{"id":1967,"date":"2012-08-31T05:16:44","date_gmt":"2012-08-31T05:16:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/?p=12229"},"modified":"2023-09-16T13:27:10","modified_gmt":"2023-09-16T13:27:10","slug":"my-dragon-toy-pattern-design-is-missing-something-a-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/my-dragon-toy-pattern-design-is-missing-something-a-name\/","title":{"rendered":"My Dragon Toy Pattern design is missing something – a NAME!"},"content":{"rendered":"

I am soooooo excited, 2012 is the YEAR of the DRAGON<\/strong> so I’ve been playing around with a new toy sewing pattern design…..<\/p>\n

a dragon!!!!<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"dragon<\/p>\n

A little while back when I asked if I should consider doing a course on How to design Soft Toys<\/strong><\/a>, there were a few people who were interested in knowing how I go about designing softies… so I thought I’d give you a bit of insight! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

<\/h1>\n

First I think a LOT about what I want MY dragon to look like.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I ask myself, “what actually makes a dragon a dragon?”<\/strong> I need to figure out what features my dragon pattern must have to make it look like a dragon. Then I collect ideas over time, which can be from anything from gift cards to small ornaments.<\/p>\n

Having a 3-D object like an ornament helps me to get an idea of the shape of a dragon<\/strong>. I kept knocking bits off this poor dragon and had to keep gluing him back together!!!<\/p>\n

\"how<\/p>\n

And I trawl the internet for hours…. <\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u00a0The internet is an amazing place for ideas – the obvious one -a dragon tattoo!I\u00a0 always add the word ‘CUTE’<\/strong> in a tattoo Google search so hopefully I can avoid anything too vulgar. STILL, I have to stop my imagination… I always wonder EXACTLY WHERE the tattoo is on the person…. ha!ha! : )<\/p>\n

I even found a cute sleeping dragon cake<\/strong><\/a> for inspiration! This cake is AMAZING – I think it’s looks too good to eat!<\/p>\n

\"sleeping<\/p>\n

I also decide what I DON’T want MY dragon pattern to look like!<\/strong><\/h2>\n

This is probably THE most important part of the whole toy pattern design process, well it is for ME! <\/strong>It’s vital for my reputation that the toy sewing patterns I design are UNIQUE! <\/strong><\/p>\n

I don’t want to copy anyone intentionally – or UNintentionally! So a big part of my dragon pattern research was looking at other people’s dragon pattern designs! I wanted to make sure that my dragon looks NOTHING like ANYTHING I have seen and ALSO, because a lot of my friends are toy designers,<\/strong> I don’t want my designs to be similar to their creations!<\/p>\n

I love this cute fleece dragon pattern designed by one of my favourite toy designers, Mariska Vos-Bolman<\/a><\/strong> from DIY Fluffies<\/strong><\/a> in the Netherlands. Yoki is so distinctive, you probably even recognise him! That’s why I decided to make my dragon completely different and so mine will be a lying down dragon! :0<\/p>\n

\"Yoki<\/p>\n

Another favourite soft toy designer and\u00a0 friend of mine is Jeniffer Carson<\/strong> who has to be THE actual queen of dragon pattern design!<\/strong> She even goes by the name of “The Dragon Charmer<\/a>“<\/strong>!!!!<\/p>\n

\"dragon<\/p>\n

For many years I have thought I wouldn’t dare attempt to make a dragon as she does such an awesome job – BUT as it’s the year of the dragon – I thought it’s time I gave it a go! ha!ha!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just look at the fabulous shapes of her dragon designs and the intricate details! Jennifer is is also a children’s author of fantasy books<\/strong><\/a> (of which I have signed copies!) and she makes all the fantasy creatures as patterns too – so much talent in one person… she is truly an inspiration<\/strong>!!!!<\/p>\n

\"dragon<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Then I put pencil to paper and draw some shapes…<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"toy<\/p>\n

ONLY then the sewing begins!!!! <\/strong><\/h2>\n

I can’t show you too much as this is just a teaser blog post for my new dragon pattern…(ALL will be revealed later!)\u00a0 … but here are some of the first attempts<\/strong> at making him, to show you how I design my sewing patterns<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

I like to use <\/strong>calico fabric when I am designing my patterns: <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Why?<\/strong> Well, because it’s cheap, and this is important as I can sometimes make many many versions of a design<\/strong> until I am 100% happy that it is cute enough to put out for people to pay for!<\/p>\n

NOT only that. Can you see the puckers in the seam\u00a0 below the dragon’s eye? WELL – that’s NOT good!!! I am a bit of a perfectionist and I want ALL the seams to fit exactly<\/strong>…. which can take a lot of tweaking!<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"Dragon<\/p>\n

I use a dark \/ contrasting thread for sewing up the toy pattern prototypes: <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Why?<\/strong> Well, because it helps me to visualize the 3-D shapes<\/strong> when I compare the shape of the toy to the flat 2-D paper pattern pieces I drew.<\/p>\n

\"dragon<\/p>\n

I use the actual craft eyes that I will use for the finished toy in the design stage:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Why?<\/strong> I like to play around with different eyes at this stage<\/strong> of the pattern design. It helps me to decide on eye colour and and more importantly their position. It is amazing how a tiny change in eye position or size can change the expression of the toy’s face!<\/p>\n

\"dragon<\/p>\n

\"dragon<\/p>\n

Ooooh, before I forget…. <\/strong><\/h2>\n

The whole point of this blog post was because I need help with the MOST IMPORTANT PART of a the toy pattern design process – CHOOSING a name! <\/strong>Soooooo, I’m asking for suggestions. ONLY one rule – it MUST start with the letter ‘D’<\/strong> oh and one other rule…. it cannot be ‘Darius’ <\/strong>(because I think that’s already taken!)<\/p>\n

Oh and it’s a competition too!<\/strong><\/h2>\n

IF you choose the winning name – you will win a copy of the Dragon Pattern when it is released!!!! YAY!!! Can’t wait! <\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

NOW, I’m looking forward to your name suggestions!<\/h2>\n


\"Pauline.<\/span>
\n.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Till next time,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Happy Sewing,
\nPauline<\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I am soooooo excited, 2012 is the YEAR of the DRAGON so I’ve been playing around with a new toy sewing pattern design….. a dragon!!!! A little while back when I asked if I should consider doing a course on How to design Soft Toys, there were a few people who were interested in knowing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-day-in-my-life","category-blog"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1967","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1967"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1967\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30550,"href":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1967\/revisions\/30550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}