Stirred by the Japanese craze for plush toys called "softies," veteran crafter Therese Laskey commissioned acclaimedartists from around the world to create projects to share. From Japan to Israel to Chile to Texas, each artist brings a wicked sense of fun to the 25 cute, weird, edgy, or artful creations offered here: a cupcake pincushion; delicate snow bunnies; a peculiar robot; and many more quirky creatures. Cheeky photos, easy instructions, and ready-to-use pattern sheets make it a cinch to whip up these irresistible gifts. Best of all, a folder at back holds the patterns while spiral binding makes for craft-friendly use.
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Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"There are so many different kinds of crafts, and, just when you think you've seen them all, a global movement like softies comes along and gives you a whole new road to explore." Leah Kramer, craftster.org
About the Author
Therese Laskey is a crafter living in Brooklyn, New York.
Laurie Frankel is a photographer based in San Francisco.
Leah Kramer is the founder of craftster.org, a Web site CBS calls, "a cross between Martha Stewart and an urban hipster."
Laurie Frankel is a photographer based in San Francisco.
Leah Kramer is the founder of craftster.org, a Web site CBS calls, "a cross between Martha Stewart and an urban hipster."
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
28 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Spiral-bound
"Softies" is everything that the similarly themed Plush You!: Lovable Misfit Toys to Sew and Stuff should have been. This book provides a range of soft toy patterns (mostly sewn, although one is crocheted and two are needle felted) from an array of soft toy artists with detailed instructions on how to make them (the problem with "Plush You!" was that the instructions and patterns were omitted). The patterns were designed by artists from all around the world, although many of them seem to be in the "cute" style that is commonly associated with Japanese craft books, even those designed by non-Japanese (not that there's anything wrong with that - I am particularly fond of Japanese-style crafts).
The best thing about this book is that it is incredibly user friendly. It is spiral bound, and rather than having the patterns printed on the pages of the book (forcing the user to either photocopy or trace them, which can often result in the book being damaged), the patterns are printed on loose pieces of paper which are enclosed in a big envelope at the back of the book.
Given the range of patterns in this book, it is likely that you will find at least one toy that you would like to make, which, as far as I'm concerned, makes this book good value.
The best thing about this book is that it is incredibly user friendly. It is spiral bound, and rather than having the patterns printed on the pages of the book (forcing the user to either photocopy or trace them, which can often result in the book being damaged), the patterns are printed on loose pieces of paper which are enclosed in a big envelope at the back of the book.
Given the range of patterns in this book, it is likely that you will find at least one toy that you would like to make, which, as far as I'm concerned, makes this book good value.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By P. Kessler
Format:Spiral-bound|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is so cute. I give it a 5 stars for content, photography, ease of use, etc. But, after completing one project, the Portuguese Plaid Dog, I am not impressed. The neck gusset is completely the wrong size for the dog, and the under-gusset for the legs does not match the outer body - seems about 20% too large. The top head gusset is enormously wide and about 1 cm too long. Also, the lettered markings on the patterns do not match up correctly. I am an experienced hand-stitcher, and I have made several soft toys with gussets for my children, but this dog had me stumped. I have redrawn my own patterns to get it to fit together properly. It's a shame, because this dog is the cutest thing ever, with a clever use of color and fabric. The other items in the book seem far easier! Just curious if anyone else has made the dog?
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Spiral-bound
My 10 yo daughter and I love this book. She has already made the treeling, the lonely dollop, and the green cross. The directions are well written and easy to follow. The projects are all super-cute. Be sure to order yourself some wool blend felt from Colonial Crafts - so much better than craft felt.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By P. M. Garcia
Format:Spiral-bound
I love this book. It's nice to make something besides the usual teddy bears. My favorites are the ice cream sandwich and the treeling. My boyfriend really likes the tooth. This is the book for you if you want more than the usual patterns out there. You will have fun with the patterns and enjoy making each softie your own by changing the facial features or adding embellishments. I like every single softie in this book, and I'm pretty picky! I highly recommend this book!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By A. Johnson
Format:Spiral-bound
I'm an experienced plush maker but Double Scoop has me stumped. The bottom "scoop" is way too small to fit the diameter of the cone's top, and the "drip" that goes in between the cone and the scoop wasn't long enough to go around the diameter of the cone! Fixing this is going to require some serious work on my part and I don't know where I went wrong.
"The Lookout" was easy to make, but it was much simpler to make: just sew 2 identical pieces of fabric together!
To improve this book, I would add more images of the steps. Some of the directions were confusing without an image to accompany. There's plenty of cute eye candy in this book, but I get the feeling they didn't really test the patterns before including them.
"The Lookout" was easy to make, but it was much simpler to make: just sew 2 identical pieces of fabric together!
