There are many kinds of materials that can be used for applied creativity, including for the manufacture of toys. Fabrics, leather, its substitutes, suede, foamiran. The choice is simply huge. However, each material needs a special approach, the products are not always the first time obtained exactly as we would like to see them. An exception, perhaps, may be fashionable material called "felt". What is it?
Description
The word "felt" has French roots and literally translates as ... felt! Many people know it as the material from which classic felt boots are made, and felt insoles can still be seen on store windows. This material is obtained by wet felting (hence the name of the shoe) thin fluff or wool. Traditional hats, tents, and national shoes were made from such material.
Over time, the material began to be made with impurities of synthetic yarns. Modern felt for creativity is 100% synthetic, since it does not require heat-insulating properties. But such a material has a wide range of colors, thanks to which you can easily translate any idea into reality. Sheets are produced with a thickness of 1 to 5 mm, their size vary from A5 format to 1-10 meters.
Felt toys
One of the most popular uses of felt is the manufacture of toys. Due to the special structure, the parts retain their shape and do not require additional processing of the edges. That is why needlewomen love to use it so much if it is necessary to sew a toy in a short time.
Types of toys
Three types of toys can be made from felt:
- Volumetric. Seams can be located both inside and outside the product. Typically, these toys are made of medium or large sizes. This is due to the fact that the material itself is quite thick, it is almost impossible to turn out and stuff small parts, and the joints look rough.
- Flat stuffed. The most popular type of toy. In this case, the seams are always located outside, and the product looks like flat pads. Despite this, the toys are very beautiful and unusual, and the patterns for them do not require any design skills.
- Seamless.
For example, in the photo above - felt pig. The pattern consists of several light pink details glued to a more saturated color base. However, such an elementary toy looks very attractive and can be a very nice gift.
Patterns
It is very easy to create patterns for felt on your own.
- Choice of drawing. This can be a finished drawing or a freehand sketch. The main thing is to decide what the toy should be. The drawing should be flat.
- External circuit. First, the outlines of the largest parts are translated into tracing paper. It can be completely contour, or large parts of the body - head, trunk, tail. Each part will need to be cut in 2 pieces. The main thing here is to remember that the place of stitching of parts, for example, the head with the torso, implies the presence of an allowance for seams in the neck area. But those parts that are sewn on top, for example, a tail or a tummy, are cut out without allowances.
- Small parts. When the base is cut, you need to go to the rest of the parts. As a rule, this is the inner part of the ear, tummy, paws, tail coloring, muzzle - everything that differs in color from the main details. Thus, the pattern for felt is made on the principle of two-sided application. At this point, the pattern is ready.
- Sew the decoration on the main details, then fold them in pairs and stitch them with an overlock seam around the perimeter. After this, the parts are not tightly packed, folded into a single composition and stitched.
Doll
According to the presented pattern, felt patterns can be used to sew a Japanese doll in a national kimono.
To do this, you need to carve the following details:
- Front and back hair - 1 piece each in brown or black.
- Face - 1 child, hands - 2 children, foot - 2 children. - beige or white.
- Kimono: body - 2 children, sleeves - 4 children. one color.
- Belt - 1 child; hair ornament - 1 child. The color should be combined with the color of the kimono.
- Slippers - 2 details of the top and bottom. Cut from black or dark brown felt.
Assembly is carried out in the following order:
- Sew the face to the front of the hair, and then sew the workpiece with the back of the head.
- Sew a belt in the center of the part on the front of the kimono.
- Sew kimono sleeves, fasten on the upper body. They should be parallel to the long sides of the main part, slightly overlapping.
- Sew brushes on the belt near the hands.
- Sew the front and back of the body, stuff.
- Sew foot parts in pairs, fill. Collect slippers, fix them on your feet.
- Stuff your head, sew in your body, attach your legs. Decorate hair with a flower, embroider eyes and mouth.
This pattern of felt for beginners is perfect. In this case, with the general ease of operation, two types of seam are worked out - straight and overlay.
Animals
Animals are performed on the same principle as the doll. The process of creating a do-it-yourself felt toy with the patterns presented in this article will become quite simple and exciting even for children. This will allow them to quickly and in a playful way master the basic skills of sewing, learn spatial thinking and develop imagination.
