There is something special about creating a stuffed toy. You make something with a distinct personality that will enrich someone’s life. Also, making a stuffed toy requires different sewing skills than we normally use while sewing a quilt or garment. This makes a fun challenge for a sewer looking to learn new techniques.
While it is a novelty today to make a stuffed toy, there was of course, a time when most of the toys in this world were handmade. Many stuffed toys were handmade because of the lack of money or resources to buy a new one. In 1948, The Spool Cotton Company, published Gifts for Children, Things to Sew, which has a myriad of toys, garments, and accessory projects. My muse, Mary Brooks Picken worked on the charming projects in this book. One of my favorite’s is the pattern for a stuffed Humpty Dumpty.
Through my journey architecting designs for my pattern company Indygo Junction, I am always looking towards the past for inspiration; my mantra is Vintage Made Modern. I collect vintage paraphernalia, including antique toys. In fact, I have a Humpty Dumpty on my shelf right now – you can see how much my cat, Chloe loves him! The old toys have inspired Indygo Junction to design stuffed patterns. For instance, the Yo-Yo Elephants, which you see below, were inspired by an antique elephant pincushion that I came across. Don’t you love the yo-yo saddle and stacked button tail?
