By Deborah Hide-Bayne
Every child secretly wants a huge stuffed toy to hug. It’s not as hard as you think to make one… and you can choose the materials, so you know that your child’s new best friend is made with healthy stuff.
Step by step
- The biggest advice I can give you is to buy a pattern! There are some very good patterns out there; I found this great grizzly bear pattern from the USA and it didn’t take too long to arrive by post. The designer advised me to cut out each pattern piece and glue it to some regular paper before I started cutting. This was great because it meant the pattern didn’t move about and the pieces I cut were more regular.
- The second piece of advice is to buy quality materials – if you are going to the trouble of making a toy, you want it to last. Finding fake fur that won’t ladder is an absolute must; with my first attempt, I didn’t, and my bear laddered all over, shedding fur as he went – heart-breaking!
The direction that the fur is lying in (nap) is crucial too. My pattern has fur directions on it, so that made it easy. Generally, you want the fur going down from the top to the toes – think about how you would stroke an animal.
