so softies

I've been thinking about getting into the softy sew for a while now, and George's gorgeous giraffe (and a week off work!) was just the inspiration I need to get sewing myself. =)

If you're looking for softie inspiration here are a couple of my favourite internet places:

Numero uno, as always, is flickr! Just search "softies", or you can head straight over to the a month of softies flickr group.

I LOVE craft books, and I have three brilliant softie books.



You can find out more about "Softies" and "More Softies" by Penguin at the website for the softies books, which has lots of shots from the book and a gallery of projects so you can see just how cute these guys turn out and there's a free pattern download for you try.

Then there's "Softies" by Therese Laskey, who blogs about softies and lots of other cute things at Softies Central.
I love this book's spiral binding and the fact that it comes with all the patterns, at full size, in a little pocket at the back!

For more bloggy softie goodness check out:
Lucykate Crafts (Oh, check out her pile of new reading material! I want those two!)

soto softies (Christmas armadillo - cute!)

For everything you need to know about making your own softies, Softie making by jhoanna of one red robin (whose patterns pop up in crafty mgazines from time to time) is a great resource.

And I can't talk about softies without mentioning these two fabulous ways to find new homes for your parade of softies (if you can bear to part with them!!!)

The toy society spreading the softie love through the streets! - click on over to read about it!


Softies for Mirabel, run by Pip at Meet me at Mikes, uses softies to raise money for kids orphaned or abandoned due to parental illicit drug use.
The Softies for Mirabel campaign for 2009 hasn't started yet - I believe it usually kicks off in about April - but I'm planning to get a few guys sewed up so that the're ready to go =)
In the mean time you can check out some of the cuties made for last years appeal at the Softies for Mirabel flickr group.

Happy softie-ing!

xo