{"id":40147,"date":"2026-06-29T07:14:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T07:14:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/?p=40147"},"modified":"2026-06-30T00:54:01","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T00:54:01","slug":"unusual-upcycled-toys-gorgeous-and-good-for-the-planet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/unusual-upcycled-toys-gorgeous-and-good-for-the-planet\/","title":{"rendered":"Unusual upcycled toys. Gorgeous AND good for the planet!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Keepsakes aren\u2019t just made from clothing, and in this post you\u2019ll see some of the most unusual and unexpected fabric sources for Funky Friends toys. From curtains and cushions to dance costumes and aprons, I\u2019m amazed at the creative recycling (or upcycling) of fabrics in these Funky Friends Factory creations. Some materials are sentimental, like embroidered linens, while others are practical, like fabric left over from interior decorating projects. There\u2019s even a Harmony Highland cow made from a repurposed cushion cover!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Let’s take a look\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Terrific Toys sewn from tablecloths<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Aprons blend the sentimental and the practical, so they make a great material for keepsakes. Dawn Hurst Baumbach<\/strong> combined aprons from two generations of a family to make these Kip Keepsake Dogs<\/strong><\/a><\/span>.
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Click HERE to buy the Keepsake Dog Pattern<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Yula Oliel<\/strong> used a 40 year old table cloth to make Ben the BEGINNER Bear<\/a><\/strong><\/span> ~> and her daughter took an instant liking to her new checked friend!<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Click HERE to buy the BEGINNER Bear pattern<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.
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Aprons sewn into AWESOME toys!<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Robin Herrera-Baker<\/strong> used her grandmother\u2019s groovy mushroom apron to sew this cheerful Mickey Moose<\/strong><\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Click HERE to buy the Moose pattern.<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Kate Howell<\/strong> used her mother\u2019s apron from the 1950s to make a Ben the BEGINNER Bear<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> for her daughter and son-in-law…<\/span><\/p>\n

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who were expecting a child.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Click HERE to buy the BEGINNER Bear pattern<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.
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Cute toys sewn from curtains!<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Teri Wolff<\/strong> found this curtain fabric a fantastic fit for a Fifi Fox<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/span>\u00a0– as she said – it has all the perfect shades for sewing her softie!<\/span><\/p>\n

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Click HERE to buy the Fox Pattern<\/strong><\/a><\/span>
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Lara Hutchinson Cooper<\/strong> made these stiped\u00a0Ben the BEGINNER Bears<\/a><\/strong><\/span> for the grandchildren of the late curtain owner. I love that she notes he must have been a fun grandpa to have such fanciful curtains..<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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When you\u2019re decorating there may be some extra fabric left over. Why not use it to make a lasting memory of the home? Jane Tate<\/strong> made Ben the BEGINNER Bear<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> from this happy yellow home decor fabric.
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Click HERE to buy the BEGINNER Bear pattern<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.
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Cuddly toys sewn from cushion covers!<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

This fluffy Harmony Highland Cow<\/strong><\/a><\/span> was made from upcycled cushions and an unexpected ingredient: a pair of slippers! Sewn by Janette Brown<\/strong>.
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Click HERE to buy the Highland Cow Pattern<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Andrea Peters<\/strong> made this Keep Me Keepsake Bear<\/strong><\/span><\/a> from a vintage couch cushion. He looks quite comfy on his new couch, which is appropriate because Andrea named him \u201cCouch Bear.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Click HERE to purchase the Keepsake Bear pattern.<\/strong><\/span><\/a>
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Terrific toys sewn from throws and scarves<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Lindsay Mortimer<\/strong> encountered a challenge trying to turn this layered throw into this sweet Easter Bunny Buddy<\/strong><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Click HERE to buy the Easter Bunny sewing pattern.<\/strong><\/span><\/a>
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Too cute toys sewn from towels!<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Judi Palmer<\/strong>\u2019s unusual Penny Penguin<\/strong><\/a><\/span> keepsakes included embroidered hand towels, as there were few items of fabric available for the project.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Click HERE to buy the Penguin pattern.<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Karla Bomlitz Pollina<\/strong> used some rally towels and a shirt from a charity event to sew this perky purple Melody Memory Bear<\/strong><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Click HERE to buy the Melody Memory Bear Pattern.<\/strong><\/span><\/a>
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Best buddy sewn from a bathrobe!<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Mary Callahan<\/strong> decided to used an upcycled waffle knit bathrobe for her first Funky Friends Family project, a Kip the Keepsake Dog<\/strong><\/a><\/span> that looks remarkably like her real sewing buddy!
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Click HERE to buy the Keepsake Dog Pattern<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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A dressing gown AND\u00a0 a pair of corduroy trousers were a perfect combination for this sweet keepsake bear sewn by Gail McKnight of Kizzy’s Keepsakes – Gail’s Little Sewing Room<\/strong><\/a><\/span>. The textures make Ben the BEGINNER Bear<\/a><\/strong><\/span> extra cuddly! Thank you Gail for helping spread the word about not sharing indie designer’s patterns – this was wonderful to see!\ud83e\udd70<\/span><\/p>\n

