Week 4: UnStuffing: Sewing and Engineering
July 10 - July 14
Instructor: Amy Brown
How are stuffed animals made? Using a familiar object, we will take stuffies apart and see what's inside. Build them back up again, add something new, or use your pattern to create something entirely different. Reverse-engineering helps us learn how others have solved problems before us. Campers will learn hand sewing skills, pattern design, and how to use and troubleshoot problems on a sewing machine.
July 10 - July 14
Instructor: Amy Brown
How are stuffed animals made? Using a familiar object, we will take stuffies apart and see what's inside. Build them back up again, add something new, or use your pattern to create something entirely different. Reverse-engineering helps us learn how others have solved problems before us. Campers will learn hand sewing skills, pattern design, and how to use and troubleshoot problems on a sewing machine.
Monday (July 10th)
9:00 am Housekeeping and intros - Who am I? What does Unstuffies mean?
9:15 am Ice Breaker activity: Stuffed Anything
Think of something that could be a stuffed toy that starts with the same letter as your first name.
What would you make it out of? How big would it be? Give it a name that starts with the first letter of the person
who went before you.
9:30 am Activity/Lesson: Inside out
What’s on the table in front of you? Without turning it rightside-out, draw a picture of what you think it might look like.
Flatten it out-- how tall/wide is it? What’s it made of? How many separate parts are there (legs, tails, ears) and how many
pieces of fabric are put together to make the shape.
10:00 am Activity/Lesson: Threading a needle, tying a knot
It’s hard at first, but we’ll get started with the most basic sewing tool: needle and thread. Learn about how to thread
properly and tie a really great knot. Then we’ll learn our first stitch: running/gather stitch. Stitch around edge of circle,
pull the stitches so they scrunch up the fabric, and add some stuffing. It’s a ball!
10:15 am BREAK
10:30 am Video: Tour a Stuffed Animal Factory - Part 1
What surprised you about this video? Do you think the videomaker included enough detail on their design?
What has to happen before the stuffies are made?
10:40 am Activity/Lesson: Ripping Stitches
Roll the dice to get your lab assignment- 1 for head, 2 for an arm, 3 for a leg, 4 for a tail/ear, 5 for a leg, arm, 6 for an arm.
We’ll learn how to use a seam ripper to dismantle each line of stitching to separate the pieces of a stuffie. But we’ll make
a blueprint for how to put it back together, too. Grab your journals!
11:30 am LUNCH
12:15 am Activity/Lesson: Whip stitch - let’s learn the next stitch. Using our gather-stitched ball, we’ll add a shape over the opening
to close it up and turn it into a pincushion we’ll use for the rest of the week.
12:45 pm TINKER TIME
Optional Activity: Try the sewing machine
2:15 pm Snack
2:30 pm Review of day and Daily Camper Assessment
2:45 pm Clean Up
3:00 pm Camper Pick Up
Photos
9:00 am Housekeeping and intros - Who am I? What does Unstuffies mean?
9:15 am Ice Breaker activity: Stuffed Anything
Think of something that could be a stuffed toy that starts with the same letter as your first name.
What would you make it out of? How big would it be? Give it a name that starts with the first letter of the person
who went before you.
9:30 am Activity/Lesson: Inside out
What’s on the table in front of you? Without turning it rightside-out, draw a picture of what you think it might look like.
Flatten it out-- how tall/wide is it? What’s it made of? How many separate parts are there (legs, tails, ears) and how many
pieces of fabric are put together to make the shape.
10:00 am Activity/Lesson: Threading a needle, tying a knot
It’s hard at first, but we’ll get started with the most basic sewing tool: needle and thread. Learn about how to thread
properly and tie a really great knot. Then we’ll learn our first stitch: running/gather stitch. Stitch around edge of circle,
pull the stitches so they scrunch up the fabric, and add some stuffing. It’s a ball!
10:15 am BREAK
10:30 am Video: Tour a Stuffed Animal Factory - Part 1
What surprised you about this video? Do you think the videomaker included enough detail on their design?
What has to happen before the stuffies are made?
10:40 am Activity/Lesson: Ripping Stitches
Roll the dice to get your lab assignment- 1 for head, 2 for an arm, 3 for a leg, 4 for a tail/ear, 5 for a leg, arm, 6 for an arm.
We’ll learn how to use a seam ripper to dismantle each line of stitching to separate the pieces of a stuffie. But we’ll make
a blueprint for how to put it back together, too. Grab your journals!
11:30 am LUNCH
12:15 am Activity/Lesson: Whip stitch - let’s learn the next stitch. Using our gather-stitched ball, we’ll add a shape over the opening
to close it up and turn it into a pincushion we’ll use for the rest of the week.
12:45 pm TINKER TIME
Optional Activity: Try the sewing machine
2:15 pm Snack
2:30 pm Review of day and Daily Camper Assessment
2:45 pm Clean Up
3:00 pm Camper Pick Up
Photos
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Tuesday (July 11th)
9:00 am Warm Up: Furby Organ Vidoe
9:15 am Activity/Lesson: Destroy to create
With yesterday’s dissected stuffie, hand the piece you took off to the person next to you. We’re going to re-attach it.
Where? That’s your choice. An arm can be a tail, a head can be an arm. We will use a whip stitch or ladder stitch to
connect the new piece to the full stuffie. Use a contrasting thread so it's easy to see your stitches. Pick from the
Unstuffed Collection for more pieces to add.
