Each week, “Verlocal Diaries” records the Verlocal team’s adventures to various classes conducted by our hosts. From the narration of our hosts’ stories to the thoughts of our fellow participants, we piece together everything we have experienced to create a lasting memory in the form of a diary entry — that is both personal and shareable.
I’m sure that many of us have played with soft toys when we were young, or still collect them as a hobby. Most of us have a soft spot for soft toys, and this is what this week’s Verlocal Diaries is going to be about!
Wayneston Studios is run by Wayne, an award-winning bear artist with over 9 years of experience in bear-making. He doesn’t just make bears though! He makes squirrels, bunnnies, chicks, and even…centaurs?
This week, we cover Wayne’s Lindsey Bunny Workshop with 2 participants: Joanne and Jenny! From the way they were chatting and joking with one another, we thought that they were friends who joined the class together. But in fact, they just happened to take this class together! This is testament to how teddy bear making can bring strangers together.
Joanne shared that this was her second class and she had been experimenting at home in between. As for Jenny, this was her very first class! Let’s see how they finish up their final product together.
Stuffing & Sewing up the Bunny
I always thought soft toys were made up of a whole lot of fluff, but it’s not only that! A polyfill (aka fluff) was used in conjunction with crushed garnets to stuff the bunny. The crushed garnets gave a heft to the bunny, allowing it to sit upright.
After stuffing the bunny to their desired weight and volume, Joanne and Jenny embarked on their next objective, to sew the bunny up!
The sewing itself is very therapeutic, because it’s the just the same stitch over and over again, so it’s very relaxing.
- Joanne
Wayne said that this step is very important as it determines how long the soft toy will last. If the stitching is not tight, the toy might not last very long. Wayne stepped in occasionally to help tighten the stitches for Jenny and Joanne.
Dressing up the Bunny
Time to dress up the bunny and give it some “makeup” to personalise it. Wayne has a variety of design for you to choose from!
Now to bring out the eyes of the toy by blending “eyeshadow” around its beady eyes. This makes it look more life-like by accentuating the eyes of the bunny! Doesn’t it look so much cuter now?
Finishing Touches
The fur has to be trimmed to enhance the overall shape of the bunny. As you can see above, the fur around the eye is trimmed to again bring more attention to the eyes!
Joanne had a hard time doing this, so Wayne graciously stepped in to help!
Trimming the fur was challenging for me. Because you have to trim the fur to make it look it look nice right, as you can tell, Wayne has to help me trim because I cannot trim at all. How do you trim? Wayne says “just cut with feeling” but I’m like “but there’s no feeling”.
- Joanne
Whiskers had to be pulled through to complete the realistic look of the bunny! A small bob of its “tail” was sewn on the back, marking the end of the entire workshop.
Final Thoughts
Finally, the bunny is fully assembled! Its head, arms and legs and fully movable, so it can take on many different poses! (PS: Can you tell which bunny above is the boy?)
To complete this in 2 days is no mean feat. Jenny shared with us that the structure and guidance in the lesson helped her out in completing the bunny. Finishing the workshop and seeing their final product was the best part of it for both Jenny and Joanne
But of course, the best part is when you see your own completed toy and like: wow you’re so cute! Then you want to start again…
- Joanne
The premium quality of materials from alpaca fur, sheep wool to mohair, along with the level of detail in the toy, really drew me in. I personally think that this workshop is a great experience for anyone, being able to learn from Wayne, one of the only established teddy bear makers in Singapore. The toys that you make will stay with you for life.
Take a look at the different workshops available and make your own furry friend here
