I have received a couple of queries about offering a Soft Toy Pattern Design Course recently and I have to say ALTHOUGH I feel very honoured that people think I have the capability to do such a thing…

the very thought of it SCARES me!!!

Well, first I think about THIS…

I have NO formal tuition relating to any part of my designing. I haven’t done textile or clothing design or even trained as a graphic designer. I’m a trained optometrist, I have NO official credential, certification or qualification in design whatsoever!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEK!

Everything I know is either just from intuition or from experience. I guess I CAN say I have sufficient experience having created around a hundred or so professional designs over the last 12 years for my own or for other businesses and organisations, BUT does that qualify me to try and teach others how to design?

Then I think about THIS…

I have personally read soooooo many books on jewellery design and recently I even attended a jewellery wrapping course… but if I am totally honest with myself, the jewellery I have made is, at best, only good enough for ME to wear, maybe at a pinch it could be okay to give to close friends or kindly forgiving family members! And even THEY might not be too impressed with my gifts!!! Ha! ha! 🙂

LASTLY I think about THIS…

My mother is a fine artist who paints incredibly well, both realistic and abstract art. As a child I got sent to tons of extra-curricular arts and crafts classes and as a college student I took myself to more classes including a drawing class. None of which has enabled me to draw very well, even though I desperately want to! I had to give up in the end and that’s when I began searching for what I am naturally talented at and that’s how my Funky Friends Factory came about…. Mmmmmmm?

By this stage I have broken into a cold sweat!!!!!

And after all THAT I start thinking…

Who do I think I am?

No, seriously!

Am I going to be giving people false hope like I had about drawing? Or EVEN WORSE – will I be leading them to believe they will be able to design anything they want when, as I know from my own experience, there is a definite possibility that they MAY NOT be able to do it EVEN AFTER completing the course?  I think it is a huge responsibility to offer some kind of ‘HOW TO PATTERN DESIGN COURSE’ that sets the expectation that once done, the person will be able to design soft toys!!!!!

So…..  I need your opinion!

What would YOUR expectation of a Toy Pattern Design Course be?

I have been thinking about what people would hope to gain from the course, or what they expect the outcome of doing such a design course to be? I suppose it boils down to WHY you are wanting to do a toy pattern design course? Would it be because you want to experiment with a new craft? Like me doing a jewellery design course because I found some lovely shells on the beach that I want to turn into a piece of unique jewellery to wear. You might have found a divine piece of fabric or have a vintage piece of clothing or some baby clothes you want to turn into a memory toy? Or would it be because you want to get into pattern design as a job/career/business. Which leads to the next question…

Would you still be happy if AFTER COMPLETING THE COURSE… you couldn’t design EVERYTHING/ANYTHING you wanted to?

This is very important for me personally because I care deeply about letting people down! I know it would be quite simple to teach people the CONCEPTS of BASIC DESIGN but not everyone is going to be able to build on this and be able to come up with their own designs. After all these years as as a toy designer I sometimes have to put things on hold because I cannot get it right and I have to wait for an inspired moment to complete the design. From time to time I still get ‘completely stumped’ by certain designs…. I am on about the 6^th version of my Wombat pattern and I am still working on his butt!

Have you seen what funny rear end wombats have????

I worry that people think that toy design is a 1-2-3 step process and that if you just follow the steps in the right order you’ll have a guaranteed result! It’s just not as straight forward as that – I wish it were!!!! Even if you have been taught the basics of toy pattern design, you will have to add you own inspiration and creativity to be able to come up with your own uniquely special designs.

Sooooooooooooooooo, let’s get to the butt oops bottom of this!

I would only consider doing a toy pattern design course, IF people wanted it AND if I feel I can offer people an insight into what I do without leaving them feeling let down if they don’t manage to become the next star toy designer for  IKEA international!!!!!

So the question I need to ask YOU is this:

If , AFTER doing a course like this, you would be satisfied being able to put together YOUR idea of something as a 3-D object EVEN IF it was really only suitable for you own ‘home viewing’ and may not be something you could put ‘out there’ in the public arena???!!! : )

I AM being very frank about this because I need your opinion!!! So please feel free to drop me a ‘YES, do the course’ or NO don’t do it’ comment below…

AND…

IF you DO think I SHOULD do a toy pattern design course, PLEASE drop me a message and let me know what you hope to gain from doing one, what you would like to learn from it, perhaps what you would expect to see in it or any ideas/feedback you’d like to send me…. 🙂

Can’t wait to hear what YOU think!!!!

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Till next time,

Happy Sewing,
Pauline