"Toy skeleton" is probably the more descriptive term! It is a bendable framework to put inside a plush.
(This one has kind of a neat story. A couple weeks ago, I got a screw in my tire and had to take it in to get fixed. Not only did the shop fix it for FREE, but I had some time to kill so I went to Hobby Lobby. I don't remember EVER seeing armatures there, but I needed one for my ShellieMay (and was going to pay a pretty penny on eBay for it). So I checked the doll section and sure enough, there was the perfect armature of my dreams, for about $4 USD with a coupon. And I never would have gotten it if not for that screw in my tire!)
(This one has kind of a neat story. A couple weeks ago, I got a screw in my tire and had to take it in to get fixed. Not only did the shop fix it for FREE, but I had some time to kill so I went to Hobby Lobby. I don't remember EVER seeing armatures there, but I needed one for my ShellieMay (and was going to pay a pretty penny on eBay for it). So I checked the doll section and sure enough, there was the perfect armature of my dreams, for about $4 USD with a coupon. And I never would have gotten it if not for that screw in my tire!)
But you aren't here for life stories, are you? OK!
Reviews of this armature say you can snap the pieces apart to make limbs longer or shorter, but this size worked fine out of the bag. Here's how to put one in your plush! It's not for the faint of heart, but there's really only one scary part.
Reviews of this armature say you can snap the pieces apart to make limbs longer or shorter, but this size worked fine out of the bag. Here's how to put one in your plush! It's not for the faint of heart, but there's really only one scary part.
Materials needed:
- Armature
- Seam ripper
- Embroidery floss in a color to roughly match your bear's fur
- Needle that is big enough for the embroidery floss
Oh, and also
- One brave plush!
I'm writing this for a Duffy or ShellieMay, since I've put armatures in both, but it should be similar for Gelatoni or StellaLou or any future friends of Duffy. (I am not sure Gelatoni or StellaLou will stand on their own, though!)
Some people wrap their armature in stuffing or maybe batting. I didn't; I don't think this armature doesn't feels bad through the stuffing. If you have an armature that's a bunch of balls put together, wrapping it would probably help the feel a whole lot.
Some people wrap their armature in stuffing or maybe batting. I didn't; I don't think this armature doesn't feels bad through the stuffing. If you have an armature that's a bunch of balls put together, wrapping it would probably help the feel a whole lot.
First, you need to get the clothes off your Duffy or ShellieMay...or at the least, take off any shirts/jackets. My ShellieMay, Clara, elected to keep her necklace on.
This next bit is the only hard part. The upper back of the plush is sewn together at the center with fairly wide stitches that were added to hold the stuffing in. You need to undo those stitches. They are very well hidden in the fur. Can you see a stitch?
Me neither! It probably took at least 5 minutes of feeling around her plush fur and gently poking with the seam ripper to find a stitch. Don't get impatient and try to cut somewhere where there isn't a stitch! Just keep looking. You'll find one! (For Duffy, I got very lucky because his seam had come undone on its own. He was just begging me for a skeleton!)
This next bit is the only hard part. The upper back of the plush is sewn together at the center with fairly wide stitches that were added to hold the stuffing in. You need to undo those stitches. They are very well hidden in the fur. Can you see a stitch?
Me neither! It probably took at least 5 minutes of feeling around her plush fur and gently poking with the seam ripper to find a stitch. Don't get impatient and try to cut somewhere where there isn't a stitch! Just keep looking. You'll find one! (For Duffy, I got very lucky because his seam had come undone on its own. He was just begging me for a skeleton!)
Hey, here it is! Whew! (In real life, the color looked subtly but visibly different from ShellieMay's color.)
Now you want to cut that stitch with the seam ripper. Then keep pulling those big stitches as much as you can. Be gentle and don't be afraid to cut the threads. They should be very different from the regular machine stitches used to make the rest of the plush.
Keep going!
I ended up with a fairly small hole...if you can get the armature through it, you're probably OK.
This step might look the worst, but it's not too bad. Put in the armature, feet-first. Put the first leg of the armature into one of your plush's legs. It should go down right about to the bottom of the foot. Put the other leg in the other leg. Push the crotch of the armature down as low as it will go. Then put each arm into one of your plush's arms. I ended up extending each arm all the way through my ShellieMay's pointer finger! Finally, put the neck part up in her head. This will assist her a bit in tilting her head up and down.
See if you can make your plush stand. Play with the armature until you are happy with it. It is much easier to fix problems now than after she's sewn up!
If you really want to help your plush stand, put some sort of weights in the feet...I want to keep ShellieMay light, so I sacrificed some standing ability in exchange for lightness. You could also add some extra stuffing to the feet but that again will make her heavier.
Once you are happy with the positioning of your armature, all you have to do is sew up that seam you removed. If you'd like, you can tuck a small memento or note into the plush before you sew her up again.
Thread your embroidery floss (I used all 6 strands) and sew up the back. I used a whipstitch; her fur and clothes will hide your stitches. Just make sure the "ragged" edges of the fur are inside and you'll be good to go.
"Pardon me, please."
"Hello! I love standing! It was certainly worth it!"
With Duffy!
Thread your embroidery floss (I used all 6 strands) and sew up the back. I used a whipstitch; her fur and clothes will hide your stitches. Just make sure the "ragged" edges of the fur are inside and you'll be good to go.
"Pardon me, please."
"Hello! I love standing! It was certainly worth it!"
With Duffy!
Good luck, everyone! You can do it!
