For all you DIY lovers - here is how to make your own pair of MOGU sleeves! If you don't yet know what these are, check out the story at indiegogo. If you are a fan of free, outdoor physical play - you will love these.
I have tried quite a few different materials, and suggest following:
- Go with lite materials, because 1. they fly better, 2. kids will get hot wearing them. Yet, not too lite, since they will need to indure a lot! But when choosing where the line between the two is, rather choose lite than durable - trust me on this one.
- Find something that feels good to touch. All sensory experiences contribute to the play experience.
- Choose bright colors. Visual experience plays an important role. If you have several kids playing with sleeves in different colors, it's festive.
We are using a muslin blend. Not all natural, but soft on the skin. Cotton is a bit too soft - falls more that it flies. Linen a bit too heavy. Satin too sensitive even when it's heavy. Silk is too expensive. Tulle gives an interesting result - but has a synthetic feel. I am hoping to go with some silk-cotton blend in the future if we can afford it.
Once you have chosen a material, the rest is simple! :D
Naturally I encourage reuse of materials. Turning an old dress you don't ware any more into a pair of sleeves perhaps? We couldn't do this for serial production, but I can't wait to see your creations!
Once you have this rectangle - you make a cut down the middle of each side - about 16in (40cm). This will form two ribbons at each end - that you will use to tie the sleeves together when they are worn. Do the same thing at both ends, so it doesn't matter how you turn them when you put them on. And the side that is left free to fly, also flies more nicely when it's split like this.
Now for one important detail! When you sew the two longer sides together to form a tube - that is the sleeve - leave about 20in (50cm) free at both ends. Or, about 4in (10cm) - longer than how long you made the first cut (mark A on the scheme). Why is this important? The side where the suture is will be down and go under the armpit. The other side, where we made the first cut, will go on the shoulder. This way the sleeves will rest on the shoulders. If you make both cuts - upper, and lower - the same length, sleeves will fall of the shoulders. Hope I explained this clearly. It is simple, but easy to miss.
Once you connected the longer sides together - sleeves are formed - and all you need to do is hem all the edges. If you use tulle, or another material that doesn't need hems, you are done!
However! If you do need to hem the edges - you will run into a tricky spot, at the end of the first (shorter) cut. We solved this by sewing over this corner on the back side. See picture below. You get a very nice and tidy end this way.
Now that the sleeves are done, you can get some fabric colors and decorate them together with your kids. Or add some ribbons at the ends. Ribbons can be good at both ends, for both tying and flying! Our first prototypes had ribbons - you can see them on MOGU toys facebook page. Be creative, explore, and send us images your creations. I will share them on the blog. I would also love to hear your opinion on the MOGU sleeves, as an idea, once you give them a try.
If you like the idea of MOGU sleeves, or if you would rather buy a pair than make one, visit us at indiegogo. Campaign is running for only 18 days more, and if you get on board now, you can get your MOGU sleeves by Christmas.
Happy sewing! And happy playing! Get back to us when you give them a try - your feedback is priceless!
Thank you!
Material choice
- Go with lite materials, because 1. they fly better, 2. kids will get hot wearing them. Yet, not too lite, since they will need to indure a lot! But when choosing where the line between the two is, rather choose lite than durable - trust me on this one.
- Find something that feels good to touch. All sensory experiences contribute to the play experience.
- Choose bright colors. Visual experience plays an important role. If you have several kids playing with sleeves in different colors, it's festive.
We are using a muslin blend. Not all natural, but soft on the skin. Cotton is a bit too soft - falls more that it flies. Linen a bit too heavy. Satin too sensitive even when it's heavy. Silk is too expensive. Tulle gives an interesting result - but has a synthetic feel. I am hoping to go with some silk-cotton blend in the future if we can afford it.
Once you have chosen a material, the rest is simple! :D
Naturally I encourage reuse of materials. Turning an old dress you don't ware any more into a pair of sleeves perhaps? We couldn't do this for serial production, but I can't wait to see your creations!
Size and cut
Cut is very simple. It is a plain rectangle - longer side will be the length of the sleeves, and the shorter side is double of how wide they will be. Recomendation: size 63 x 18 in (160 x 46 cm) fits most kids from 4 to 6
years old - and for parents 80 x 18 in (200 x 46 cm) is ok.
All straight lines, so you might not even need to cut it - depending on
your choice of material, you can just tear it to peaces! And I recommend
tearing because it's a lot of fun :)
Now for one important detail! When you sew the two longer sides together to form a tube - that is the sleeve - leave about 20in (50cm) free at both ends. Or, about 4in (10cm) - longer than how long you made the first cut (mark A on the scheme). Why is this important? The side where the suture is will be down and go under the armpit. The other side, where we made the first cut, will go on the shoulder. This way the sleeves will rest on the shoulders. If you make both cuts - upper, and lower - the same length, sleeves will fall of the shoulders. Hope I explained this clearly. It is simple, but easy to miss.
Once you connected the longer sides together - sleeves are formed - and all you need to do is hem all the edges. If you use tulle, or another material that doesn't need hems, you are done!
However! If you do need to hem the edges - you will run into a tricky spot, at the end of the first (shorter) cut. We solved this by sewing over this corner on the back side. See picture below. You get a very nice and tidy end this way.
Now that the sleeves are done, you can get some fabric colors and decorate them together with your kids. Or add some ribbons at the ends. Ribbons can be good at both ends, for both tying and flying! Our first prototypes had ribbons - you can see them on MOGU toys facebook page. Be creative, explore, and send us images your creations. I will share them on the blog. I would also love to hear your opinion on the MOGU sleeves, as an idea, once you give them a try.
If you like the idea of MOGU sleeves, or if you would rather buy a pair than make one, visit us at indiegogo. Campaign is running for only 18 days more, and if you get on board now, you can get your MOGU sleeves by Christmas.
Happy sewing! And happy playing! Get back to us when you give them a try - your feedback is priceless!
Thank you!
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