by Kathy Cano-Murillo - Jun. 26, 2004 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

There is a lovable, cuddly underground movement happening these days - stuffed monsters. I think of them as the next generation of the traditional sock monkey because they are little animals you can create to your liking. Stuffed monsters are so addictive to make. Once you draw a shape, cut and sew it and attach simple facial features, it will look cuter than a Hello Kitty Waffle Maker.

Shawn Smith, 28, of Chicago, has been making and selling monsters at www.shawnimals.com since 2001. He has a theory on why so many crafters are going soft.

"The abundance of fantastic characters and creatures in cartoons, comics, video games and movies right now may be stoking the desire," he says. "Sewn plush is a really direct way to turn doodles and sketches into real-life things."

For more inspiration, here are some other Web sites to check out:


• uglydolls.com
• peg-legstudio.com
• biggerkrissy.com
• mypapercrane.com
• littleandthegirl.com


Stuffed Monsters

Supplies:
1 piece of typing paper and a pen
Scissors
2 pieces of felt, 9 1/2 inches by 12 inches
Straight pins
Needle, thread, sewing machine or fabric glue
Buttons or googly eyes
Trim, fringe, beads, embroidery thread, ribbon, sequins, yarn or any other embellishments
Fiberfill stuffing



Directions:

Fold the piece of paper in half. Use the pen to draw half of the outline of a creature (just as you would draw half a heart) and then cut out the shape with the scissors. Unfold it and lay it on top of the two pieces of felt. Lightly trace around the shape with the pen. Pin the pieces of felt together in the center area of the creature. Sew around the outline of the shape, but leave an opening at the top. Trim the excess felt from around the shape, leaving a quarter-inch halo. Decide whether you want to flip the creature inside out or leave it with the seams showing. Sew or glue on the face (eyes, nose, mouth, cheeks, teeth) using buttons, felt, beads or embroidery thread. Stuff the creature until it is firm. Use the chopstick to move the stuffing into pointy corners. Sew or glue the top closed. Add any extra embellishments you like.

Variations: Use other kinds of fabric, such as faux fur, velvet, fleece, satin, denim or cotton. Make some creatures abstract, without arms or legs, and just add eyes to give them character. Use embroidery thread to add more detailed features to their expressions. Insert a dryer sheet as part of the stuffing to use as a room freshener.

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* All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2007. For more artsy goodness, check out CraftyChica.com * for awesome crafty resources check out DuncanCrafts.com

Labels: fabric, kids, sewing