Using a button joint allow your softies to sit, stand, wave, and be posed in other fun positions. Here are a few examples.
Here’s Rhonda Rhino, carrying a pretty balloon to a birthday party.
You can just barely see one of the buttons on her shoulder.
Benedict Bear‘s buttons are almost completely covered by his fancy coat – but they’re there.
They’re what allow him to raise that adorable felt juice box to take a sip.
You can see the button joints much more clearly here on Carlisle Crocodile.
All those button joints are not hard to do! Watch this video and see how. . .
See how easy the button joint is? It actually makes the construction of the rest of the animal super easy – most of the parts are just two pieces sewn and stuffed! the feet usually have a flat part added at the base that makes them easy to stand – but that’s easy too. There’s a video here showing how to give softie feet flat bottoms.
The pattern for the elephant you see in the video is available here.
You can get those looooong doll needles here.
The thread and buttons I use are easy to find at any fabric store.
Happy sewing!
Play with some felt! Try the Oddballs – a fun pattern for silly monsters.
What an excellent tutorial! I watched to see if I could improve my technique and yes, I can! Thanks, Wendi!
Thanks so much! 🙂
Wendi, thanks so much for this video. I shudder to think how I would have done it without having watched this. I can assure you, I would have done each leg separately and have had one “puckered” mess! Thanks for always sharing! You’re a gem.
Thanks so much! I’m glad it was helpful. 🙂
Thank you for sharing your experience. Your videos are always awesome! Everything seems easy when you demonstrate.
Thanks so much! I really believe that most crafts are totally doable for any skill level if you break down the steps and take your time. 🙂
Would this work on larger stuffed animals that aren’t meant to be used as toys? I am presently using the upholstery thread and then adding the buttons afterward so I can use colored thread on those. It’s a pain. It would be much easier to just do it in one step. Thanks. 🙂
As long as it’s not going to be played with I think it should be fine.