to the recipient because YOU made it just for them!
Here you can see how happy Donie Schmidt’s grandkids are with the adorable Keepsake Bears she sewed for them!
Don’t forget to add a gift tag!
Here are some labels you can print out and hang on your gifts. There’s a āhandmade with loveā option or Christmas option. Add the date and a note on the back to complete our special gift! ā¤ļø
Get the FREE printable tags HERE!
Here’s wishing you a happy time sewing your gifts this silly season!
.
Till next time,
Happy Sewing,
Pauline
xxx
Not getting email confirmation when trying to sign up for news letter
Hi Fran! Please can you check your Junk/Spam? Hotmail often sends emails straight there! People with Hotmail accounts have also told me that you may need to log in to your Hotmail account on a computer (rather than a mobile device to find your Junk mail). If you have no luck finding that email – please use the Contact Us page of the website to send us a message – Lori will be able to follow up for you as she is a tech – guru! š https://www.funkyfriendsfactory.com/contact-us
How can I get the step by step for the pattern I brought from create and craft best dressed button bear
Hi Gillian, the link to the tutorial is in the See me sew section of the pattern. TYpe this link into your internet browser… If you do not get to the page, please try typing the URL link again and you will get to the page – I never take the tutorial pages down!!! š