Handmade Edith Moody Lamb family plush toys. Larry, Lucy and Letty.
This lovely family is comprised of Larry, Lucy and Letty Lamb. All the heads and limbs are made of a beautiful curled mohair fabric.
Larry has a lovely suit made of dark green velvet, hand embroidered around the edges. His shirt is made from a repurposed man’s shirt.
Lucy has a dress made from a child’s dress and her satin pantaloons are made from other remnants of children’s clothes. Her ‘Sunday best’ cape is hand embroidered.
Letty’s dress is also made from a child’s dress trimmed with lace and her pinafore and shoes have matching embroidery roses.
These toys are not suitable for children due to the small parts.  The adults stand about 14" high (35cm)
 
I also make the family as ‘memory lambs’ so please get in touch if you would like a bespoke family made from sentimentally valuable fabrics. I use coats/jackets for heads and limbs and can repurpose dresses/shirts/ties etc to make beautiful mementoes of loved ones.
 
From the 1950s Edith Moody designed and made soft toys but also wanted to share her designs.  
 
Her introduction to the book the Lamb family came from, ‘Dressed Soft Toys, Animal Families’ first published in 1950 reads;
 
“To those who have yet to start toy-making, this book aims to be a guide and help to this very fascinating graft which appeals to old and young alike.  Accurate patterns and clearly written instructions ensure success and particularly suitable for beginners are Mr Pig, Mr Bear, Mr Lamb and Mr Monkey, which are all of very simple construction.  The toys can easily be made with nibble fingers, and accuracy and care in cutting out and assembling the various pieces.  Individual expression and imagination can be used in the choice of materials for the clothes and in the set of the eyes, the tilt of a nose, or the line of a mouth.
Toys with such personalities as these can become part of all the playtime phantasies of children and any one of the families would provide a set of most delightful playmates for any child.
A hand-made toy gives joy not only to its eventual owner, but to the maker as well, and the making and dressing of soft toys finds a place in many and various spheres.  in the home it provides pleasure and relaxation, or it can become a profitable hobby in Youth Clubs and Women’s Institutes.  it is a very suitable subject for craft lessons in Schools and is excellent Occupational Therapy Departments in Hospitals whenever some form of diversion all therapy is needed.”
 
 
When her books were published people just after the war, materials would have been in short supply.  The toys would have been made from scraps of fabric, clothes beyond repair and stuffing made from stockings or shredded old fabric.  Not a thing would have been wasted and ‘thrift’ was normal.  
 
I try and use repurposed fabrics for my bears and other toys whenever I can.  I reuse children’s clothes for their outfits and try and find fur and felt which is no longer wanted to make other parts - sometimes from old coats etc. looking for a new use.  I do use new stuffing however, usually polyester.