10:15 am BREAK
10:30 am Activity/Lesson: Arms and Legs
Take apart an arm or a leg from a different stuffie-- this time COMPLETELY. We will lay it out flat, make a map of its
connections, and recreate it from felt. Trace, mark, stitch! How close does it come to the original? What is different?
11:00 am Activity/Lesson: Sewing Machine how-to: let’s try this amazing machine.
It makes your prototyping much quicker. If you mess up, that’s what the seam-ripper is for! Let’s practice sewing straight,
angled and curvy lines.
11:30 am LUNCH
12:15 pm Stuffie Factory Tour Part 2 (stop at 13:10) - What other uses are there for these cutting tools? Why do you think the
factory workers wear masks?
12:30 pm Continue sewing machine practice
12:45 pm TINKER TIME
Optional activity Needle felting ears or noses or paws
2:15 pm Snack
2:30 pm Review of day and Daily Camper Assessment
2:45 pm Clean Up
3:00 pm Camper Pick Up
Photos
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Wednesday (July 12th)
9:00 am Warm up Activity: Stuffie Factory Tour Part 3
How do they quickly turn the animal inside out? How do they create a workspace that let’s them do things quickly?
How do we turn things inside out? How many pieces do you think someone has to order to make this process affordable?
9:15 am Activity: Animal ears
Let’s sketch out some ideas for an animal costume, starting with the ears. Draw on paper first to figure out the right size
and make a pattern to duplicate with fabric.
9:30 am Activity: Animal ears
Using just glue, felt and fabric markers, create the ears you've drawn. Layer fabrics or use something in-between to make
them stiffer.
9:45 am Activity/Lesson: Off with their heads - this is a big one!
Piece by piece, use a seam-ripper to take apart a stuffie head. At each step, write down what you are doing. Trace the
pieces and label them on paper. Use a fabric marker on the inside-side of the stuffie to mark each piece where it should
be connected. Dismantled completely. Hand off to the student to your right, and see if they can pin the piece back
together using your instructions.
10:15 am BREAK
10:30 am Continue Activity: Off with their heads
10:45 am Activity: Faces
Sketch a head (animal, human, or non-human) straight-on, like a cartoon. Draw the main head shape as large as you’d like
to make it out of fabric. Cut 2 pieces for the front and back. Find pieces of felt to create the eyes, nose, mouth and ears.
Using stitches we’ve learned, begin sewing the edges together.
11:30 am LUNCH
12:15 pm Finish Faces. Add hair, close up, add a pin back!
12:45 pm TINKER TIME
Optional activity: Select 2-3 stuffies and create a mix-and-match creature.
2:15 pm Snack
2:30 pm Review of day and Daily Camper Assessment
2:45 pm Clean Up
3:00 pm Camper Pick Up
Photos
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Thursday (July 13th)
9:00 am Warm Up: Looking hard - blind contour portraits round-robin with Sharpies
9:15 am Stuffie Factory Video Part 4
No machine can do these last parts! What steps did the factory take after the stitch was finished?
9:30 am Activity: Monster gloves
The first pattern most people trace as kids is their hand. Let’s see how the making of a glove is the same and different
from a simple trace. Create a patternand use the sewing machine to stitch one glove from a stretchy fabric like fleece.
10:15 am BREAK
10:30am Activity: Monster Gloves part 2
We’ve made one glove and tried it on. What should we do differently for the second try? May also adorn gloves with
stitching or nails or claws using glue or applique.
11:00 am Lesson: tubes and turning. Use the sewing machine to create a long tube (for an arm, tail or tentacle) and learn the easy
way to turn it inside out.
11:30 am LUNCH
12:15 pm Activity: All About Eyeballs.
Experiment with googly eyes, applique eyes, safety eyes, lidded eyes on fabric. Use embroidery hoop to test an
assortment of techniques.
12:45 pm TINKER TIME
2:15 pm Snack
2:30 pm Review of day and Daily Camper Assessment
2:45 pm Clean Up
3:00 pm Camper Pick Up
Photos
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Friday (July 14th)
9:00 am Warm Up: Looking hard
How would you describe this stuffie to someone who couldn’t see it with their eyes, and wasn’t even in the room?
If you had to describe it over the phone, with no video! Be as specific as you can.
9:15 am Activity: Travel stuffies
Create a simple 2-piece stuffie under 6” from felt. We will use the stitches and applique to add details. We can add a loop
for a keychain or a pinback so you can wear it or put it on your backpack.
10:15 am BREAK
10:30 am Activity/Lesson: Frankenstein free-for-all!
Pick 2-3 stuffies-- whole or partially deconstructed. Take off the pieces you want and use whipstitches or other fabric to
connect them to make a completely new animal. What does it eat? Where does it live? Give it a new name.
11:30 am LUNCH
12:15 pm Activity: How would I make....?
Let’s brainstorm ways to make some very strange things. Think about the fabrics you’d need, how large they would be,
what technique to sew them? A chair shaped like a cat. A plush tshirt. A full-size dragon costume. A waterproof teddy
bear.
12:45 pm TINKER TIME – ONLY if weekly project is complete
Let's finish up our projects!
2:30 pm Daily Camper Assessment
Weekly Camper Survey
2:45 pm Snack
3:00 pm Clean Up and Prep for Showcase
3:30 pm Student Showcase
4:30 pm Camper Pick Up
Photos
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