You want to avoid stuffing toys with a potential choking hazard, like beads, seeds, or plastic pellets. That’s because kids are always putting stuff in their mouths, and the toy may tear. Experienced crafters put these in the middle and then cleverly fill out the surrounding edges with polyfill, wool, or other fibers. 1. Scrap Fabric and Rugs

Your choice, however, depends on certain factors that we shall discuss shortly in this toy stuffing guide. Read on to find out more about the various types of stuffing and how to choose the right one for your toys. How to Choose Toy Stuffing and What You Should Consider Unfortunately, the microbeads can wiggle through the holes in a knit or amigurumi toy. You end up losing them gradually, or a substantial amount if the fabric suddenly gets slit, ripped, or the seams break free. On the surface at least, toy filling isn’t very interesting. If like me however, you use it to make toys, then knowing all about the toy filling that you use can give you better finished results. A frugal alternative to tissue paper, with many of the same problems. Bear in mind that newspaper ink does spread itself around – you don’t want to put a dark fingerprint on a white snowman.

As you sew, continue to manipulate the fill so this final area is just as smooth as the others. You may find partially sewing the opening, then adding more stuffing just underneath, will help fill out the area. Think about the receiver of the toy. Will they be children? If so then safety is important and be cautious. Could it be a choking hazard? Does the receiver have allergies or intollerancies to certain materials. It may need to be hypoallrgenic or bacterial resistant. It is all about what is right for you, the recipient and the toy you are crafting at the time. What are the legalities of toy stuffing? You are unlikely to waste a new skein of yarn to stuff toys. Unless it was crazy cheap and of such poor quality, you’d never consider using it for your knits. Pro tip: Plastic bag stuffing is not recommended for toys for small children or animals, as if they manage to tear open the toy, they’ll discover a whole collection of choking and/or suffocation hazards to play with.

In the steps below, we are using a simple square knife-edge pillow to illustrate the basic stuffing technique. Since not all projects are square, you want to make sure you’ve properly sewn and trimmed any curves or corners on your project. To learn more, read our tutorials on how to sew corners and curves. For unusually shaped objects, spend extra time in smaller areas first to ensure the shape is taking form, then work your way out towards the opening. Sometimes you could be working with limited funds. Or maybe you just like the idea of frugal crafting. Therefore you’ll be looking for everyday things you can use in place of the earlier mentioned toy stuffing or as a supplement. If you’d like to make a standing or sitting doll or animal, with things like floppy arms, you will also need to incorporate heavy toy stuffing in the right places. 3. What Finished Results Do You Anticipate? A 1kg bag of stuffing will have a different volume or size depending on what it is made from and how much air there is inside. New toy stuffing is sold by weight. This is why none of the Knitting by Post knitting patterns specify a stuffing quantity as it would be impossible to accurately measure as the weight has no bearing on the volume needed to stuff a toy completely. While synthetic toy stuffing makes fantastic stuffed dolls and animals, it may not appeal to anyone whose gone green. If you prefer natural, biodegradable, and renewable stuffing material for your crafts, then try the natural options from plant and animal fibers.JOANN offers foam and fiber for your home decor and craft projects. From pillow forms and bedding to foam, fiberfill and batting, we have got everything you need. You can use them to make cloud ceilings, plush toys, cushions, pillows and more. You can learn more about them in our fabric glossary. Fabric Scraps are available in local fabric stores in a very inexpensive price, or use your own recycled fabric scraps from your other sewing projects! Bamboo fiber is biodegradable, anti-bacterial, and has a lovely soft feel on the skin. This can be pure, which is 100% organic, or mixed with polyester stuffing. The best thing about cotton stuffed toys is, like polyfill fiber, it can be thrown in a washing machine and dryer without ruining it.