New Year decoration
One of the practical applications of this type of applied creativity is the manufacture of Christmas toys. When creating patterns from felt for New Year's toys, winter motifs and Christmas elements are always taken as the basis.
Sometimes it’s enough to decorate an existing toy with a Christmas cap to become a New Year’s decoration of the interior. The main thing is that in the manufacture of such products there are always three rules to remember: a toy should be small (about half of the palm), light (stuff loose, only with synthetic filler) and have a loop for attaching it to the Christmas tree.
Educational toys
Actively use felt and for educational toys. Such products can withstand a fairly large load and are almost not deformed during operation. To make educational toys out of felt on patterns is quite simple. But even if there are no patterns, they can be made by yourself. For example, to create a finger puppet theater, as in the photo, the pattern is made according to the principle of a flat-printed figure, but at the same time it is not stuffed, but a hole for the finger is left below.
Books from felt
The most fashionable, but at the same time rather time-consuming use of felt is the manufacture of training books for babies. They are aimed at the development of fine motor skills, the study of numbers, shapes, colors and much more. As such, there are practically no book patterns from felt. Therefore, here you can let go of your imagination. But first you need to set certain tasks.
Fine motor skills:
- Take the mouse to the cheese. The labyrinth is cut out on the top layer of felt, sewn to the page along the contour of each stroke, departing 3-5 mm from the edge. A runner is a circle whose diameter is equal to the stroke width + 4 mm, 2 circles are sewn on it in the center, the diameter is slightly less than the stroke width, and the mouse is on top.
- Big Wash. Figurines of clothes fasten on a thread with decorative clothespins.
- Harvesting. The main part of the leaf is a bed with slots (pockets). At the bottom of the sheet is a basket. Sew carrots, onions and beets with tops, arrange in pockets. Task: to harvest, and then return back to the garden.
Obtaining self-service skills:
- Buttons Sew stems to the page, and place buttons on top. Insert flowers with slots for buttons in a separate pocket. They should be easily put on the workpiece, the button will play the role of the core.
- Shoelaces. Sew a white semicircle from below (sneaker nose) and 2 rectangles with holes on the sides to the elongated oval blank. Lace up. It is best to use eyelets for a hole with a hole diameter of 6-7 mm.
- Hooks
Hooks are sewn onto a tree, and fruits with eyelets in a basket. It is necessary to hang fruits, and then pick them up again.
- Button. A washing machine with an opening door. Inside - a pocket for linen. Closes the button. It goes well with the exercise "Big wash."
- Velcro. From geometric shapes (square, triangle, circle) we build a house and the sun. The barbed side should be on the figures.
- Lightning. Sew imitation jackets with split lock. Inside, you can sew an interesting applique, for example, with double sequins.
Other development:
- Score and numbers. Put as many objects in the pocket cars as the number is indicated on it.
- Figures. Embed shapes in their contours (as a sorter).
- Colors. Plant butterflies on flowers of the same color.
Useful Tips
- If it is necessary that the part holds the mold well, then it must be glued with doubler. This is true for removable parts.
- The pages of the book consist of two sheets of felt sewn together. They can also be strengthened with doubler, or inserted between the sheets of cardboard. However, in this case, contact of the book with water must be avoided.
- Some details can be glued, but it’s better to use not glue web, but glue-gel or “Second”.
- The thread for working with felt should be of medium thickness, and the needle should be thin, in this case large holes will not remain in the material, and the edges will not break.
- Thin felt is suitable for making appliqués and toys. For bags and books it is better to choose a thick one.
- In the manufacture of toys for young children, it is better to abandon the glue, and sew all the details on a sewing machine.
- It is better to transfer patterns for felt to the material using a special marker, since chalk and soap leave not clear lines.
- It is better not to throw out the trimmings of felt, as they can come in handy for cutting out small parts of the next toy.
- If the material is jammed, the crease can be easily steamed with an iron, placing it about two centimeters above the crease.
Creating a pattern for felt, as well as the craft itself, is a fascinating process in which both adults and children can participate. And small toys can become memorable souvenirs made with love.