Abby Glassenberg - Sew & Play Puzzle Ball Animals

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Ive created hundreds of stuffed animals in my years as a sewing pattern designer. Typically I spend several hours perfecting the shape of an animals bodygetting just the right curve for a cats back or the perfect stance for a horse. When it came to designing the toys in this book, however, the process was different and it was quite a wonderful change.

Every one of these puzzle balls is essentially the same in its body shape. Individual segments are sewn together into rings, which then interlock to form a ball that can be assembled and disassembled. Each body is a sphere.

The simplicity and repetition of the ball shape allowed me to focus on accentuating the essential features of each animal: the head, the tail, the ear and the legs. It also required me to choose distinctive fleece fabrics that would make the balls lively and the animals recognizable.

I wish to thank my husband, Charlie, and my three daughtersRoxanne, Stella and Josephinefor your love and encouragement.

I hope you enjoy the clever way these toys are designed, and I hope the children you make them for delight in taking them apart and puzzling them back together again.

Happy sewing,

Abby Glassenberg creates unique patterns for stuffed animals from her home studio in Wellesley, Mass. Since 2005 she has shared her creations and ideas on design, technique and the online culture of craft through her blog www.whileshenaps.com and the While She Naps podcast.

Abby has a masters degree in education from Harvard and taught middle school social studies in Mississippi and Massachusetts before becoming a textile artist and the mother of three girls. Today Abby enjoys teaching people how to sew and opening their eyes to the joy of designing their own stuffed animals.

You will need some of the basic hand- and machine-sewing tools listed in Basic Sewing Supplies & Equipment and the following specific tools and materials to make your puzzle ball toys (Photo 1):

100% polyester thread

Buttonhole twist or topstitch thread

Chalk

Fabric marker with water-soluble or air-soluble ink

Ballpoint awl

Embroidery needle

Embroidery floss

No. 8 pearl cotton

Embroidery scissors

8mm safety eyes with washers

We have used industry standard markings on the patterns included in this book to make them easy to use. Each pattern includes a -inch seam allowance and straight-grain line as well as other pattern marks to make construction easier.

Patterns are included at full size. Make patterns by tracing the included patterns onto pattern tracing paper or tissue paper.

Be sure to transfer all markings from the included pattern.

Be aware that some of the patterns will be used for multiple animals. For example, the Lion, Giraffe and Elephant share the same tail pattern pieces. The Cap, Wedge, Foot Pad and Leg patterns are used to make all the leg segments and rings.

Made from 100 percent polyester fibers, fleece is a totally synthetic fiber first developed in the late 1970s. Its popularity stems from several appealing properties. Fleece is warm, soft, machine washable and comes in lots of bright colors, making it a wonderful fabric for toys.

If youve never sewn with fleece before it can be a bit intimidating because its rather thick and stretchy, but with a few tips, youll see that fleece is actually very forgiving and easy to sew with.

Most fleece has two distinct sides: a smooth one and a textured one as shown in Photo 2. When you gently pull the fabric along the cross grain it will curl toward the wrong or smooth side which indicates that the textured side is the right side.

It is easier to cut small toy pattern pieces from a single layer of fabric. Lay out the fabric right side up and position pattern pieces with the printed side up. If two of the same piece are needed and the second is to be reversed, position the pattern upside down or reversed and cut a second piece. Specific cutting instructions are given on each pattern.

Like all fabrics, fleece does have a straight grain. Lengthwise grain is parallel to the selvages, and cross-wise grain is perpendicular to the selvages. Line up straight-grain arrows on the patterns parallel to the fabrics selvage.

The pattern pieces for the puzzle balls are relatively small and tend to have several curves. Pinning every inch will hold the layers securely while you sew (Photo 3). When attaching a part such as an ear or antenna, hand-baste it in place before machine sewing.

When preparing to sew through several layers of fabric, decrease the presser foot pressure or try pushing up on the presser foot bar raising it just a bit to accommodate the greater thickness. Insert fabric layers under the presser foot and then lower it.

It is also sometimes helpful to have fabric scraps to use as starters. Fold scraps to make them as thick as the pieces being sewn. Place folded scrap behind puzzle ball pieces and under the back of the presser foot.

To get started when sewing through thick layers, wrap the upper and lower thread ends around the index finger of your left hand (Photo 4) and give them a tug as you make the first few stitches. This will get the sewing started without creating a nest of bobbin thread.

The standard recommended stitch length is 2.5mm or about 1012 stitches per inch. A stitch length of 2.2mm is recommended for these projects. The smaller the stitch length number, the shorter the stitch length. Using short stitches will help increase accuracy and ensure a tight seam that can be stuffed firmly.