I would like to show you a little bit about the way my stuffed animals are made.
To begin the series, I would like to show you how Aurelia, the elephant looked before being finished.
It all starts with the fabric and the patterns
I draw and then cut the pieces that I need, I usually make more than one item at the time.
Once all the pieces are cut, I pair the ones that have accent fabric to sew together:
The parts with accent fabric are turned, so that they can be attached
All the pieces are sewn at least twice:
This particular elephant was going to have a round plastic rattle inside. Those plastic rattles are pretty safe, they are factory sealed. Still to make the item a little safer, I make a little pouch for the rattle in the same material as the elephant.
Then the pouch is sewn to the body of the elephant.
Then the head and body are turn right side out and get stuffed with hypoallergenic pollyfiber.
The head and the body are sewn by hand 4 times to ensure that they are completely secured
Here is a picture of the head already attached to the body:
I use embroidery floss to add the eyes and mouth,
This model has a ribbon around the neck and is finished with a bow, the bow is made separately from the ribbon. The ribbon is attached to the head with hot glue, the glue that I apply is a very thin layer, that goes in the part that touches the fabric, upon touching the fabric the glue becomes fused to the fleece.
Then the bow is made separately and attached with a dab of glue or it can be sewn
The ribbon can't be just tied because it would be a chocking hazard, the ribbon has to be securely attached to the body of the stuffed animal.
The end of the ribbon is treated to prevent from fraying, but this can also be accomplished by heating the ribbon.
I have made this elephant for many many years and I have personally washed and dryed one just like this and after 7 years the ribbon is still in place, and nothing has ever come out of it!
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