Shaggy dogs, fluffy cats, eared hareand, of course, teddy bears - hardly any of the children does not like these funny animals. And the childhood of each person is remembered first of all by a favorite soft toy, with which he did not part for a minute. The teddy bear tied to holes is a symbol of childlike affection, tenderness and love. And we do not forget about it even in the mature years of our life. Child psychologists claim that every child, starting from the age of three, must have their own soft toys made of different materials. This is necessary for the correct development of the baby. Modern shops are filled with soft toys, but among all this variety it is not easy to find a really high-quality thing. That's why many mothers began to think about the question - how to make a soft toy with their own hands? Delivering, thus, the joy of his child, because the toy made by his beloved mother will be unique.
So, let's begin…
In order to sew soft toys with your ownhands, you need a little perseverance, patience, and of course the "material base," that is, the material from which you will create new friends for your children. As a tool, anything can be used: trimming lace, fabrics, ribbons, old terry towels and out of fashion felt hats. Even unclaimed pieces of oilcloth, artificial leather and fur can come in handy. Patterns can be found in specialized magazines and shops. Or, by showing a fantasy, create your own pattern. There is one more option - to rip off an old toy, which you have, and make a pattern in its likeness. By the way, in shops for needlework, in addition to the patterns, you can purchase other necessary materials for sewing. You will also need:
- Multicolored threads. Do not forget that they must be of different strengths.
- Synthepon, foam rubber, cotton wool, holofayber, or other soft fillers.
- Nose and eyes for the future bear or bunny. They can be successfully replaced with matching in size and color buttons or beads.
- Needles, scissors, thimble.
- A piece of cardboard, a ruler, a pencil or a pen - to create a pattern.
What fabrics are used for toys
Sew a soft toy with your own hands can be made from different fabrics. The material is selected depending on the type of product, its size and purpose:
- Knitwear. It easily stretches, so you can sew anything from it: a horse, a hare, a cube, or a ball.
- Artificial fur. Great for making pillows in the form of different animals.
- Silk. From this fabric it is quite problematic to sew a toy, as it slides in the hands. However, silk will be indispensable if you sew a doll. In this case, the material will go on dresses for a beauty.
- Cotton fabric. This kind of material, such as satin or chintz, has colorful and vivid shades. Therefore, it can be made from both a soft doll and various animals. From flannel or terry cloth will be an excellent bear with a soft fur.
- Wool, velor, velvet. Of these fabrics, wonderful soft toys will come out with their own hands, such as fox, bunny, or bear cub.
- Felt. Quite original handicrafts and toys can be made from felted fabric. It is best suited for small details of the toy: the tail, legs, noses, crests.
Dressing
For a pattern on which soft toys are createdwith your own hands, the best is suitable thick cardboard. It fits well to the material, will retain its shape for several years. Be sure to save the pattern, because the next time you can sew a toy without any preliminary preparation. Then apply cardboard to the material and gently circle the pattern with a pen, a marker or a piece of soap. Choose the color of the marker based on the color of the fabric - the stroke should be clearly visible on the fabric. Next, we cut out the material of our parts - everything, you can start sewing.
Stitches
When creating toys,correct cutting material. Soft toys with their own hands should be performed with special care and thoroughness, only then you will be proud of your work. Very carefully make sure that the paired parts match the sides, that is, do not look in the same direction. If you make a pattern from non-friable materials, then you can not leave the allowance on the seams. Then, using a neat and fine stitching seam, you can not turn out the finished shape. If the material is crumbling, it is necessary to make a pattern taking into account the allowance for seams. Then they need to be sewn over the edge and turn the product to the front. For sewing, use strong threads that match the color of the selected material. 
We pass to the packing
You can fill the toy with different fillers. However, the most accessible is sintepon. A toy stuffed with sintepon can be washed in a car. It does not lose shape and dries quickly. This material can be easily purchased in hardware stores. For packing, you need to tear the material into small pieces and fill it tightly with your workpiece. The next material is sintepuh in balls. It is more convenient at work than a sintepon. In addition, it does not roll down and does not cake with time. It is easy to stuff balls - the toy quickly gets the right shape. Soft toys with their own hands, filled with felts, also tolerate automatic washing. Buy the material can be in the points for the sale of pillows and blankets. Despite its synthetic origin, neither the sintepon nor the sintepux cause allergies. However, for many it is important that everything in the toy be natural, so they choose to stuff such materials as wool, siber (sheep wool) or even various fragrant herbs. You can cut into small pieces an old sweater or socks made from natural wool, and then fill the toy. This filler is best to stuff products of small size and sewn from dense materials. So you will not see any unevenness. Sliver - sheep wool, twisted into a roll. It can be purchased at handicraft shops. Soft toys with their own hands, stuffed with a slicker, very soft and pleasant to the touch. To properly fill the toy, you need to fluff the material with your hands. The result is a fuzzy heap, similar to cotton wool. Stuff is evenly balanced, avoiding unevenness and emptiness. The minus of such fillers is that they require special care. You can erase them only with your hands and only as a last resort. Use cool water. And it is best to wipe the surface with a damp cloth. Prepare for the fact that the product will have to be refilled about once a year. In addition, in many people, natural wool causes allergies. And if you decided to sew a soft toy with your own hands as a gift, be sure to ask if there is an allergy to the person to whom it is meant. Many needlewomen use a variety of herbs for padding. You can buy them at the pharmacy or in the market. Dill, lemon balm, lavender, fennel, sage - these scented herbs will not only be a filler for your toy, but also help to fall asleep, or on the contrary cheer up. Before packing the grass should be placed in a bag of linen or coarse calico. It is better if the workpiece for such a toy will be with a zipper, since it can only be washed separately from the filler. Yes, and replace the stuffing will have to regularly, since many herbs do not last long retain their flavor. Soft toys with their own hands - it's a great way to create something new, get rid of unnecessary things in the house and get close to the child. Necessarily involve the kid to work is will accustom it to the responsibility, and work with fine details will develop a motility, assiduity and attention. And the last advice - do not have to be limited in the choice of materials, fantasize! After all, the most unique things in the world were created not by instruction, but in a fit of inspiration! We advise you to read:
