An Homage to Stuffed Animals: Childhood Stuffed Animal Recreations

In this upcycling project, I aimed to explore the aesthetic of nostalgia and the concept of comfort through nostalgia. This idea came to me back in the pandemic when there was a huge resurgence in childhood favorites, like Avatar the Last Airbender, Pokemon, and more. In the pandemic I found myself rereading the books I loved growing up, and watching the shows I had watched dozens of times before just because they felt familiar and there was a certain sense of comfort and stability during a time that was extremely unstable. Many people felt similarly, and I have always wanted to create some sort of artistic representation of that concept of childhood nostalgia. The images below are representative of the well-loved, quirky toys that I want to portray.

I decided to create a series of recreations of childhood stuffed animals belonging to my friends and I using a variety of materials ranging from leather, to fabric scraps, to cardboard, to paper. I plan to create at least 2-3 stuffed animal recreations that depict them in their natural, well-loved state. I want to represent the comforts of childhood in a way that feels tangible, interactive, and that showcases the love and memories that surround beloved stuffed animals.

I used to be obsessed with stuffed animals as a kid, and I had an extensive collection. However, this bear was (and still is) one of my most precious possessions- she felt like my best friend, and was a huge source of comfort growing up. I want to explore this concept of comfort through nostalgia in a fun and whimsical way, and paying homage to the soft little creatures that kept us company growing up feels like a joyful way to do it. 

I started by gathering a variety of supplies from my own art supplies and from a trip to Art Parts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I started the project by focusing on my personal stuffed animal, which I wanted to recreate from fabric. I started making a pattern by covering the bear with saran wrap, and then covering the saran wrap with packing tape. I cut off that “form,” hacked it up, and added darts to make everything lay flat. I then traced these shapes onto butcher paper to create an actual pattern. I sewed half of the face to test it, and it worked decently well. However, due to time constraints, I decided to pivot and focus just on the paper stuffed animal. 

.        

I began this project by crumpling and folding squares of thick paper many, many times. I wanted this paper to become pliable and easily manipulated, like fabric. I then stitched these squares together using embroidery thread to create a patchwork “quilt” of paper.

Then, I drew a pattern for the bunny, and traced 4 of them onto the paper quilt. I stitched around the perimeter of each bunny outline, then secured all the places where I would be cutting through the thread with hot glue.

.         .       

Then, I sewed two of the pieces to each other, and did the same with the other two pieces to create two separate halves of the bunny. 

   

My next steps were to stuff each half of the bunny, then I finished sewing them up. Then, I carefully measured a strip of purple paper for the “middle” part of the bunny to make it more 3-dimensional, and sewed it to each side of the bunny all the way around. I ended the project by embroidering two eyes onto paper and gluing them on the bunny, then I finished by adding a little braided bow and a pom-pom tail. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love the finished product, and I think the bunny ended up a very whimsical, joyful recreation of a stuffed animal. I feel that the crumpled paper lends a very soft, worn in feel to the bunny, and I love how “well-loved” he looks. I really wanted to communicate how much love goes into these childhood stuffed animals, and I think the paper relayed that effectively. 

I was not able to recreate the actual childhood stuffed animals from my friends and I due to time constraints, and this rabbit is a pattern that I created myself. I would love to continue on with this “soft paper” concept, and create more little creatures out of paper. I would also love to finish the fabric recreation of my own childhood bear. 

Citations:

https://images.app.goo.gl/wuvwpWRpjW3k6D4A6