  SOCK SIZES: The animals and dolls in this book were made from size 13 socks; the puppets were made from size 9 socks. The clothing pattern designs will fit toys made from these sizes. STUFFING: We used kapok for ease in packing and shaping. Nylon fluff, dacron filling, shredded foam rubber or lint from an automatic dryer will work as well. Old nylon hose and other cloth scraps tend to become lumpy. Use a pencil or dowel for packing stuffing in narrow places. Clean stuffed toys by dry sudsing. WIRING: Stove pipe wire or similar types work fine. Coat hanger wire is too thick and hard to bend. Always bend wire ends up and in to prevent them from working through. Wraps wires with adhesive tape or string. Dabs of cement on the wire will hold string in place (Figure 1). Insert wires straight and bend the completed tail, ears and so forth. Figure 1
SHAPING: Toys can be molded by pushing or pulling the stuffing with the fingers. An occasional stitch will help hold the shape. To mold chubby cheeks, make circles of small stitches, pluck the stuffing up in the circles, pull the ends of the thread together and tie off (Figure 2). Figure 2
Indentations and dimples are made by pulling a few sock threads back into the toy. This is done by pushing a threaded needle through from the back, catching a few sock threads and pushing the needle back again. Pulling on the needle thread pulls the sock threads in. Repeat for the desired indentations and tie off. Figure 3 shows how this is done for eye sockets. For toys with side eyes (bunnies, donkeys, etc.) work from eye to eye. For more natural lip lines, catch several sock threads in shallow arcs over and under the lips and in a straight line between the lips (Figure 4). See Scrappy on page 17 for ideas on where to put dimples. Use a darning needle to push through the head or body. Lightly pencilled guide lines are helpful. Figure 3
Figure 4
FEATURES: To give the face a flesh colored look, dip the toe of the sock in a weak solution of pink dye before the sock is cut and stuffed. Be sure the solution is lukewarm. For a more professional look, sew flesh colored stockinet over the face after the features have been molded and stitched into shape (Figure 5). Figure 5
EYES: If you plan to make several toys, especially animals, invest in manufactured eyes. Or, use eyes from discarded toys. Shoe buttons also make very good eyes since they have shanks. Add a highlight speck of white paint to each button eye to avoid that blank look. Never use eyes that are too small unless you want an older or mean look. HAIR: Inexpensive wigs, or ones from discarded dolls, can be substituted for pom poms and scrap fur. Pencil guide lines on the head before sewing on pom poms. FACIAL EXPRESSIONS: Much can be done to accentuate features and to give toys individuality by embroidering or using felt eyebrows, eyelashes, wrinkles, crinkles and so forth. Felt pieces should be glued on or sewn with tiny stitches in matching thread. We used the satin stitch for embroidered features (Figure 6). Figure 6
CLOTHING: Use freshly laundered and pressed materials—it’s well worth the extra effort. Avoid patterned materials that are out of proportion to the toys. Crayons (pressed well into the fabric) or textile paints can be used to make small pattern designs. Tempera paints tend to wash out. Choose materials that do not easily unravel. uncaptioned |
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