Payment:

How do I pay for my order?

I currently accept the following payment methods: PayPal, Cashapp, Venmo, VISA, Mastercard

When will you process and ship my order?

For items in my shop, please allow 3 to 5 business days between 9 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday.

How much does shipping cost?

I do not offer free shipping at this time. For the full size plushies, shipping is usually a flat rate around $17. For the Worry pets and other miniature plushies shipping is a flat rate around $8.

What is your shipping process?

Unless asked for otherwise, I will package the plushie and any accessories into an appropriately sized box. Unless the accessories are sewn onto the plush or are otherwise not removable, I will wrap them in tissue separate from the plush in the box. 

If the plushie or an accessory is a light color or easily stained, it can be sealed in a plastic bag.

If the package is going overseas and shipping will be expensive for a large sized box, there are a few options to make it cheaper. If the customer requests, I can make the plushie and send it unstuffed for the customer to stuff and finish themselves. Or I can sometimes vacuum seal the finished plushie.

Unless asked for otherwise, I use USPS for my shipping. In general, I can accommodate most reasonable requests.

Do you offer payment plans?

Only for custom orders. I offer 0% interest plans from 3 to 12 months and other plans for up to 24 months. You can even pick what day of the month you would like to send your payment.

I also offer half&half plans, where after half is paid, work begins and you don’t have to pay the other half until work is complete. The plushie will be shipped after the second payment is complete.

Do you offer discounts or freebies?

Yes, for custom work only. If your custom order exceeds $100 you will get one freebie per plushie. If your custom order exceeds $200 the cost of regular materials gets taken off, special materials will still be included in the price.

Can I cancel or make changes to my order after it has been placed?

Changes or cancelations can be made anytime before the first payment. But once the first payment is received, work begins and after that point, only reasonable changes can be made. I keep in constant contact with my clients to get their opinions and let them make choices whenever possible.

If a cancelation is made after work begins, only a partial refund will be available and the plushie may be completed anyway and sold as a pre-made to help me recoup my costs.

Can I see a sample or prototype of my custom plushie before production?

Unfortunately, no. Each plushie is completely unique but you may see anything from my portfolio to see how previous projects turned out. And final photos and videos will be provided before final payment is due so any changes can be made.

Materials:

How do I care for my plushie?

All custom plushies come with a hand-made care instruction card tailored especially for the plushie and the materials it is made from. Included in the card is also my business card so you can contact me if you have any further questions.

If you ordered a pre-made plushie from my shop, it will come with a business card and on the back of that will be basic care instructions. There may also be added tags with extra instructions if necessary.

Do you have an embroidery machine?

At this time, no. But I may be able to order custom embroidered pieces of fabric for use in your custom design for a fee. Or I can do free-hand machine embroidery at the same rates as my applique rates.

I do monogramming on my machine and hand embroidery as well, for small details my machine cannot achieve.

Then how do you make your details?

For most of my detail work, I do fusible web applique. I can add extra applique details for free so long as designing and appliqueing them to the pieces would not add more than 2 hours of my time, then it is charged at an hourly rate.

What are my options for safety eyes and noses?

Safety eyes and noses are available. Eyes are $2 to add and noses are $1.

If the piece is meant to be handled and played and cuddled with, then button eyes are not a good option. But if it is meant only for display, button details and hanging charms and beads are available.

How durable are your plushies?

I strive myself to make my plushies as durable as I possibly can. I don’t skimp on the required tools or materials to make a quality product.

Unless specified otherwise, (by myself, or by request of the customer) my plushies are suitable for gentle play, meaning that they are meant to be handled and snuggled but not intended for unsupervised play with a small child. 

Some plushies may only be suitable for display and need as little handling as possible. This is the case when armature wire, buttons or other sculpted pieces are used.

How long can your plushies last?

A while. My young daughter has gotten many of my prototypes and not a single one has been damaged. Some she has had for years at this point. 

Are you willing to make plushies out of sentimental materials?

Of course! Message me via my socials or use the contact page. Because of the logistics of shipping the material to me before work can begin, a contract will have to be signed but reach out and we can certainly get started.

What materials can you use?

My go-to material is flannel because it stretches one way and that makes it so easy to line up pattern pieces and it comes in all sorts of fun colors and patterns. But I can work with almost anything you can think of to make a plushie out of! Minky? Yes! Even just plain 100% cotton (I call it quilting cotton) for customers on a budget.

I can also make plushies out of specialty materials for an added cost. Specialty materials are anything not listed above that I am capable of making a plushie out of but I would not keep on hand and have to buy special for a commission. Certain fabrics, like velvet and faux fur come with a $10 cleaning fee as they shed all over my workspace and into my machine.

I want my plushie made with armature wire, like an art doll. Can you do that?

No. I can add armature wire to certain parts of a plushie like wings or horns, but I can’t make art dolls. There are lots of other super talented people out there who can, though. So keep looking and I’m sure you will find your perfect artist.

Can you make my plushie weighted? Or with crinkle or other sensory experiences?

Yes, yes and maybe. I have several options for adding weight including making the weighted pouch able to be heated. And I can also add crinkle. As far as other sensory experiences, message me via my socials or my contact page.

