One of a team of four
This curly sheep plush was sewn as a first sample for a customer who was planning a small line of soft toys under their own brand. She was made to order for that project, by hand, as a plush prototype: the piece the customer could hold, check and approve before the toys were made again in numbers.
She wasn't alone. The line is a little team of four teddy-style animals, and her three teammates are the teddy bunnies: one grey, two beige. Same long limbs, same big feet with darker pads, same soft teddy look, so the four read as one collection on a shelf.
A sheep, down to the last bow
Tight golden-blond curls all over, a smooth pale face, glossy black eyes, a pale pink button nose and a small stitched smile. Two pale pink bows sit on her floppy curly ears. Leave out any one of those and she's just another sheep.
In one photo she wears a navy polka-dot skirt with pink lace braces. The clothes come off, which is useful for a brand: the same sheep can be sold dressed or plain, and a new outfit can become a new product later.
Why start with a hand-sewn sample
Curly fur is tricky. On a drawing it's just a texture. On a real toy the curls hide seams, change how the face reads and make small parts look bigger. A sample shows all of that before anyone commits to a run, and the customer can ask for changes while they're still cheap to make. The approved sample then works as the reference that later copies are checked against.
Your own plush line
From the idea and the first samples to a future collection, we can make prototypes for your brand, shop, project or business too. Send a sketch, a mood board or a photo of a toy style you like. We sign an NDA, so your character stays private until you're ready to show it.
Need a factory to take it from there? Our Patterns & Prototypes service adds the full set of sewing patterns and an assembly guide to the prototype. See more samples we've made for brands in plush prototypes.
The sheep is sewn from curly faux fur, the fabric that gives her the whole look. We never use natural fur. Her face is a smooth, pale fabric so the eyes and nose stand out against the curls.
- Curly faux fur for the body, head, ears and legs, with darker pads on the feet
- Glass eyes, black and glossy
- A pale pink button nose and a stitched smile
- Stuffing that keeps her soft but lets her sit up on her own
- Textile for the clothes and the ribbon bows
For your own line we can change the fur, the colours, the bows and the outfit. Tell us your price point and who will buy the toy, and we'll suggest materials that fit both.
The team of four samples usually takes 4–6 weeks. A single prototype with its full set of patterns usually takes about a month.
Curly fur slows things down in a good way. Every seam has to disappear into the curls, the face is small, and moving the eyes or the button nose by a few millimetres changes her from sweet to sleepy. Clothes and bows are patterned and sewn separately.
If your brief is rough or very specialised, changes to the sample come in rounds, and each round adds some time. In our experience 2–3 rounds get a result the client is happy with.
We ship worldwide. Once the samples leave us, delivery usually takes 7 to 20 business days, depending on your country, the courier and customs.
Around Christmas and other holidays couriers slow down everywhere, so add some extra time then.
Working to a date, like a trade show, a photo shoot for your shop or a meeting with a factory? Tell us when you ask for a quote, and we'll say honestly whether the making time plus shipping fits before any sewing starts. You see photos of the finished samples before they're packed.
We've been sewing toys to order since 2009, more than 1,100 of them. Curly fabrics and tiny details like bows on curly ears are part of the everyday job.
Prototype work runs as a business project under its own terms, agreed before we start and set out on the Patterns & Prototypes page:
- With a clear brief and a finished reference image, one change is included once you see the sample.
- If the brief is rough or very specialised, each extra round of changes is priced separately.
- We sign an NDA, and the physical prototype stays with you.
You approve the sample before anything else happens, and you see photos of the finished pieces before they ship.
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