Tilda's Toy Box

By Tone Finnanger

The Norwegian fabric designer brings her Tilda brand and her talents to soft toys, gifts, and home accessories for children in this must-have collection.

Tilda’s new book will show you how to make a wide range of beautiful soft toys and gifts for kids, plus amazing accessories for their bedrooms. Discover simple sewing patterns for adorably plump dolls with a range of outfits and accessories, cute jungle creatures like monkeys, and sea-themed creations—pirates, whales and fish—all reproduced at full-size to trace from the page.

Exquisitely presented in her trademark style, this book will delight Tilda fans everywhere with its achievable patterns and charming styled photography.

Contents:

Me and My Doll

Dolls Clothing & Accessories * Doll’s Doll * Handbag House * Patchwork Quilt * Heart Cushions * Sewing Kit House

Life on the Ocean Waves

Sweet Whales * Sardines * Pirate Doll * Sail and Flags

Jungle Adventure

Monkeys * Parrots * Patchwork Snake * Fruit Purses * Striped Quilt * Monkey Pillow

The pattern downloads issue flagged in reviews has been resolved. For customers who continue to have issues. please visit the publisher's website to access the patterns: www.davidandcharles.com.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Mar 31, 2017
• ISBN: 9781446374191

Tone Finnanger

Tone Finnanger created the Tilda brand in 1999 and it is now internationally known for its whimsical, comical and naive characters in the form of animals and dolls. Tone Finnanger has a distinctive style that is popular with crafters of all ages and abilities. She has written several books including Sew Pretty Homestyle, Sew Sunny Homestyle, Crafting Tilda's Friends, Tilda's Christmas Ideas, Tilda's Summer Ideas, and Tilda's Studio. She lives in Norway.

Book preview

Safety

A manufactured toy is tested extensively before it can be put on sale but when you sew one yourself you must ensure it is safe. Please bear in mind the following when sewing for children.

SMALL PARTS

The toys in this book are not recommended for small children who put things in their mouths. Many of the toys have small parts that can become loose, and buttons that can look like sweets to young children.

ELASTICS AND HAIRBANDS

Pay special attention to any elastic and hairbands: these could be a choking hazard if a child puts these around their neck.

ALLERGIES

Children can be allergic to some materials, so choose with care. Always wash fabrics before sewing them for children, as some fabrics can contain allergenic chemicals.

HIDDEN PINS

When sewing for children, it is extremely important not to leave pins or needles in the toy. Always check thoroughly.

Wear and tear

A toy will be as resistant to wear and tear as you make it. To make a more hard-wearing toy, sew double seams and fasten arms and legs with embroidery thread. It is especially important to fasten loose parts securely, such as tufts of hair, buttons and bows on hairbands.

Materials

The toys in this book are all made from washed Tilda cotton fabrics. The range also contains plain cotton, suitable for dolls’ skin. We use synthetic filling, which is non-allergenic.

Hair and eyes for the dolls and animals are painted using Palett textile paint for light fabrics, obtainable from Panduro Hobby. This is a non-toxic textile paint that has been heat-tempered to withstand washing.

Rouge is applied with the stamp pad included in the Tilda Face Painting Kit, part 71340. It is child-friendly, non-toxic and water-soluble.

Instructions for making the hair and eyes can be found in Faces and Hair.

Washing

Stuffed toys, such as dolls and monkeys, are not suitable for washing as the filling can move about or become uneven. If you have to wash a toy, we recommend wiping it with a cloth. Try not to allow the toy to become soaked through.

Tilda rouge is water-soluble and can easily be re-applied. Dolls’ clothes can be washed carefully on a hand wash at 40 degrees. Machine-sewn patchwork quilts and cushions can be washed in a washing machine on a 40-degree programme.

Faces and hair

The positioning of the hair and eyes makes a big difference to the toy’s appearance. It is a good idea to use a pen with vanishing ink or an air-erasable pen when outlining the hair. If you can’t get hold of one, you could carefully use a pencil or faint pen.

LARGE DOLL

Measure 6cm (2¹⁄4in) down from the seam at the top of the head and insert a pin as the starting point for where the curve of the fringe meets the seam in the face. Outline the hair as shown in figure A and the photos of the dolls.

To position the eyes, measure 11cm (4¹⁄4in) down from the seam at the top of the head following the seam in the middle of the face. Insert a pin. Next measure 4cm (1¹⁄2in) either side and insert pins to mark the position of the eyes, so there is 8cm (3¹⁄4in) between them, see figure A. Use your judgement a little, as there will always be some movement and variation when you sew, however, we found that this formula worked on all the dolls we tested.

The simplest way to apply eyes is to use a pin with a large rounded head, such as the largest headed pin in Tilda pins, part 480933. Twist the pin backwards and forwards to make a visible hole to mark where the eye is to be positioned. Dip the pinhead in the Palett textile paint and use it to stamp eyes onto the figure.

If you don’t have a pin of this type, you can either find something else to stamp with, or draw an even circle with a diameter of approximately 7mm (¹⁄4in) around the hole and paint the eyes with a thin paintbrush. Dry the eyes with a hairdryer.

SMALL DOLL

First measure 3.4cm (1³⁄8in) down to the hairline, then measure a further 6cm (2¹⁄4in) down to determine where the eyes are to be placed, see figure B. There should be 4.2cm (1¹⁄2in) space between the eyes.

Make the eyes in the same way as for the Large Doll, using a normal large-headed pin, so you have a diameter of 3–4mm (¹⁄8–³⁄16in).

DOLL'S HAIR

Paint an edge that follows the outline of the hair, making sure your lines are sharp and even. On the back of the head, the hair can be outlined in a gentle curve from side to side.

Paint the area inside the edge, including the

Reviews for Tilda's Toy Box

[mmmsmustered · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved reading this book and looking through it. But I was disappointed that it does not include the patterns for the dolls, toys and accessories.

[Maria Carmen Luna · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The level of cuteness of the designs in this book is very high.