Thinking in 3D

I have been in a creative craft pattern making mood the pat few days.
As I sat down with paper and pencil a few days ago and started drawing out a new stuffed toy pattern, I was reminded that I don't always put much thought into WHY I put the seams WHERE I do. At this point it comes pretty easily to me, but someone just starting out, they might be baffled.

This morning, I saw my Kindergartener sitting at his table with paper, pencils, scissors and glue sticks. He was trying to make something, so I steped back from working on my pattern on the computer and took a closer look at what he was working on.

This is what I saw

He told me they were party hats for his My Little Ponys, and had already assembled one of them.
If you look closely you will see he has drawn the little fold over glue tabs that are needed to make a paper model. His father makes paper models and had showed him he needed the glue tabs earlier this summer. Since then he has been trying to make 3D shapes out of paper using what he has picked up from watching us make our crafts. He also really is interested in using CAD on the computer since both his parents use it.

I then showed him how he could make the same shaped hat by using a section of a circle instead of triangles. He then corrected my hat to have the scalloped hem!

So I have been thinking that a short blog series on how simple shapes can be used to create complex shapes and how to think more in 3D when you want to create a stuffed toy pattern. I just don't know what to call it. Softy, Plushy, Cloth Sculpture? each is a different term, but where does my work fit under those categories? They are not always toys, and the fabrics can vary, though woven cotton is my standby.


So anyways look for a blog series coming soon!

What become of the Pony Hat? Well My Husband helped him cut out one and glue it together, then I added the thread, so the 5 sided pony hat seen at the right most of the picture works too!