Are you stuck trying to find a present for a newborn baby or a kid’s birthday party? I think you will really like making personalized stuffed animals!
Every time one of my friends has another baby, or I need to find a present for my nieces and nephews, I am stuck. It is boring to just buy toys all the time. Plus, as a mom myself, I know I don’t want any more toys for my kids. They take up way too much room!
And custom gifts are good, but kids don’t always love them. Who remembers getting monogrammed towels growing up? I know I do. They were fun to use on pool days, but that is where the excitement ended, at least for me.
But this customized gift is actually good because young kids love stuffed animals! They provide endless comfort and cuddles.
For this tutorial, I used an elephant. But you can use any stuffed animal, as long as it has space for the design.
You could make a personalized teddy bear, bunnies, monkeys, unicorns, cats, dogs, and more.
How can I customize my own plush animal?
One of the most popular ways to personalize a stuffed animal is to add the child’s name.
I also really like to add a special message whenever I can. This might be a happy birthday wish, a congratulations message, and so on.
My personalized stuffed animal was a gift for a newborn baby girl, so I included her name, birthday, weight, and the time she was born. This is a nice keepsake for new babies!
Who would like a personalized stuffed animal?
Personalized stuffed animals make great baby gifts for baby showers and new moms. You can give it to the mom at the baby shower and then add their birth information like I did after the baby is born.
On a sadder note, you could also give this to a mom who has lost a baby. Losing a baby is incredibly hard to go through, but you can show your love and support with this keepsake.
If you have a sick friend, this can also be a nice gift. I don’t think it matters how old someone is. A cuddly teddy bear or plush animal can provide so much comfort when you are sick.
I also like to give these to my nieces, nephews, and my kids. And then sometimes my kids want to give these to their friends too. When my kids want to do this, I let them pick what they want the message to say on the bear so that it is personalized from them.
What You Need To Make A Personalized Stuffed Animal
Materials Needed:
- Blank Stuffed Elephant
- Heat Transfer Vinyl
- Fabric Bow
Tools Needed:
- EasyPress Mini or HTVRont Mini Press
- Cricut Machine
- Standard Grip Mat
SVG Design:
You will also need a personalized stuffed animal SVG design. These are my favorite places to find those kinds of designs.
How To Make Your Personalized Stuffed Animals
The first step is to preheat your heat press machine. My favorite one to use for this type of DIY project is the EasyPress Mini. (If you want to learn more about the EasyPress Mini, read this blog post.)
Next, load your design file into the software you use to customize it. Here, you can change the message, color, and size.
It’s very important to measure the stuffed animal blank to make sure your design will fit in the space. If it won’t, you can easily resize it in your design software so that it will fit.
Once your design is printed on the HTV, the next step is to weed out the design. I recommend doing this with a weeding tool.
Once your heat press machine is ready, place your HTV on your stuffed animal and start pressing your design.
For the best results, allow the heat plate to extend a little beyond all edges of the design. Allowing the heat plate to extend beyond the edge ensures that the design gets a complete transfer.
The final step is to add any other decorations you found that you want to add. On my personalized stuffed animal, I used a hot glue gun to attach a bow to it.
Don’t forget these other awesome crafts that make great gifts!
If you want to make other gifts similar to this personalized stuffed animal, then you might like some of these other DIY projects!
- DIY Custom Craft Beer Mugs for Dad
- DIY Charm Picture Bracelet
- DIY Photo Snow Globe
- DIY Cricut Keychains
Personalized Stuffed Animals With Cricut
Step-by-step guide to make your own personalized stuffed animals. These make perfect gifts for new babies, your kids, or birthday parties!
Materials
- Blank Stuffed Elephant
- Heat Transfer Vinyl
- Fabric Bow - https://by-pink.com/no-sew-fabric-bows/
Tools
- EasyPress Mini or HTVRont Mini Press
- Cricut Machine
- Standard Grip Mat
Instructions
- Load your design into Cricut Design Space, see above for ideas of where to get designs.
- Measure the area you want to put the heat transfer vinyl.
- Adjust the size of the design in Cricut Design Space (if you grouped you can resize it all together).
- Adjust Your Colors.
- Click make it, then adjust your on-screen mat if necessary.
- Click continue.
- Select your machine, and material, and then press cut.
- Remove the Heat transfer vinyl from the machine and weed out your design.
- Align your design on the stuffed animal.
- Set your EasyPress Mini to the highest setting and allow it to heat.
You may have to cut around the carrier sheet a bit to make it lay flat. - Once your EasyPress has heated, you can then press on the design.
Move the press from side to side as you work your way from one end of the design to the other. - Allow the heat plate to extend a little beyond all edges of the design. Allowing the heat plate to extend beyond the edge ensures that the design gets a complete transfer.
- You only need light pressure.
- Continue moving for about 15 seconds or so.
- Remove the carrier sheet, and place a piece of parchment paper over top, and press again for a few seconds.
- You can now add the bow with hot glue (optional)
- Check the video if you need more of a visual.
