1. Sewing gussets without stretching one side more than the other (resulting in lop-sided animals)
2. Fur clogging the sewing machine
3. Seams showing on the right side of the fur
4. Edges missed on seams causing a hole in the seam
5. Safety eyes stretch the fur and go through leaving a hole
6. Pupils sew too large a seam allowance making the toy parts too small
7. New toys difficult to devise
8. Pupils cannot cope with making own patterns

1. Sewing gussets without stretching one side more than the other (resulting in lop-sided animals)
Sew each side on in the same direction and always tack first.

2. Fur clogging the sewing machine
After cutting, wipe off all the loose fur into a bin before sewing or loosely oversew the edges by hand before machining.

3. Seams showing on the right side of the fur
Release the fur out of the seams with a strong needle.

4. Edges missed on seams causing a hole in the seam
Pupils always to check both sides of the seam before turning to the right side.

5. Safety eyes stretch the fur and go through leaving a hole
Only cut one thread to make a tiny hole or back the fur with interfacing before putting in the eyes.

6. Pupils sew too large a seam allowance making the toy parts too small
Draw a clear line in biro or chalk to follow on back of fabric or tack first by hand in a colour easy to follow by machine or hand stitch all seams with very small backstitch.

7. New toys difficult to devise
Keep your eyes open for old toys to disassemble, keep trying to change existing patterns, try out new ideas in paper and sticky tape.

8. Pupils cannot cope with making own patterns
Have ready drawn templates for simple toys photocopied, allow them to alter small things and gain marks by their choice of fabric decoration and embellishment.

Introduction