Plushie Fabric?

[arachnophile.livejournal.com]

Hey, everyone. It just occurred to me that I'd never posted any kind of intro, but have replied to a bunch of posts. Heh, sorry 'bout that.

A little about me, in case you were curious: I've always done a lot of "crafty" stuff so I dunno what to say...mostly designing things for my apartment or whatever, and making assortments of goodies for whatever purpose arises. I noticed that way back in March I intro'd myself in a different community babbling about all of the projects I was working on at the time...and as it turns out, I'm ~still~ working on them. *rolls eyes* Mostly refinishing furniture and redocorating my apartment.

Anyway, I have the intent of starting my own business (one of these years, whenever I get around to it)...but I must first learn to sew significantly better than I'm capable of right now. Yup, that's the catch. ;) And now, of course, I'm getting distracted with all kinds of other little projects to attempt (making xmas presents, for one).

My question - Where do you guys find materials for making plushies/stuffed animals? I have a Hancock up the street from me, but their selection leaves little to be desired, and I haven't had much luck elsewhere. I've even tried searching online, but I'm not sure what to look for (what would that be called?). I'm looking for the nice fluffy stuff that is used to make high-quality babies'/childrens stuffed animals.

I'm not entirely certain, but it may legally need to be flame-retardant. If I'm not mistaken, babies' sleepwear and bedding needs to be, but I've yet to find more specific information regarding the manufacturing and selling of baby merchandise.

If anyone has any knowledge in this area (laws of baby stuff and/or plushie material) or know of any sites that might help me, I'd appreciate it.

(BTW, I did search in the FAQ, but it didn't help.)

Thanks.