Designing and Making Your Own Soft Toy
A course by EFI Little things , Toy Maker
Joined July 2021
Learn how to design and make your own soft toy from scratch by creating a pattern, cutting then stitching it, and adding the final touches
Learn how to design and make your own soft toy from scratch by creating a pattern, cutting then stitching it, and adding the final touches
Teddy bears, stuffed sheep, plush mice—soft toys are often one of the most treasured belongings from a person’s childhood. As an experienced toy maker and the creator of best-selling designs such as Rupert the Hare, Elena Ilyasova is devoted to keeping both the nostalgia and tradition of handmade toys alive. Through her brand, Efi Little Things, she shares her passion for this craft by designing toy patterns for small business and individual makers.
In this online course, Elena teaches how to design and make a soft toy from scratch. Learn how to create a pattern, cut and sew the pieces together, and give your new friend a unique personality with custom clothing. Ready to make memories to cherish for a lifetime?
What will you learn in this online course?
16 lessons & 23 downloads
- 97% positive reviews (314)
- 11,169 students
- 16 lessons (3h 4m)
- 23 additional resources (8 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English, Turkish
- English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Design and make a soft toy from scratch.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Anyone who wants to learn how to make their own stuffed animal, as well as craft enthusiasts looking for a new project.
Requirements and materials
Basic sewing skills are required to take this course.
As for materials, you need pattern-making and sewing tools, which your teacher will specify during the course, as well as any fabric of your choice.
Reviews
A course by EFI Little things
Elena Ilyasova is a toy maker and pattern designer based in Oxford, England. Raised in a family of creatives, she learned to sew, knit, and crochet from a young age, making her first soft toy when she was just seven, and hasn’t stopped since. Her career took off when she started sharing the stuffed toys she had made for her own children on social media, which quickly led to a stream of orders and the creation of her brand Efi Little Things.
Through her brand, she makes soft toy patterns for companies and individuals. Her designs are inspired by the woodland creatures that populated traditional tales. The aim of her work is to support both small businesses and craft lovers in keeping this tradition alive while promoting sustainable, handmade items over mass-produced toys. When she’s not creating her own designs, she shares her knowledge with others through online classes and tutorials.
Content
-
U1
Introduction
-
About Me
-
Influences
-
-
U2
Designing the Character
-
Inspiration and Trends
-
Materials and Fabrics
-
Creating Basic Shapes with Fabric
-
-
U3
Developing the Character
-
Sketching the Design
-
Creating the Pattern
-
Colors and Textures: Refining the Design
-
-
U4
Constructing the Toy
-
Building the Head with Darts
-
Building the Head Using Gussets 1
-
Building the Head Using Gussets 2
-
The Body and Legs
-
Adding Details: The Facial Features 1
-
Adding Details: The Facial Features 2
-
-
U5
Adding Unique Details
-
Accessorizing the Toy
-
Adding a Personal Touch
-
-
FP
Final project
-
Designing and Making Your Own Soft Toy
-
What to expect from a Domestika course
-
Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
-
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
-
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
-
Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
-
Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
-
Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
-
Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
-
Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.
All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.
The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.
You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.
amleslie
Enjoyed this class. Elena's instructions were clear and easy to follow. The additional resources were helpful. !This course was so much fun
ilpapiroprofumato
utile
View translation
Hide translation
edna_bt
Estou fazendo esse curso e a forma de ensinar é muito leve e eficiente e te habilita para a execução. Algo me chamou a atenção: o curso é tão excente que consegui lembrar das técnicas ensinadas nele para utilizar em bonecas russas e outras. Parabéns Helena teacher! 🥰💛😊
View translation
Hide translation
blythiful
It was a detailed course and I enjoyed it. With a nice amount of external references for us to learn more and even some unlisted youtube videos.
valentina.pasciuti
il corso è bellissimo, veramente completo sotto ogni aspetto e fornisce tutte le competenze necessarie per iniziare a creare i propri animali di stoffa. le spiegazioni sono dettagliate e accurate. stupendo!
View translation
Hide translation