Sew a Monster E-Book

Fiona Goble

• Herausgeber: IMM Lifestyle Books
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Seitenzahl: 94

Beschreibung

This fabulous collection of cute and quirky toys will delight adults and children alike. From pink and pretty Dilly to bright and bold Leo, there's a creature here to suit every personality. The projects are all made from soft fleece which is fantastically versatile and really easy to work with. Basic sewing skills, some brightly colored fleece and a few accessories are all you need to make these wonderful toys, and most can be sewn by hand in a matter of hours. With easy-to-follow instructions and step-by-step photographs, the projects are so simple to sew you'll want to make them time and time again. Sew a Monster is perfect for gifts or to keep for yourself - let your imagination run wild!

Leseprobe

Published 2016 — IMM Lifestyle Books

www.IMMLifestyleBooks.com

IMM Lifestyle Books are distributed in the UK by

Grantham Book Service.

In North America, IMM Lifestyle Books are distributed by

Fox Chapel Publishing

1970 Broad Street

East Petersburg, PA 17520

www.FoxChapelPublishing.com

Text and project design copyright © 2010, 2016 Fiona Goble

Photographs copyright © 2010, 2016 IMM Lifestyle Books

Copyright © 2010, 2016 IMM Lifestyle Books

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers and copyright holders.

Fiona Goble has asserted her moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

ISBN 978 1 5048 0030 3

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Printed in Singapore

Safety note

Some of the projects in this book are unsuitable for children under 3 years of age due to small parts. Always keep small or sharp objects (such as needles or buttons) away from small children.

Contents

Introduction

Tools and Materials

Techniques

The Projects

Toby

Dilly

Quincy

Ned and Son

Mungo

Martha

Dinah and Daughter

Leo

Zoltan

Rufus

Albert

Dotty

Beatrice

Three Mini Monsters

Monty

Templates

Suppliers

Index

Introduction

If you want to stitch yourself a troupe of quirky new friends, then this is the book for you. The cute creatures in this collection are all made from easy-to-sew fleece fabric which is widely available in a great range of colours. And if you want to help the planet and save money at the same time, why not recycle old fleece clothes into brand new fleecie friends?

For starters, there are Wilf, Prudence and Melvin – three lovable little misfits. They’re small enough to fit in your pocket and travel with you everywhere. Then there’s flowery-eyed Dilly who looks as if butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth and lolloping Dotty who thinks she’s a heart throb. There are loads more besides, all waiting to be sewn into your ideal companions. You can even use the patterns in this book to develop your own unique monsters.

I’ve marked all the projects according to how easy they are. The ones marked with one star are the easiest and the ones marked with three stars the most challenging. But even if you’re new to sewing, the clear photographs, instructions and useful tips mean that you’ll almost certainly be able to make all of the projects in this book with just a little practice.

These monsters would make great gifts – not just for children but also for older children and even adults with a sense of humour. But it’s also nice to sew something for yourself once in a while.

So sit back and take a look through the book and choose your favourites. Then decide exactly what fabric and trimmings you’re going to use to create your very first monster. I hope you have fun!

Fiona Goble

Tools and Materials

TOOLS

Before you start making these fleecie monsters you will need to check out your sewing box and general supplies for some basic equipment and tools. You are bound to have some of the items you need already but there may be some things you will need to borrow or buy.

Photocopier or computer with scanner and printer, plus a supply of thick paper or thin card and some sticky tape.

The templates on pages 98–127 are shown actual size. The easiest and most accurate way to transfer the templates is to photocopy them onto thin card or thick paper. Alternatively, you can scan them into your computer then print them out. In some cases the templates have been split over two pages; simply join at the dotted lines and tape together.

Sewing machine and sewing machine needles

You can easily sew the fleecie monsters and any clothes and accessories by hand but a sewing machine will make it much quicker. A machine that does zig zag stitch is useful for some of the monsters but one that simply does running stitch will also be fine. Your machine should be fitted with a needle suitable for medium weight fabrics. A standard European size 70 or 80 (US 11 or 12) needle is ideal.

It’s a good idea to have a few available as machine needles can bend or become blunt quite easily and you may need to replace them fairly often.

Needles for hand sewing

You will need two types of hand sewing needles to make the monsters – a standard sewing needle and an embroidery needle.

You will need a standard sewing needle (a ‘sharp’) if you are hand sewing your monsters and accessories. Even if you are sewing by machine you will need this type of needle for closing the openings used for stuffing, attaching some of the arms and legs and sewing some of the monsters’ features.

You will need an embroidery or crewel needle for stitching some of the monsters’ facial features. This type of needle is a sharp, medium length needle that has an eye large enough for you to thread embroidery thread.

