Altered Soft Toys - Sherwood Art Week 2026

This year I’ve taken some time out from sewing cushions and pin cushions and have been sewing teeny-tiny patches to a collection of old soft toys that I already had in my possession.

I wasn’t making them to sell, or even to show anyone initially – just sewing for my own pleasure and satisfaction.

The teeny-tiny patches are offcuts from my pin cushion making process, and since the pin cushions themselves are quite small, the teeny-tiny patches are even smaller – squares of fabric measuring less than a centimetre on each side. Alongside the patches I have reworked certain features of each toy, and added clothing and accessories to bring out their stories. And I added a ladybird to each one to tie them together as a collection.

Regular followers may know that I look forward to taking part in Sherwood Art Week each year – particularly the Art in Shops initiative, which gives local artists an opportunity to display their work in the local community, and which I like to use as an opportunity to try out something new (last year it was Otter-shaped draught excluders!) This year I’ve decided to display my little collection of altered soft toys.

For those that can’t make it to Sherwood this year, here is the collection in full. Clicking on each character’s image will take you to a series of more detailed images, as well as the story behind that character