How to design and sell stuffed animals?

Someone who enjoys working with their hands and is creative may find starting a stuffed animal business the perfect career path. When thinking about beginning your own stuffed animal business, you may think about where your products come from. 

You may either buy stuffed animals in bulk, mark them up before selling them, or you can create your plush creatures or a stuffed animal hammock to keep your creations at bay and on display. Additionally, there are other ways to establish a stuffed animal business presence.You may typically make a lot more money per item if you wish to sell plush animals that you make yourself. 

But keep in mind that the quantity you can sell is then restricted. If you want to find your niche in designing your stuffed animal, then you’re right on track.

Highlights in creating your stuffed plushie

At this point, you have already gathered the needed materials to make your stuffed animal, like your thread or embroidery floss, fiberfill or stuffing material, your fabric and fabric markers, pattern, scissors, beads, sequins, or your designs. One of the most challenging tasks in creating a plush bear is creating the sketch. This, however, can also be the most enjoyable part. You can customize your very own plush bear to suit your tastes! Remember, always stick to outlining first.

Choosing the Fabric and Color

Faux-fur

This fabric is your best option if you want to make a plushie that looks like one you would buy at a store. Because of its long fur, which can easily conceal the threads on every edge, it may easily conceal shoddy sewing or stitching. 

However, you could find this challenging if you aren’t a professional animal plush maker. It sheds like crazy so that you can have fur on your clothes and work area. Additionally, it can be pricey and difficult to sew.

Cotton

Flannel-like designs and various colors are available on cotton, which is very simple to buy. Although less fluffy than the other cloth varieties, it is reasonably priced. Most animal plush toys don’t frequently use this kind of fabric.

Fleece

Thanks to this incredibly fluffy fabric, every plush animal toy is huggable and adorable. It is very simple to deal with and sew because its edge doesn’t fray. Additionally, there are other color options. There are better options than this, though, if you want it to look hairy and furry.

Designing your pattern

To create a pattern, you have two alternatives. One is to hand-transfer your design to a larger piece of paper. The second is to take your design to a nearby print shop and have your draft enlarged by them.

Stuff your plushie

Polyester fiberfill

You can use a synthetic material called polyester fiberfill to cushion plush animals. It is popularly used to stuff stuffed animals since it is fluffy, soft, and long-lasting. It is constructed of polyester and is readily available in neighborhood craft stores.

Poly pellets or bean-bag fillers

Bean-bag fillers and poly pellets are also both great options for stuffing. You can also try using dry grains, big plastic beads, dried beans, fabric from old t-shirts, old stuffing from a pillow, or old stuffing from a stuffed animal like a bear if you can’t find these fillings.

Analyze the local competitiveness

This entails figuring out how many local shops specialize in selling stuffed animals and how many large retail chains sell them as a part of their entire product line. Find out the population density in the area because kids make up most of the stuffed animals market.

Create a business plan

Choose the kind of stuffed animal business that you want to start. You might only wish to sell teddy bears, or you might want a bigger selection of goods. You can develop a niche market for higher-quality handmade toys if several local shops sell stuffed animals. If you intend to sell goods online, you also need to factor in the money you will need to employ a site designer and rent a store or booth.