Advice for someone who'd love to try plushies

[ponygirl74]

I'd love to try my hand at plushies - I crochet amigurumi animals so I have some skills with needle/yarn crafts but I'd love to learn how to sew with cloth - what's the best fabric to learn on? Is it easy to make one's own pattern when one gets the hang of sewing them following a ready made one? Is it a good idea to get a sewing machine  or is hand sewn strong enough on it's own? Any other advice that  experienced plushie  makers can pass on that I didn't ask about would be appreciated, thanks for reading Ponygirl74

[SoaringSentinel]

I am by no means an expert plushie maker but about a year or so ago i tried my hand at making one.

This is was the result.
http://s.mlpforums.com/uploads/post_images/img-1323904-1-img0548lz.jpg

http://s.mlpforums.com/uploads/post_images/img-2035571-1-9iex.jpg

I used a 3d model to make the patterns. the material I used was minky (which is really hard to find in this country so i had to import it)
how I made my patterns was by taking a 3d model I found online (the SFM version) and then uvw unwrapping them in such a way that they would work as sowing patterns. Unless you're familiar with 3d modeling and cg effects work, what i just said is probably a bunch of gibberish to most people. I have no idea how you would create an accurate pattern by hand. but like i said this was my first attempt and that's how how did it. Here's an example of some of the patterns i managed to make this way.

http://s.mlpforums.com/uploads/post_images/img-1257792-1-img0395ov.jpg

I had never made anything like this before. but i just watched a bunch of tutorials and used my moms sowing machine. From my experience if you want to make something like i did you have to go with a sowing machine. hand stitching tends to get loose after a while. Also when working with minky the fabric has a direction in which you can stroke it so it stays pretty. make sure you cut your fabric in such a way that when people handle it the fabric flows in the direction that people are most likely to stroke it. (its not really vital but its a nice visual effect when you hold it)

The eyes were done with applique and stuck on there with heat activated glue strips. Though most people use a embroidery machine to get really nice eyes and cutie marks. i sadly did not have access to one hence why i didn't go for that approach. but if you have access to one i'd definitely recommend going that approach rather than my way

Sadly i never got to finish the plushie even though it only needs one more part. before i can call it finished.

I hope i made sense and that you found it useful. if you have any further questions feel free to ask.

[ponygirl74]

I am by no means an expert plushie maker but about a year or so ago i tried my hand at making one.

This is was the result.
http://s.mlpforums.com/uploads/post_images/img-1323904-1-img0548lz.jpg

http://s.mlpforums.com/uploads/post_images/img-2035571-1-9iex.jpg

I used a 3d model to make the patterns. the material I used was minky (which is really hard to find in this country so i had to import it)
how I made my patterns was by taking a 3d model I found online (the SFM version) and then uvw unwrapping them in such a way that they would work as sowing patterns. Unless you're familiar with 3d modeling and cg effects work, what i just said is probably a bunch of gibberish to most people. I have no idea how you would create an accurate pattern by hand. but like i said this was my first attempt and that's how how did it. Here's an example of some of the patterns i managed to make this way.

http://s.mlpforums.com/uploads/post_images/img-1257792-1-img0395ov.jpg

I had never made anything like this before. but i just watched a bunch of tutorials and used my moms sowing machine. From my experience if you want to make something like i did you have to go with a sowing machine. hand stitching tends to get loose after a while. Also when working with minky the fabric has a direction in which you can stroke it so it stays pretty. make sure you cut your fabric in such a way that when people handle it the fabric flows in the direction that people are most likely to stroke it. (its not really vital but its a nice visual effect when you hold it)

The eyes were done with applique and stuck on there with heat activated glue strips. Though most people use a embroidery machine to get really nice eyes and cutie marks. i sadly did not have access to one hence why i didn't go for that approach. but if you have access to one i'd definitely recommend going that approach rather than my way

Sadly i never got to finish the plushie even though it only needs one more part. before i can call it finished.

I hope i made sense and that you found it useful. if you have any further questions feel free to ask.

Wow I hope you get to finish her, just from what I've seen she's nice, and that is your first?!
I Probably would do the applique technique first cause I need to practice using a regular sewing machine (haven' t used one since High School) and I've never used an embroidery machine at all.  Thanks for taking the time to reply.     

[Uninu]

I have no idea where to start with 3D modeling, I prefer handcrafting and testing the pattern without a computer even though my results are far from the epicness of SoaringSentinel's plush Making sewing patterns out of scratch takes different kind of eye I think, a certain know-how of how the folds and curves and so on work. Practice helps a lot and so does studying other makers' patterns, they show what shapes work and what don't. There's lots of tutorials in Internet and there are loads of books about the subject, they are great for a beginner and are often easy to use to start developing original patterns.

I don't think that sewing machine is a must. I love to use back-stitch. It's a rather sturdy stitch that can be reinforced with sewing a different kind of stitch on the borders, for that I normally use a overcast stitch or  blanket stitch. I would recommend a sewing machine if you sew for a kid, though, as sewing machine makes somewhat sturdier result, especially if you use straight stitch and zigzag both.

