I don't know why I suddenly had it in my mind to make a felt toy. I hadn't made a toy in years but I was itching to make something tiny and sweet out of felt.  I usually go along with my crafty whims (they won't go away until I give in) so I went on an online search to see what the world had to offer these days. I quickly narrowed it down to dinosaurs as we are big dino fans around here. There were many patterns available but most of them were too cartoony looking for my taste. I zeroed in on this set from Aimee Ray of Little Dear as it was exactly what I was looking for. The set included the important big-five all-stars: T-rex, triceratops, pterodactyl, brontosaurus, and stegosaurus. They were also small enough to fit into a tiny hand, looked more sweet than scary, and being two-dimensional they looked like they would be fairly easy to sew. But the tipping point for me were the sprigs of embroidered wildflowers.  I'm a gal who loves the little details and my heart melted when I saw the posies. The set was super fun and fast to make. Each one took less than an hour. I know this because I made all 5 while watching the first 4 episodes of The Crown season 4. (Yes, The Crown is back!) The dinosaur set has now been wrapped up as a Christmas gift for my 3 year old grandson. I already miss holding them and looking at their cuteness! I have a feeling that they will be squished and hugged and smothered with love and attention. 

I purchased the PDF download from Little Dear on Etsy. The pattern includes a color page for reference, see picture above, plus the patterns and simple directions. She has done a nice job creating the pattern and it's simple to follow. Don't feel you need to be an expert hand sewing seamstress. Far from it. Just take your time and work with some good light and you'll be fine. Toy making requires a good quality felt. Cheap synthetic craft felt won't do for a toy you are going to put hours into. I purchased my wool blend felt from Benzie. It is very soft but firm and is lovely to work with. I loved Aimee's sophisticated color choices so I tried to recreate the look with one of Benzie's color bundles. Benzie has something close to 100 colors to choose from, so a color bundle that they already put together was the easiest way for me to shop. I'm just thrilled with my prehistoric pals and can't wait until Christmas morning. If you'd like to try your hand at making felt softies, Aimee Ray has generously offered my readers a 20% discount on any of her PDF patterns with the code KNITIONARY (all caps), good for the next two weeks. She has many animal patterns, but also adorable soft books, candy and fairy homes, plus embroidery patterns. See the pictures below for some inspiration  and let me know what your next project is going to be! 

Shopping Links

Dinosaur Felt Animals pattern from Little Dear on Etsy

Use the code KNITIONARY (all caps) for a 20% discount on any PDF pattern

from the Little Dear shop on Etsy.

Benzie carries an array of high quality wool and wool blend felt

in a selection of gorgeous colors.

I purchased a pretty bundle called Boho Garden.

This is a book, and it's opened below. So cute.

Thank you for popping by. I'd love to hear from you! You can click here to make a comment, or scroll down if you are on the website. xo Kristen