To improve this book, I would add more images of the steps. Some of the directions were confusing without an image to accompany. There's plenty of cute eye candy in this book, but I get the feeling they didn't really test the patterns before including them.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By M Ting
Format:Spiral-bound
I love this book!! It has both the colourful images and the simple & easy instruction on how to make the plush toys...and its so wonderful that the book come with the templates. Its so easy and convenient to use.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Spiral-bound
This book is a collection of 25 softie projects designed by artists from all over the world that were compiled by Therese Laskey. In case you are not familiar with softies, they are plush toys that first became wildly popular in Japan; soon after, the craze spread to the rest of the world. Softies are like cute, squishy zombies aiming for world domination. They eat brains only in the sense that once you make one, you can't think of anything else.
Before I talk about the actual content, I want to mention one thing that I love about this book. It is spiral bound so that it lays completely flat when it is open. This comes in so handy when you are working on projects and you need to follow the instructions as you go. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to prop a book open while you are trying to figure out how to put something together.
The first section discusses the making of softies and includes clear and concise explanations of various assembly and embellishment techniques including illustrations of all of the embroidery stitches that are called out for in the individual instructions. Even if you are a beginning crafter, enough information has been provided for you to be able to work your way through the simpler projects.
The second section is devoted to the softies themselves. The project pages are well done and are fun to read. The introductory page has a bubble at the top that shows the difficulty level, finished size of the softie and the assembly method. Below that, there is another bubble that calls out the materials and embellishing methods, if any. So, at a glance, it is easy to select a project that is right for your skill level and available materials.... Read more ›
Before I talk about the actual content, I want to mention one thing that I love about this book. It is spiral bound so that it lays completely flat when it is open. This comes in so handy when you are working on projects and you need to follow the instructions as you go. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to prop a book open while you are trying to figure out how to put something together.
The first section discusses the making of softies and includes clear and concise explanations of various assembly and embellishment techniques including illustrations of all of the embroidery stitches that are called out for in the individual instructions. Even if you are a beginning crafter, enough information has been provided for you to be able to work your way through the simpler projects.
The second section is devoted to the softies themselves. The project pages are well done and are fun to read. The introductory page has a bubble at the top that shows the difficulty level, finished size of the softie and the assembly method. Below that, there is another bubble that calls out the materials and embellishing methods, if any. So, at a glance, it is easy to select a project that is right for your skill level and available materials.... Read more ›
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
adult stuffies
Did not know there was a trend in adults wanting wild and weird stuff dolls! Some fun ideas even usuable ideas but I wanted a book of soft toys for children. Silly me!
Published 15 hours ago by peacewhitch
5.0 out of 5 stars
So Much Fun
We have had so much fun making these little guys. The directions are easy to follow, and the results have been great. My high school daughter makes them for her friends.
Published 23 months ago by FrugalfromWisconsin
4.0 out of 5 stars
Errata
The plaid dog pattern has a problem...
I fixed it by reducing the gusset for the top of the head to 80% of the pattern size and it fit fairly well and looked pretty much like... Read more
I fixed it by reducing the gusset for the top of the head to 80% of the pattern size and it fit fairly well and looked pretty much like... Read more
Published on June 16, 2011 by LINDA Riley
3.0 out of 5 stars
Meh.
There are 25 patterns, like the description says. I find most of them to be uninteresting, and even somewhat ugly. Read more
Published on February 14, 2011 by Lina
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great
It's a great book with great pictures, patterns, and easy to follow instructions. The layout of the book is very nice and there are a variety of patterns with a variety of... Read more
Published on April 13, 2010 by alliebug
2.0 out of 5 stars
A big disappointment!
Cleverly packaged, and the photographs are well done, but the softies are unappealing, dull, and worst of all not something I would waste my time and materials making. Read more
Published on February 9, 2010 by Beverly Buckley
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good book for beginners.
I'm a complete beginner in the field of making stuffed toys, so I was looking for a book that even I would be able to use. Read more
Published on January 11, 2010 by K. Hudgins
5.0 out of 5 stars
My all time favorite craft book!
I bought this book about a year ago and it quickly became my favorite craft book! From sew, to knitting, to needle felting, this book has an excellent collection of patterns that... Read more
Published on January 17, 2009 by M. Elkin
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Teen Activities Book
My daughter loves this series and the patterns are separate from the bound book which makes it so simple to copy and cut on the fabric.
Published on December 20, 2008 by Susan Marens
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cute Softies
First off what's the diff? Both (book and kit) have some of the same projects, both have instructions on individual projects, both have basic embroidery how-to's and both come with... Read more
Published on November 11, 2008 by Someone Who Reads
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