New to Plush Sewing

[koratheexplora]

I just recently watched the first How To Train Your Dragon and fell in love with Toothless. Plus I have an American Girl doll that with the right costume resembles Hiccup. I went in search of a plush Toothless that was large enough that Flynn (18 inches) could ride sort of believably. There's not much that I could find big enough and what was available was completely out of my price range. But I did find a pattern on etsy that I could MAKE my own Toothless. Here's the pattern link: https://www.etsy.com/listing/161337381/sewing-pattern-toothless-the-dragon?ref=listing-0

I'm completely new to plush/stuffed animal making and I was wondering if anyone here had tips or tricks. Also I might want to make this pattern bigger so Toothless is more to scale. Is it hard to enlarge plush patterns? And could I add some sort of bendable armature to his wings so they wouldn't just flop?

[DollyKim]

Any pattern can be enlarged with the grid method and you can add pipe cleaners to the wings. How big are you wanting it to be?

The easiest way to try out a pattern and learn is to make a test version. Use scrap fabric or repurpose something and make the pattern in the size it comes in.

[Eseme]

In terms of wire, I would not use pipe cleaners. Wire can and will rust over time unless you buy something that does not rust, like aluminum. Buy craft wire, and look at what it is made of. You can buy wire at hardware stores as well in thicker gauges. Thicker wire will hold its shape better and hold the weight of the wing.

Eseme

[SetsunaKou]

We make plushies all the time on commission and have made literally in the thousands (not joking) in the past 15 years. The most important thing to making a plush is to start at the feet and work your way up to the head. (Which you make separately, and then attach the neck/body to the head after both parts are sewn, leaving the seam/opening at the neck (where you will add the stuffing into.)
However, for some 'creature' plush, sometimes, the opening seam is left on the tummy or some other obscure place. YOu can choose later, but definitely make the legs, then the body, etc and then make the head, finally combining the two together as the final thing you do before you begin stuffing.

For the fabrics, plush materials are best, like minky or velboa, polar fleece or even panne/velvet. You can even use suedecloth or fashion fur---it depends on how you want your end plushie to look/feel. ^^ Non fraying fabrics will save you a lot of heartache, so opt for those whenever possible. ^^


And most of all, have fun!

[Jobee]

Ahh, panne, how I love you so! She's right, it's super forgiving and saves you hemming trouble. And it feels so nice!

[koratheexplora]

Thanks for all of your tips you guys! I'm definitely going to take them. I'm thinking I'll probably be going with fleece or faux suede. What's the best needles for that?