The promotional poster created by the communications team at the FabLab.

The goal of this workshop was to have participants (a total of 8 people attended) learn basic sewing and cutting skills through the process of making a small stuffed cat. We started out by picking colors for our felt and thread, and then I instructed students how to thread a needle and sew on eyes. This part seemed to be the most challenging for people who have never sewn before, as threading a needle can be frustrating, and figuring out how to properly sew buttons can be a bit tricky. But after this step, everyone seemed much more comfortable and required less induction on how to sew both sides of the felt together. 

Success: Everybody Made One

A photo of our participants hard at work.

There was an option to attach a keychain to the stuffy, which some people chose.

Since attaching the keychain can be challenging, I took the lead, giving a detailed explanation of what I was doing. By the end of the workshops, all participants were able to make at least one stuffy, with a few making more than one. We’re hoping to do another sewing session soon, maybe expanding beyond cats to other animals or characters based on participant suggestions. I’m hoping next time we get returning participants who enjoyed the community-building aspect of the workshop. 

Finished Projects

A cat stuffy made by Franz-Hank.

A bat stuffy made by Alessandra.