Iron

You will need an iron when making some of the monsters and their clothes, to press open seams and to fix bonding web and appliqués.

Water-soluble pen or quilter’s pencil

You will need a water-soluble pen or quilter’s pencil to draw round the templates and to mark some of the monsters’ features before you sew them. They work like ordinary felt pens or pencils but the marks are easily removed by spraying or dabbing with water.

The pens usually come in bright blue and are the best option for marking light and medium coloured fabrics. For darker fabrics, choose one of the pencils which come in a range of light colours, including white and yellow. These pens and pencils are widely available in craft and haberdashery (notions) shops, and through mail order and internet companies that supply accessories for patchwork and quilting.

Ordinary pencil

You will need a pencil for tracing some of the appliqué shapes onto the backing paper of your bonding web (see page 10). A pencil is sometimes also useful for pushing the toy filling into the monsters’ limbs.

Scissors

Ordinary scissors are fine for cutting your template card or paper but you need a pair of good quality sewing scissors for cutting fabric. You will also need some sharp embroidery scissors for cutting out small items such as the felt eyes featured in some of the projects. Make sure that you keep your sewing and embroidery scissors strictly for cutting fabric and threads as using them on card or paper will quickly blunt them.

Dressmaking pins

You will need a small number of dressmaking pins to pin your work together before basting or sewing. It is a good idea to use pins with coloured glass ends as they are easier to see and less likely to get left in your work by mistake.

Tape measure

This will be useful for checking the size of your fabric pieces before beginning your project.

Piece of fine cotton

To protect your work, you will need a piece of fine cotton, such as a handkerchief, when ironing the appliqués in position.

Safety pin

You will need a small safety pin to thread the elastic through the casing of some of the monsters’ clothes.

Stitch ripper and tweezers

These tools will come in handy if you make a mistake and need to undo your work. A stitch ripper has a point on the end and a sharp blade and will enable you to undo stitching without the risk of cutting or pulling the fabric. They are widely available in craft and haberdashery shops. Tweezers are useful for picking out any cut stitches that remain in your work.

MATERIALS

All the materials you need to make the monsters are available in dress fabric shops and haberdashery stores or from mail order and internet companies. The main fabric used for the creatures themselves is polyester fleece – sometimes called ‘polar fleece’. This is the fabric used to make items such as fleece tops, hats and scarves. You will also need polyester toy filling to stuff your monsters and small quantities of felt and embroidery threads for their features. Depending on which creature you are making, you may also need other types of fabric and a selection of trimmings, including buttons. The exact requirements for each monster are given on the individual project pages.

Fleece fabric

The monsters are all made from standard fleece fabric, sometimes called ‘polar fleece’. Fleece is available in a variety of thicknesses and finishes. Medium weight fleece with a slight pile is ideal for making fleecie creatures as thin fabrics can be too stretchy and thick fabrics too difficult to work with.

Good quality fleece fabric usually has a pile which makes it smoother when you stroke it in one direction than any other. It is important when making the creatures that the direction of the pile runs down the length of the creature.

Fleece fabric in a good range of colours is available in many dress fabric shops, and there are some attractive patterned designs as well. But if there isn’t a good fabric shop near you, don’t worry. There are plenty of mail order and internet companies offering this type of fabric at competitive prices (see Suppliers on page 128), and it is often available through individual sellers and stores on Ebay.

If you want an even greater choice of colours and textures – and want to save money at the same time – you could look at fleece clothing in budget and second hand shops. You could even give your own old clothes a second lease of life by transforming them into fleecie monsters!

Polyester filling

This 100 per cent polyester filling is manufactured specially for stuffing soft toys, cushions and other handmade items. It is widely available in craft and haberdashery shops. Always check that the filling you are buying is marked safe and washable and that it conforms to safety standards.

Patterned cottons

For some of the monsters you will need small amounts of printed fabrics in 100 per cent cotton or cotton mixes (a blend of polyester and cotton). You don’t need to use exactly the same fabric shown in the project. But the fabric you use will determine the finished look and character of your monster, so spend a bit of time selecting a fabric that you really like and that you think will work well.

Felt

Felt is used for some of the monsters’ features. There are two main types of craft felt, both of them widely available and sold in squares measuring about 23 x 23 cm (9 x 9 in) in craft, haberdashery and fabric shops. The first type is made from 100 per cent polyester and the second type from a mixture of viscose and wool. I would recommend that you try to find the felt made from viscose and wool because it is slightly thinner and easier to cut into small shapes. Some craft shops also sell ready-cut felt circles and shapes which you may find useful for the creatures’ eyes in some of the projects.

Embroidery thread