{the Toy Society}

I got a few emails asking about the Toy Society ~ just your average, basic questions, so I thought I'd address them here!

1) Is it easy?

Yup! If you like to sew or craft and have a few minutes of spare time, it's SEW easy!!

Just find your favorite softie (what my generation called "stuffed animals") pattern ~ or you can find one online ~ they're {everywhere}! Then, get sewing, knitting, or crafting! It doesn't even {have} to be a stuffed animal ~ it can be a small toy or crayon holder!

2) If I join the Toy Society, am I obligated to make a softie ASAP?!

Nope. Truth be told, because of my assorted health issues, it took me about 3 months or so after contacting them for info to actually do my drops!

3) How many do I {have} to do?!

How many do you {WANT} to do?! I did 7 drops on one day! Once you get making softies, they're pretty addictive ... and the best part's the dropping! We did our 7 drops in 3 different places all in about 1 hour!

4) If I sign up, will the Toy Society send me loads of SPAM?

Nope! In fact, other than their "Welcome" email when I first signed up, I've gotten no other unsolicited mail from them! They really do respect your privacy!

When it comes right down to it, the Toy Society is just for ... fun. For spreading some goodwill and love to others. And {especially} in this economic climate, what else could do so much for so little commitment or cost?

In fact, once I began letting the ladies that work at my fabric sources know about my purpose in buying the fabric, they scrounged up extra coupons and discounts to make it even easier for me! At one store, I got the "Wild and Wonderful Fleece Animals" book (by Linda Carr) AND about 8 yards of fleece fabric for $25!!

{good softie patterns}

Speaking of the "Wild and Wonderful Fleece Animals" book, I added it to my {books i love} sidebar. It's really an awesome book! The patterns are super easy to follow and go together so quickly! The critters are really super-cute, too!! And if you didn't know, Linda Carr (the author) has designed a few of the Muppets, too!! :)

Look for this book to be included in a giveaway, soon!! :)

If you'd rather support the Handmade movement, I'd {highly} recommend Vintage Ric-Rac'sEtsy store patterns. She is absolutely {A-MAZING}. If you can't tell, I'm a HUGE fan of hers. Her creations are so wonderful, so precious, so adorable, so ... awesome!!

And you {have} to stop by her blog if you haven't already (what am I saying?! Everyone knows Ric-Rac (AKA Jodie)!! But on the off-chance that you don't already know this amazing woman/crafter/sewist/mom/teacher/business woman/speaker ... you {have} to read the awesome stories and biographies that she concocts for her sweet softies.

And BTW, she has several freebie patterns at her blog!! And these aren't your average-no-wonder-it's-a-freebie kinda patterns ... they're AWESOME and oh, sew lovely!! Check them out!! :)