Get the lead out: Make toys yourself

The recent recall of more than 9 million toys made in China has created a wonderful opportunity for those of us who knit, sew, crochet or make stuff from wood. It gives us the perfect excuse to buy more yarn, fabric and lumber to make playthings for the children in our lives – toys that don’t contain lead paint or tiny parts that can be swallowed by little ones still in the “tasting the world” stage of life.

Off we go, rushing into the fray armed with knitting needles, crochet hooks, miter saws, bolts of fabric and enough fiberfill to provide a handmade solution to the problem of imported toys decorated with paint containing lead and choking hazards.

Libraries abound with books full of patterns for toys that are easy to make. A quick tour of Bangor Public Library’s online card catalog yielded these titles: “Knitted Animals” by Anne-Dorthe Grigaff, “Creative Cloth Doll Making” by Patti Medaris Culea, “Crafting Cloth Dolls” by Miriam Gourley and “Knitted Babes” by Claire Garland. That’s just for starters. My personal library alone would yield patterns enough to create toys for a small planet. Or two.

Internet sources for free toy patterns are numerous, too. At www.knittingdaily.com Interweave Press offers nine free toy patterns, including a knitted bear, rabbit and cat, from “Natural Knits for Babies and Moms” by Louisa Harding, and a crocheted lamb.

Www.crochetpatterncentral.com and www.knittingpatterncentral.com have so many free patterns, it makes you feel like Old Mother Hubbard just to look at the lists, which include Hacky Sack balls, an octopus, teddy bear, dragon and monkey, felted checkerboard and game pieces, pocket clown, firefighters and ballerina, a jump rope, and dolls of many types.

Fabric doll patterns for free are featured at www.clothdollconnection.com. At that Web site you’ll find ideas for dolls big and small, simple and complex.

And don’t overlook your local store that sells dress patterns. Simplicity, McCall’s, Butterick and Vogue include patterns for dolls, bears and other toys in their catalogs. When you’re standing in the middle of a fabric department or visiting your favorite quilting fabric shop, how can you not want to grab some of those gorgeous pieces of cloth and whip up a Raggedy Ann doll?

But who needs a pattern to sew a doll? Make your own patterns by drawing a doll’s half-torso on the fold of a paper bag. Cut it out and unfold it and you have the full pattern to work with – don’t forget to add seam allowances. Cut patterns for arms and legs, then stitch to your heart’s content. Such “made from scratch” dolls are charming and reflect the artistic skill and whimsy of the maker.

Socks are always a handy source of material for making simple dolls and animals. “Sock Doll Workshop” by Cindy Crandall-Frazier is a good resource for learning the tricks of making entire families of dolls of all colors from socks. Monkeys and other animals also can be shaped from socks.

But if you can’t thread a needle, are all thumbs when it comes to knitting and have no idea what a crochet hook looks like, let alone a miter saw, Maine has plenty of artisans who hand-craft toys. A visit to www.mainemade.com will let you know how to get in touch with those who make lobster toys, teddy bears, rag dolls and wooden trucks, trains, games and puzzles.

Some toy makers will make toys to your specifications from materials you provide, be it cashmere or pine.

Clearly, with so many toy makers out there looking for business, or with a parent’s own potential for creating playthings, there really is no reason 80 percent of all toys sold in the United States should be manufactured in China.

Snippets

Small quilts by award-winning quilt maker Dianne Hire of Northport will be on display Aug. 28 through Sept. 11 at Aarhus Gallery, 50 Main St. Belfast. An opening reception will be held 5-8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 31, at the gallery. For more information, call the gallery at 338-0001 or visit www.aarhusgallery.com.

A fiber yard sale will be held during the Orono Village Fest 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8. Those who wish to rent space where they can sell excess yarn from their stash should call Michele at 866-3423 for details.

Call Ardeana Hamlin at 990-8153, or e-mail ahamlin@bangordailynews.net.