Handmade plushies with everyday items! A collection of ideas perfect for beginners
We’re introducing handmade stuffed toys that anyone can enjoy making with easily found materials.
You can create adorable plushies using everyday items like socks, towels, and handkerchiefs.
Even if you’re not good at sewing, no problem.
There are plenty of no-sew methods using pipe cleaners and pom-poms, as well as ideas you can try without patterns.
Handmade plushies are perfect as one-of-a-kind originals or gifts for someone special.
Be sure to use this as a guide and try making a cute stuffed toy!
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Handmade plushies with everyday items! A collection of beginner-friendly ideas (1–10)
Stuffed toys made from work gloves
Here’s an idea for making a stuffed toy using a pair of work gloves: Use one glove for the face and the other for the body.
Keep the middle and ring fingers on both gloves, then sew across and cut off the base of the other fingers.
Set aside both index fingers and one pinky you cut off to use later.
Turn the gloves inside out, stuff them with filling, and sew the two pieces together.
Sew on arms made from the index finger pieces to the body, and use the pinky piece as a cute tail.
Add the face with felt or embroidery, and you’re done.
Since the steps for the face and body are the same up to a point, it’s pretty easy.
A plush toy with movable arms and legs
It’s a very cute little plush toy, but how about making a slightly more elaborate version with movable arms and legs? It takes time to make, but it’s not difficult, so let’s work on it patiently! Use lightweight clay for the base, and first make holes where the arms and legs will go before letting it dry.
Once it’s thoroughly dry, implant faux fur yarn (available at 100-yen shops) into the face and body.
Use pipe cleaners for the moving parts of the arms and legs, and make the hands and feet with resin clay.
It takes time, but you’ll end up with an adorable plush that hardly looks homemade.
A plush toy made of fluffy towel fabric
How about trying to make a plush toy using those soft, fluffy towels sold at 100-yen shops? Towels come in solid colors and a wide variety, so they’re perfect for creating your favorite animal or character.
You can get everything you need at a 100-yen shop: a towel in the color of the plush you want to make, stuffing, and facial parts.
You can embroider the face, or use beads and other components.
A plush that feels so nice you’ll want to keep touching it would also make a lovely gift.
Handmade Plush Toys with Everyday Items! A Collection of Ideas Perfect for Beginners (11–20)
No-sew plush made with yarn
Here’s a tutorial for making a plush toy that requires no sewing—and even though it uses yarn, there’s no knitting involved.
You’ll need fluffy yarn from a 100-yen shop and 2 mm aluminum wire.
First, thread the aluminum wire through the center of the yarn and curl the cut ends of the wire to secure them.
Fold it in half, then shape the ears, followed by the face, and then the body, coiling the wire as you go.
Because the yarn is fluffy, simply bending it into shape makes it look convincing, and it turns into a proper plush toy.
You can also add a carabiner or a chain.
Felt stuffed toy
I bet quite a few of you have leftover felt at home.
Why not use that felt to make a stuffed toy? You don’t even need a pattern—just cut the felt freehand, which gives the finished piece a relaxed, super-cute vibe.
Make the head and body separately, then sew the two together at the end to finish.
For the face, feel free to use plastic parts, do some embroidery, or attach felt in different colors—whatever you like.
You can make one with a 30 cm square piece of felt, so if you’ve got some left over at home, definitely put it to good use!
amigurumi puppet
The handmade charm of an “amigurumi puppet” makes it a perfect idea for playtime in nurseries and kindergartens.
Crafted with soft, fluffy yarn, this puppet is gentle to the eye and touch, and it’s a versatile item that can be used for performances and pretend play.
Using basic crochet techniques, you can freely customize it into animals or characters, creating uniquely expressive pieces.
The time and care put into making one bring a special sense of accomplishment when it’s finished.
It has a warmth you won’t find in mass-produced items, spreading smiles in children’s play—a highly recommended handmade puppet.
Molebear
A tiny teddy bear that fits on your fingertip.
This teddy bear is made from just one pipe cleaner.
You can easily buy pipe cleaners at 100-yen shops, and while making a teddy bear with them involves some delicate work, once you try it you may get hooked and want to make lots more.
You’ll create the face, ears, body, and limbs, and the finished look will change with subtle differences in balance, so you might need a bit of practice until you get a teddy bear you like.
Trim off any excess, curl the ends of the wire with pliers, and attach beads for the eyes and nose to finish.