It’s approaching the time I will need people who aren’t me to test my patterns. People who have different embroidery machines, different experience levels, different stabilizers, different threads… whatever variables might be introduced, I’d like to run into them up front. Here’s what I’m looking for.

• someone who has never made a stuffed animal

• someone who has

• someone who has little to no conventional-sewing experience

• someone who has little to no embroidery-machine experience

• someone who has a lot of embroidery-machine experience

• someone who has a machine that doesn’t use PES files

And here’s what I’m offering:

• a free version of the pattern(s) you test (I mean, duh. But also you get the final version)

• a free version of any one of the other patterns (and if you decide you don’t ever want to make another stupid plushie as long as you live, it can certainly be Queen of Unfinished Projects or a custom design or something)

• never-ending fame and fortune (okay, just credit in the pattern)

• preferential “hiring” if this works out and I get to actually pay real cash money to testers down the road 🤞

And here’s what you’ll need:

• an embroidery machine with a 4×4 hoop that can read PEC, PES, EXP, DST, JEF, VP3, or U01 files (if you have the wherewithal to convert from one of these to your machine’s HUS or whatever, that’s fine)

• assorted threads

• some minky or fleece or reasonably stretchy fabric; each critter takes anywhere from three to a dozen 5×5″ squares

• possibly some bits of other fabrics (the test dragon’s wing membranes are quilting cotton, for instance)

• fiberfill

• a needle for hand sewing

• a way to take pictures to send me (nothing fancy and nobody but me need see them; they’re just for “is this right?” or “look at what went wrong” or “look how it came out” purposes)

And here’s what I need you to do:

• not flake (I mean, I get that life happens, I just mean don’t take a free pattern and run)

• tell me what your skill level is

• tell me what machine(s) you tried it on, what thread brand, fabric brand, stabilizer brand, etc. you use (as much as you’re able)

• tell me how many tries each piece took and what caused any failures

• tell me anything else you want to tell me about the pattern (“I got frustrated and gave up” is valid!)

The first test will be the orca, which is a simple little three-square critter and a good intro to how the three-dimensional ITH plushies work. The only hand sewing is closing up the tiny little turning/stuffing opening. If you’re interested, drop me a line.