Toy Design: Starting on paper

Everybody designs in a different way - for me, I use LOTS of paper - and start out sketchy. Then the geometry comes in - I might even get out a ruler and compass, but that is rare. I like the 'organic' human-made look and drafting can sometimes ruin that. I start making mental origami out of the paper before scissors ever touch cloth.


from the simplest happy lion sketch to
beginning of 'deconstruction'

'mental origami'sketches
begin to shape what I will cut out as actual pattern pieces

A lot gets worked out in the paper - but still things go through several stages. Sewing up a prototype pattern (a muslin, if it was a garment) isn't always as easy or as smooth as you thought it would be. Things get ripped out - pieces saved and others recut etc. etc... and hopefully by the end of the day (or two) you have a brand new, designed-by-you toy pattern with most of the major kinks worked out.

Hopefully you'll meet a cloth version of this lion soon!