Sewing pattern books / collections for a 10 year old?

November 30, 2021 5:07 PM

My son has gotten very interested in making small stuffed animals like this one - can anyone w/sewing experience recommend a pattern collection (preferably in book / print form) that's in the same ballpark aesthetically and in terms of level of difficulty?

He's an advanced beginner skills-wise, and has access to a sewing machine.

posted by ryanshepard to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (8 answers total)

Why not buy the PDF linked to and print it out? I absolutely understand being surprised by the relatively high cost, but my experience with digital patterns, esp. on Etsy, has been that they are far more detailed and helpful than printed book patterns. In a printed book, there are page limits so the instructions are more terse and minimal. In a PDF, the instructions usually include techniques and *lots* of photographs.

That looks like a good starting project - I would hand-sew the whole thing the first time before trying with a sewing machine. Once he's done that, he can browse Etsy for more sewing patterns that suit him. They're often sold in collections for value.

For Christmas, I'm making some things from a library book (Overdrive) and the other things from two bought PDFs patterns on Etsy. The library book pattern is possible because I have stopped several times to google techniques. The other two patterns, I could do entirely from the PDFs.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 5:41 PM on November 30, 2021 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Why not buy the PDF linked to and print it out?

We've paid for a number of these for him - just looking for a collection that he can have to explore on his own w/out having to ask for us to order/print them for him.
posted by ryanshepard at 5:49 PM on November 30, 2021

One issue with craft books is a lot of times you need to enlarge the patterns in them, so you will still run into the same issues. It looks like the woman from that website has a Simplicity Pattern with three dragons. They also have this one, with more animals and labeled for beginners.
posted by momochan at 8:32 PM on November 30, 2021

I was originally going to suggest Wild and Wonderful Fleece Animals by Linda Carr, but it appears like the newer versions no longer have full sized patterns and you have to go online.

I will tentatively suggest this one but the animals do involve needle felting as well as sewing.
posted by MaryVictoria at 10:08 PM on November 30, 2021

Best answer: This extremely my ballpark! Sew Fantasy Toys is fantastic but leans towards cutesy. Stitched Safari is all hand-stitched, but much more realistic (If I was giving this as a gift, I'd package it with some wool felt; using wool felt is night and day different from craft felt and is a joy to work with). If he is at all interested in sewing clothing for stuffies, the Luna Lapin series is FANTASTIC. I would probably recommend the third book as it's a bit more general neutral and has more animal options besides just the bunny. Felt Animal Families also looks fantastic, but I don't have hands on experience with it. If you were looking for a kit for gifting, the Cynthia Treen ones are SO lovely.
posted by Sweetchrysanthemum at 9:02 AM on December 1, 2021 [5 favorites]

Simplicity has patterns for toys. Check your local fabric stores, the customer service people may have recommendations.
What about the Libray, and Pinterest?
posted by Enid Lareg at 10:18 AM on December 1, 2021

Best answer: I got really into this when I was 9-14, I was self taught and limited to what I could find in the library so mostly things published pre 1985. Looking online I can find a few that I remember: Big Book Of Stuffed Toy & Doll Making, Easy-To-Sew Toys, Decorative Stuffed Toys For The Needleworker.

But my all time favorite was and still is Soft Toys to Stitch and Stuff. I got it as a gift when it was new, and eventually broke the binding from copying the patterns so often. The intructions in it were easy enough for me to follow with no one helping me. Comparing the different patterns and instructions in this book really helped me understand how it all worked, and gave me the confidence to start making my own patterns. There are very simple 'rag doll' style patterns in here as well as complicated ones with realistic poses and even wire infrastructures. I still use her techinque for splicing different colored spots into fur in order to make stuffed versions of real pets.

I made that horse on the cover into a unicorn, it is designed for a toddler to sit on (they call it a TV horse) and I think it took around 10 bags of stuffing (it's been 30 years).
posted by buildmyworld at 2:52 PM on December 1, 2021 [2 favorites]

I, a self- taught adult who has taken up sewing, have enjoyed the patterns from the website funkyfriendsfactory.com. I started with the simple platypus and have progressed up to the dragon. 10/10 recommend!
posted by ticketmaster10 at 8:15 PM on December 1, 2021 [2 favorites]