Stuffed Animal Fabrics
For all my plush animal projects I will generally use the following fabrics.
Minky - this is a synthetic fabric often used to make baby blankets. It has a short pile and acts like short fur. It is stretchy and smooth. It comes in a variety of colors, patterns, textures, and pile lengths. I generally prefer "Cuddle Minky" with 1 - 3 mm pile length. Most colors of Minky I have to buy online, it can cost between 8 - 15 USD a yard and I must purchase by full yards for every color.
See some examples of my minky animals here:
Flannel - this is a wool based fabric also used in baby clothes that has a soft texture. It is a stretchy fabric and soft to the touch but it has no "fur" effect. It comes in a wide range of colors and patterns.
It's a reasonably priced fabric ranging from 4 - 10 USD per yard.
Here's an example of a Flannel based plush:
Fleece - A polyester fabric made to mimic wool has a slight fuzzy texture. It's often used for jackets and blankets. It's a bit stretchy but a little on the heavier side of fabrics. Fleece has a decent range of colors and patterns, including animal print patterns. It can be fairly inexpensive at 3 - 8 USD per yard.
Cotton - Quilting cotton is a low-priced fabric that is usually between 2 - 6 USD per yard.
It is not stretchy and often coarse to the touch. It has a huge range of colors and patterns. I don't generally make stuffed animals with this but on occasion I do. It works great for oddly shaped projects or poses.
Generally, this is reserved for parts of larger plushies, like the eyes of this plushie:
Specialty Fabrics
These are materials I'll use only if the project calls for it. These fabrics tend to be very expensive, heavy and difficult to work with. These can range from 10 - 35 USD per yard and sometimes more. Yikes.
Velvet or Velveteen - a rich, buttery fabric, heavy with a very short pile length.
Faux Fur - synthetic fur on knit fabric
Long-pile Faux Fur - Synthetic fur on knit fabric that is over 6mm in pile length.
Mohair - the stuff teddy bears are made from. Generally natural or synthetic pile hairs on a woven non-stretch fabric.