Can you add zippered or buttoned pouches to my plushie?

Sure! Just be sure to ask when you message me via my socials or my contact page.

Damage/Repair:

I noticed some purple ink on the seams of my plushies. What is this?

I use a disappearing ink marker during my process. Give it a day or two and it will fade on its own.

Help! My beloved plushie has been damaged, can you repair it? (That was not made by Small Town Seamstress)

Possibly, Message me via my socials or use the contact page. I will need to see photos of the damage to tell if I will be able to fix it.

Will you make or fix pet toys?

No. These plushies are not suitable for pets. I don’t care how gentle you think your dog will be with this plushie, I will not make a plushie for a dog. Because just in case it does break, I don’t want your pet to be hurt. This also goes for cat toys for the same reason.

And I will not repair pet toys either. When a pet toy breaks, it is meant to be thrown away, so that the repair doesn’t come loose and potentially choke your pet.

What is your policy on if a plushie you made does get damaged?

If it has been less than a year since you received your plushie:

You can contact me and I will repair it for free, so long as you are willing to pay shipping both ways. But the materials and labor for the repair will be free.

You can contact me and if the repair is small enough that shipping it back and forth isn’t worth it, I can walk you through how to do simple repairs yourself.

If it has been more than a year:

You can contact me and I will repair it for the same cost as my regular repair rate including shipping.

You can contact me and if the repair is small enough that my repair cost isn’t worth it, I can walk you through how to do simple repairs yourself.

My plushie arrived damaged.

See my refund policy, unless it is custom work, then refer to your copy of your commission contract or reach out to me.

Workspace:

What size range are you able to do?

My minimum size is about 6 inches, anything smaller and it just becomes too difficult to fit into my machines. 

I haven’t tested the limits for my maximum size, but I would estimate about 4 feet. Any bigger and I would really struggle with my current workspace.

Is your workspace allergen free?

Unfortunately, no. If you wish to have a plushie made or repaired by me and have concerns, feel free to reach out to me via my socials or through the contact page.

Our home is smoke and dog free, but we do have 2 rescue cats who are allowed in my workspace. Also for warming pouches, I offer a range of materials that they can be made from, including buckwheat which is an allergen.

If you are allergic to anything that I use in my workspace and still wish to get a plushie made by me, I can take precautions such as keeping materials for your plushie in a separate, sealed container and washing and closing my workspace off to my cats while I work with your plushie. However, please know that you will be doing so at your own risk.

Personal Policies:

Can you make licensed characters?

Short answer: no. 

Long answer: I have to be careful about making licensed characters. Some companies (i.e. Disney, Pokémon, etc.) are very strict about the use of their characters. But if you are willing to compromise, I can make something you will love without these huge companies coming after me. Win, win.

Can I provide reference images or sketches for my custom plushie?

Absolutely! Reference images and sketches are preferred and help tremendously with giving an estimate. Reference images and sketches can be sent to me via my socials or once you have gotten into contact with me via my contact page.

I know exactly what plushie pattern I want, Can you make that for me?

Maybe. That depends on the person or company who created the pattern. Some pattern makers don’t want other people using their patterns and selling the products and I will respect those wishes. But others are totally fine with people using their patterns and selling the product, like Sew Desu Ne? who allows her patterns to be used that way so long as she gets credit for the pattern.

My policy is that if it is a PDF pattern that I can print out and reuse as many times as I want, I will just buy the pattern and there will be no extra cost to the customer. But if it is a tissue paper pattern that is hard to use more than once, I will charge for the price of the pattern in the cost of materials.

Can you replicate a plushie based on a photo of a real person or pet?

Yes and no. Let me explain. I am unable to do photo realistic plushies, but I can add special details and markings to make it look more like the original subject.

Can you make NSFW plushies?

This one has a complicated answer and I want to start off by saying, I’m not naïve. I know about a lot of NSFW topics and I love a good mature movie or book. But because I also care for my daughter while I make these and she can come into my workspace for me at any time, I can’t have certain topics out in the open for her to witness. And while that is my main reason I do also have a secondary reason. I am a religious person and there are certain things that I just can’t make for people because it goes against my values. However, there are some NSFW topics I am okay with. If I am not okay with a topic then I will just refuse service but I may know of somewhere else you can go to find someone who can help you if you are respectful of my boundaries.

Are you willing to barter?

Some of my prices I can compromise on, but not all. The cost of special materials and shipping is not in my control and I cannot compromise on those costs, but for almost any other aspect of my pricing, I can consider any reasonable offer.

How long will it take to make a custom plushie?

Usually I can get a custom plushie done in less than a month, but complicated or large designs may take longer. A timeline will be discussed with the client prior to any work. If there is a deadline for the custom plushie, please take that into account and order sooner rather than later. 

YouTube:

Can the making of my custom plushie be used in a YouTube video?

Absolutely! I normally ask all of my customers if their custom order can be filmed for my videos. And don't worry if you plan on gifting the plushie, I can delay posting the video if you wish.

Can I make a video request?

Sure! There are a few ways you can do that. You can just leave a comment on any of my videos and I may see it. You can also join my Patreon where I hold polls and you will be mentioned at the end of each of my videos. You can have early access to my videos on Patreon!