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Click HERE to buy the BEGINNER Bear pattern<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

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Jolly cute toys sewn from jumpers!<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Spotted of Socials… this adorable upcycled version of Kelsey Keepsake Unicorn<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/span> was sewn by Anita Crowe<\/strong> from a jumper!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Click HERE to buy the Keepsake Unicorn pattern.<\/strong><\/a><\/span>
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This cosy-looking Calico Signature Bear<\/strong><\/span><\/a> was sewn by Joanne Sibley<\/strong> <\/span><\/span>from 2 jumpers to create a pretty patchwork memory bear as a special keepsake for a special Nan!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Click HERE to buy the Signature Bear pattern.<\/strong><\/span><\/a>
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One<\/b>–of<\/strong>–a-kind upcycles<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

Sometimes our Facebook group gets an entry that\u2019s totally unique in terms of upcycled materials. Enjoy a few of them here! Lindsey Mortimer<\/strong> took on the big project of transforming a collection of cheerleader competition bows into this Kip the Keepsake Dog<\/strong><\/a><\/span>. Lindsey first quilted all the bows together and then made the toy.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Click HERE to buy the Keepsake Dog Pattern<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Adele Lanchin<\/strong> says that her son ripped his leather coat and was going to throw it so she accepted the challenge of making a Raff Giraffe<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/span> for his girlfriend who is mad on them. Adele also said she thought her giraffe wasn’t <\/span>perfect but she is happy with the end result\ud83d\ude01I think this is AMAZING because leather would be hard to work with because it is a thick fabric.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Click HERE to buy the Giraffe pattern.<\/strong><\/span><\/a>
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Have you made an unusual upcycle toy? <\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Want to show off your recycled toys? Come and post your photos in our Pattern Fan Club Facebook group for everyone to see!\ud83e\udd70<\/span><\/p>\n

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Want to win a
\nFREE toy pattern?<\/span><\/h2>\n

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It’s so EASY to enter the Pattern GIVEAWAY! <\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Facebook<\/p>\n

ALL you need to do is post a photo<\/strong> of a FUNKY FRIENDS FACTORY toy that you have made<\/strong> on the<\/span> Funky Friends Factory Facebook Page<\/strong> <\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the end of each month I draw a winner and post the winner’s name on the Blog the following MONTH. <\/strong>I have an Album on Facebook<\/strong> for all the MAKEROFTHEMONTH winners<\/strong>. You can check it out<\/span> HERE!<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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NOT on Facebook? ENTER by email! \ud83d\ude00<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

*** You can send me your photos by email too<\/a><\/strong><\/span>!<\/span><\/p>\n

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So come on! Share your photos \u00a0~> The next winner could be YOU!!!<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n


\"Pauline.<\/span>
\nTill next time,<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Keepsakes aren\u2019t just made from clothing, and in this post you\u2019ll see some of the most unusual and unexpected fabric sources for Funky Friends toys. From curtains and cushions to dance costumes and aprons, I\u2019m amazed at the creative recycling (or upcycling) of fabrics in these Funky Friends Factory creations. Some materials are sentimental, like […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":40198,"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":[19,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-fff-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/500-Giraffe.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40147","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=40147"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40147\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40202,"href":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40147\/revisions\/40202"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}