Page 21

FINISHING
The most enjoyable part of toymaking is the finishing. You will
feel that in your hands the toy begins to live. It suddenly has eyes
to see with, a nose to give it character and ears to add to the
general expression of alertness or pensive sadness.
The positioning of the features (eyes, nose, and ears) is left entirely
to the student and the way he envisages the toy.
Start finishing by closing the opening for stuffing. Use a neat
ladder stitch. Then cut out two triangles for the ears, in the same
material as the body. Pin these to the head. For guidance, the
position is marked on Diagram 7. Pin on the eyes. It is a good idea
at this stage to leave the toy, with the pinned eyes and ears, and
not look at it for a while. As a matter of fact it is a good moment
to take a break for a cup of tea or coffee. When you return to your
work, you will immediately realise whether a mistake was made
in the positioning of the features. Sometimes too much "looking"
prevents one from "seeing". You may find that the size of the ears
needs to be enlarged or cut down. Alter this to your requirement;
also correct, if necessary, the placing of the eyes. Once satisfied
with the expression, mark the correct places for ears and eyes with
a pencil or chalk.