Adding faces to stuffed animals and dolls is an art by itself. I’m not an expert, and I know that I’m not alone. To simplify the task, I looked for “pre-made face patches”. I did not find exactly what I had in mind, but I found a lot of related patches that inspire.
My “patch research” resulted in some projects that I’d like to share with you over the coming weeks. The goal is to encourage you to try out adding patches to your pin-loom weaving projects.
Let’s start very simple: Make a hexie or square puff and sew on a patch. These make perfect pocket pals.
I used little pig-face patches, made three puffs in different colors, and now I have excellent companions when reading the story of the “Three Little Pigs” to little humans!
Do you want to try it?
What You Will Need
Start with a copy of the book. Any copy will be fine. I used this edition: “The Three Little Pigs”.
Choose a loom. My hexagon puffs are made on the Original TURTLE Loom™ R-regular sett. The square puffs are made on the Square 4″ R loom, and you can also use a Schacht Zoom loom or equivalent.
Choose yarn. Use any yarn that will work with your loom. The samples as shown use about 12 yds in each color for the hexagon puffs and 16 yds in each color for the square puffs. I used Paintbox Simply Aran from LoveCrafts in colors 239 Sailor Blue, 213 Rose Red, and 222 Buttercup Yellow. If the pigs in your edition of the book are dressed differently, simply adjust your yarn colors to match.
Additional material: You will also need a tapestry needle, a small amount of stuffing, sewing thread, a sharp sewing needle, and scissors.
If you like the pig patches that are used in this project, you can find them in our Etsy store.
Make the Puffs
Weave two pieces in each of the three colors on the loom of your choice.
To assemble the puffs, match two pieces of the same color and use a tapestry needle and the tail ends to sew the side seams together, leaving a small opening for stuffing.
Stuff the puff to medium density or to your liking.
Close the remaining seam. Weave in all ends.
Position a pig patch in the center of the puff. Using sewing thread and a sharp needle, sew the patch onto the puff.
Repeat for the other puffs.
Notes:
- The patches that I used have an iron-on backing, but I highly recommend that you sew them on. Most importantly, sewing will make the toy safer for little hands. Technically, iron-on patches work best on smooth fabric, which pin-loom weaving in general does not provide. There is also the issue that many yarns will take harm from the heat.
- If you prefer to sew-on the patches using a sewing machine, sew them on to a single weavie before assembling the puff.
Do you think adding patches to your pin-loom weaving is fun? Stay tuned for more ideas!
… or try your own … add fun patches to puffs and gift them as pocket pals to friends, colleagues, and family.