I usually make the test pieces of a fabric with same amount of stretch that the final piece will have, as it does a lot to how the plush turns out. For fabrics I prefer fleece or minky (though the latter has to be imported here), very rarely normal fur fabric as I prefer to make small to tiny plushies.

I have tried different things for eyes (cut out of lighter weight fabric, iron on, embroidered, glass eyes) and personally I love using different kinds of eyes for different types of plushies. For antique style bears and other such critters glass eyes are a must, some look nice with iron on, some even get glued on gems+embroidery as eyes.

I like to experiment and most of all, have fun!

[CoonhoundBetty]

I started making plushies about a year ago, just for my daughter. If you're going to try your hand at a pony pattern, I would *highly* recommend ValleyViolet's on etsy. She goes above and beyond in detailing her instructions, which was really helpful for a beginner like me.

I started with fleece because it was always on sale at Joann; just be warned, it stretches easily, which is a pain. Minky is gorgeous, but pricey, especially when you first start. I've made one pony with minky, and I do like it more than fleece. I used acrylic paint with fabric medium to create the eyes and cutie marks before Santa brought my embroidery machine last year

I know some people handsew, but oh my word, that just takes way too much time, IMO. And since my plushies are played with by my DD, I like to be sure it's strong enough lol.

I've used Dolphinwing's pattern for a Scootaloo, but the pattern lacks instructions, and the pieces are drawn with marker, as opposed to ValleyViolet's digitized pieces. It's okay. visitors can't see pics , please register or login

[Skeen]

I started making plushies a little over a year ago as well.  You can see all my stuff here:
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/Skeen-ka/Customs/Plushies


Is it easy to make one's own pattern when one gets the hang of sewing them following a ready made one?
I wouldn't say it's EASY to make a pattern, but it gets easier the more you do it.    I would say, for a beginner, don't stress so much on making your own and just concentrate on making a pre-made pattern work for you.  Once you see how someone else puts a pattern together, it gets easier to see how a change you might make will end up.  I would also recommend studying the work of people who make the plushies you would like to own for yourself, to see how they made their work so awesome.  Sometimes after doing a particularly hard bit of sewing I will realize that someone better than I am did it a different (and probably easier!) way, which I can then try next time. 

I've used just about all the patterns out there at some point, and now I use Dolphinwing's patterns exclusively, BUT they are heavily edited both to my preferences and for my ease of use.  As an aside, Betty - she recently updated her patterns (mare for sure, possibly the stallion unless I applied the updates myself and have forgotten) and they are now digitized and include extensive instructions, as well as a link to  a video tutorial on Youtube so you can check out any steps that might be giving you trouble (like the 3D flanks, for serious, you have no idea the frustration those have caused me!).  She's also super-nice and always willing to answer my questions.  And if you message her she'll send you the updates free since you bought the previous version.    If you don't like the 3D flanks you can just not cut them out without altering the pattern at all. 

what's the best fabric to learn on?
Fleece is a nice cheap material to learn on but be aware that it stretches like crazy so make sure if you're machine sewing that you pin it together well and try to keep it feeding evenly.  Hand sewing should eliminate a lot of that though, but some patterns are so large you'll be hand sewing them for days if not weeks.  I would recommend a sewing machine if you can get one cheap to learn on.  It doesn't have to be fancy to make a good strong stitch. 

Mostly I'd say just experiment.    Don't be afraid to make a mistake.  There is always more fabric and more thread so go out and be creative!

[lovesbabysquirmy]

My advice is to create them because you love doing so, not because you think you're going to make a second income out of it. 

[ponygirl74]

My advice is to create them because you love doing so, not because you think you're going to make a second income out of it. 

I want to do them mostly for me, and maybe for some friends (as toys for pets- sewn eyes, nothing that they can choke on) I love the G1 & G3 types of looks in a plush though I'm not opposed to G4 to do some of my Oc's as I did some of them on a G4. The other Oc's suite the other aforementioned Gens. I am  also writing a story on wolves and would love to make plushes of some of my charterers in the story. 
Most of my amigurumi creations wind up with me keeping them - esp if it's the first time I'm making the pattern - once I've gotten the hang of it I've sold some of the smaller ones, and Ive made cat toys that sell well for people that I know that have cats.
But the plushies will be for me, I know that some can be expensive to buy if you want to commission someone to create a non cannon charter in MLP's or Oc MLP's , that's why I'd love to learn hoe to make my own - I know that it will still be an expense (to buy materials ) in the beginning but in the longer run, it might save me money.

[ZennaBug]

I haven't made a plushie in ages, but I do sew other things.  If you want something soft and relatively easy to work with, I'm a fan of fleece.  I'm going to participate in the plushie swap and my plan is to use a fleece first to practice before I try a more expensive material like minky.