Knitting and making handmade soft toys is never an outdated fashion. Do you remember your childhood toys? Your grandmothers, mothers, they all used to make cloth toys for you. They used the waste/extra fabric clothes to knit the beautiful soft toys from them.
As time is changing, we are rapidly switching to readymade things including toys.
Have you ever thought of making handmade toys for your kids? Are you thinking about which fabrics to use and how to stuff the soft toys? Don.t worry. You will get all your answers here.
Types of Materials For Soft Toys
- Gabardine– It is a firm cloth with a twill weave and lighter texture. The fibre used may be pure cotton, texturised polyester or a combination of both.
- Panama– It is a simple textile weave in which threads are interlaced to form a simple criss-cross pattern. Panama weave is lightweight/midweight soft and loose fabric.
If you wish to make soft toys for your kid with tightly woven and durable fabric, gabardine and Panama fabrics are good choices to make.
You need to be a little cautious because these fabrics can’t tolerate machine washing or stain removal.
- Cretonne– It is a soft and light cotton fabric having a wide variety of uses. Cretonne is an easy to use fabric. You can sew 2-3 layers without any extra pressure. You can easily stitch beautiful toys with this fabric for your kiddos.
- Plush– It is a rich fabric of silk, cotton, wool or a combination of these, having a long and soft nap. Plush fabrics are pleasant to touch fabric and are considered as the softest ones for making soft toys.
- Fleece Fabric– It is a man-made fabric, which is super soft and cozy one.
Stuffing Material for Soft Toys
- Polyester and Acrylics– These are commonly used synthetic fibres in toy stuffing. They have a consistent feel throughout. But both of these have some drawbacks- they are not chemical-free. They might cause allergies to babies.
- Cotton– If you are a nature’s being, then cotton is the best alternative for toy stuffing. You can buy pre-washed cotton so that the toy doesn’t shrink after washing.
- Wool or Lambswool– Wool is an easily available option for toy stuffing. It is a biodegradable and eco-friendly raw material for toys’ filling. It’s a natural fire-resistant fibre.
These are the most commonly used fibrics for toy stuffing. However, there are several other raw materials, which you can use for soft toy making. What are they? No need to worry. They are easily available at your home only. They are-
- Fabric Scraps
- Old socks
- Old shredded clothes
- Shredded paper
- Tissue
- Pillow fillings
- Packaging material such as bubble wraps, foams etc.
- Rice- it can be used to add weight to the toy.
- Beads- can be used with other materials for a different texture.
That’s a lot of information for soft toys making material, isn’t it? As parents, you always wish to present unique and child-friendly gifts to your loved ones. Handmade stuff gives a warmth of love and care. So, you can use all these materials for knitting love-filled toys for little ones. Kids will love them!
FAQs
- Which fabric is used for toys?
Ans. Cretonne, plush, panama and gabardine.
- Which cloth is used for plushies?
Ans. Fleece fibre, stretch velvet, polyester fibre etc.
- How to make soft toys from old clothes?
Ans. Watch this tutorial and get an idea of making soft toys from old clothes.
- How to make a teddy bear at home from cloth?
Ans. Making Teddy bear at home from a cloth is not a difficult task. Check out this youtube tutorial for the same.