Designing and Making Your Own Soft Toy
Influences
A course by EFI Little things , Toy Maker
Joined July 2021
About the video: Influences
Overview
“Where can you find inspiration to make your own soft toy? Here I will share my own sources of inspiration, such as antique teddy bears from my collection. By looking at these bears, you will learn how patterns have developed from simple forms to the current aesthetic. I will then discuss the toy makers and illustrators I'm inspired by. I will highlight what I particularly like about those influences; how they inspire me and why, and how these inspirational details manifest in my own work.”
In this video lesson EFI Little things addresses the topic: Influences, which is part of the Domestika online course: Designing and Making Your Own Soft Toy. 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.
Partial transcription of the video
“ Influences In this lesson, I will share with you where I find inspiration for my designs. I have already mentioned that I always repair my old toys, and am always in search of any antique toys I can find and repair them. One of the toys I wanted to show you is this antique old teddy bear, which I didn't repair yet. I'm planning on adding some stuffing to his body. He has lost almost all of his stuffing. Looking at this old teddy bear and this one as well, you can be inspired by the details you need to add to your toy. You can see the head details, a gusset, which we’ll discuss later on, a...”
This transcript is automatically generated, so it may contain mistakes.
Course summary for: Designing and Making Your Own Soft Toy
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Category
Craft -
Areas
Arts & Crafts, Character Design, Patternmaking & Dressmaking, Sewing, Toy Design
EFI Little things
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.
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