If you are still new to sewing, I think this is The Book to start with for sewing stuffed animals. It starts with some easy projects (e.g. a fish) with very extensive step-by-step explanation, illustrated with clear photo’s. With each project / animal, “Lessons” are included with explanations and ideas for other techniques to consider. The latter really brings your techniques to the next level. I chose 2 projects: a bunny and an elephant.
The Elephant:
For the elephant I used very similar fabrics to the one in the book. With all the instructions included, it was easy to make and the pattern pieces fitted perfectly. The embroidery by hand for all the details took most of my time.
The Bunny doll:
For the bunny, which I named Choca, I wanted to try out a completely different styling, just for the fun of the creative process. The original bunny was created from felt with small nose and eyes. I took my most fluffy brown fabric and the way Choca turned out I really love. Everyone who sees her thinks she is adorable. The face ended up with huge eyes and nose and I think that adds to the overall cuteness. For me it was fun to play around with the styling, and using other fabrics feels a fun part of the creative learning process.
The Bunny chapter in the book also gives tips and tricks on how to create clothes for your bunny yourself. My mum used to sew pretty clothes for my bunny doll in the past and I still remember these as one the best birthday gifts I got. I still have to try the instructions in the book, but for now, Choca is just pretty in her natural looks.
The Book
“Stuffed Animals“, by Abigail Patner Glassenberg, contains the following projects: fish, bumblebee, elephant, ram, bunny, puppy, lion, cat, camel, monster, crab, teddy bear, kangaroo, monkey, hippo and dinosaur.
This is one of my favorite sewing books when it comes to learning on how to sew stuffed animals. I learned a lot of techniques which I still use. If I compare it to other sewing books on stuffed animals it is good quality with regards to explanations on how to sew the animals, on techniques and the patterns simply fit well.
The author also has a blog “While she naps” which I enjoy following since she shares a lot about setting up your own creative business. Not as active anymore these days but a lot of interesting stuff to read back.