This week I wanted to add a few posts about some of the techniques I use when I make my amigurumi. Have you ever made a project that won’t sit up the way you want it to? I’ve made my fair share of plushes that need to sit up or have heavy top parts, like this big Oddish plush:
The leaves made it roll onto its back, and I wanted it to sit up normally! At first, I would sew rice pouches to add weight, but it was inconvenient to have to sew a pouch for every. single. project – once I started adding weight to my plushes, I couldn’t stop! (It really does add a nice touch!)
After doing a bunch of digging online, I finally thought of something that wouldn’t require ANY sewing and was cheaper in the long run! You know those little footie socks they have at every shoe store that no one ever uses (at least I don’t)? Turns out you can buy a box of your very own online, via the joys of Amazon. What a life! So I purchased a box for $10 and have never looked back. You get 72 pairs, which is 144 individual socks for 144 individual projects, so it’s a good investment.
Once you’ve got your socks, you basically just fill them full of rice, or beans, or anything that won’t slip through the nylon weave that will provide some weight. I personally use rice, because it’s inexpensive and easy to store. I drink a lot of coffee, so I usually have a bunch of leftover coffee creamer containers. I saved one, washed it out, and filled it full of rice – it has a pour spout, so filling the sock up to whatever weight is easy.When you’ve filled your sock up, you just knot the top of the sock tightly, and slip the excess around the outside.
Click here to view the foot socks I bought on Amazon!
Hope this is helpful – I know it’s saved me a lot of trouble when working with bigger projects!
Hello there, I was wondering if this pattern was up on your website. My friends Birthday is coming up soon, she loves Pokemon and her nickname is Leaf. So this project would be perfect for her. Anyways, just stumbled across your site and your work is beautiful. I will definitely be using some of these soon.
Hello! This is so helpful. Thanks for the advice.
If you have a piece that has two big parts (like the head and body) that you want to stand up, should you add the rice pouch to the top part of the piece as well or just the body?
I would only add weight to the bottom of the piece. The weight acts like an anchor, so the closer to the ground it is the more stable your piece will be. If the head is also weighted, the piece will be more likely to topple over. Hope that helps! 🙂
Is the stuffed animal able to be washed if there is rice as weights? I am making stuffed animals for kids and know that they are likely to need washing.
I would secure the rice in a fabric pouch (rather than a nylon sock) to ensure it doesn’t leak while being washed!