Child's Own understands that childhood is a onetime life stage when children play and explore the world with their unique child's view. As busy parents concerned primarily with making sure that our children are eating enough, keeping safe and meeting milestones, we sometimes miss their precious moments of self discovery. Creating a soft toy from your own child's drawing is a great way to celebrate an important creative stage in their life while providing an opportunity for bonding with your child by showing him how much you appreciate what he does.

Stuffed toys have been made as presents for young children for centuries, using whatever scraps of homespun fabric and yarn were on hand. Little rag dolls and soft toys with simple shapes are very easy and fun to make. To guide you on this activity, here are the materials and steps on how to transform your child's drawing to a custom plush doll:

Materials:

Child's drawing Tracing paper Fabrics (any fabric scraps will do.) Stuffing, such as polyester fiberfill or beads available at fabric and craft stores Buttons, sequins, rhinestones or beads for accessories and detailing Thread and needle Ribbons, tassels or any fabric trimmings Scissors Glue Kid's photo (optional)

1. Have your child make a drawing or select one from your collection. Some children go through drawing phases, where they will constantly draw the same character, such as a mermaid or a dinosaur. These drawings are great for remembering these times. For special occasions such as your child's birthday, you can choose their favorite animal or character.

2. Select and lay out the material for the soft toy. You can use or re-use any material, such as leftover scraps, an old blanket, table cloth, linen, an old favorite piece of clothing, etc. The softer the fabric, the softer the plush toy will feel. Kids are enticed with bright hues so use "pick-me-up" colors such as yellow, red, pink, green, blue, and so on. If you use felt, there is no need to hem edges. The important thing is to keep shapes simple and to find the right materials to help lend character to your creation. 3. Trace your child's drawing onto the tracing paper, or redraw your child's drawing to a larger scale if desired. Put aside your child's drawing, and use the tracing paper drawing as your pattern.

4. Transfer the pattern to the fabric, cut out and sew the pieces together, right sides together. Leave a gap in the seam to flip it inside out and then stuff with fiberfill. The more you stuff the better. After stuffing, sew the gap closed.

5. The stuffed toy is now ready for you to sew on the eyes, mouth, nose and any other details that were drawn by your child. You may use buttons, colorful sequins, rhinestones, beads, etc. You can also embroider the details using thin wool or embroidery floss.

6. If you would like to further personalize the doll, you can add a little photo on the doll. You can paste the photo on a separate fabric and frame it using ribbons or fabric scraps before sewing it on the doll. If you are good at embroidering, you can embroider your child's name on the doll. Another good idea is to embroider a message on the doll. Sew "I love (your kid's name)" on the doll's body and see your kid's face instantly light up!

There you have it, your child's very own custom plush doll! Enjoy the satisfaction of creating a toy that your child will truly appreciate for its sentimental significance. And of course, you might want to make one for yourself!