Smile Crocodile

I finally finished the crocodile which I was aiming to make for this time last year!

I don’t have a nickname for this one. I must admit I think he turned out rather cute. The pattern used is Crocodile Steve from Funky Friends Factory. All the fabrics for this toy came from my stash. The mosaic tile fabric reminded me of the cracks you see on a crocodile’s skin so I had to use that for the top of him. From memory I think it is a Michael Miller fabric which probably explains why I like it a lot (I’m a Michael Miller fan) The fabric used for the underside of this toy is the same fabric as his spines.

The wool felt used on the face is also from my stash. I made the teeth section last year when if first started work on this toy. Just prior to packing away my felt I pulled out a couple of pieces to make eyes for toys. I wasn’t really thinking about the colours I picked so perhaps maybe I should have chosen a different colour blue. For the eyes I normally use black floss but blue was all I had still left out so he became a blue eyed crocodile. My only other option was red but I thought that would make him look a bit crazy.

I have said it before I do like Funky Friend Factory patterns but they can be a little bit difficult to construct. The patterns have all the instructions but there isn’t too many photos so it is more wordy. The pattern might be sew piece D to piece H. You need to really clearly label all your pieces otherwise you will have trouble even on a more simple toy. I mentioned I started this toy last year making the scales, the embroidery for the teeth and cutting out all the other pieces. My mind is having a blank I think I again attempted him before Christmas and I stitched the wrong leg pieces together and clipped the seams but didn’t notice it until I started sewing him again in March and the pieces didn’t match up when I attempted the next section. In the end I had to recut some of the pieces again and made sure I labelled them correctly. With the new pieces and reading the instructions carefully I was able to finish him. I hand basted nearly every step particularly curves or when I assembling different sections together which wasn’t part of the pattern instructions. It did take longer but it meant I wasn’t missing parts of the seam and having to go back and redo sections too many times.

After I finished stuffing him I noticed a very minor hole on his leg which I must have nicked with my scissors. I pinched the section around it together and slip stitched it closed so it looks like an extra dart on his leg.

I had a few dramas with this one but I am glad I was finally able to do him. He turned out rather snappy!

Cassiy

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Cat Toy Footballs

I’m not crazy cat lady but I have made toys for cats for Christmas!

I used the same football pattern that I had made previously. These are just basic stuffed amigurumi toys or in simpler terms just crocheted toys. I didn’t put any catnip in them as I didn’t have any. If I decide to make more cat toys I might get some catnip to put in with the stuffing. The yarn I used was Stylecraft Special DK. It is an acrylic yarn but I like working with it as it so soft.

These never actually started out as cat toys. I started the first ball in November last year when I went up north to my friends place for a couple of days with the intention of them being a kids gift this year  I came home put the project bag down and never got around to finishing them. Whilst clearing up my spare room I came across the project bag and guess what was in the bag my missing 3mm crochet hook! Instead of wasting the half finished ball I decided to finish it. Just like human kids no one likes to share their toys so I had to make a 2nd one.

 

These toys are for my knitting helpers that I had when I was working on B’s Birthday socks in January. For cats that aren’t used to being around yarn (my friend isn’t crafty) they were really well behaved both times I was up there working with my yarn around them.

Feeling good after making these. It is a fun pattern and I’m glad my original toy didn’t go to waste.

Cassiy

Cloth Books – Prep

This year I’m going to make 2 cloth books as gifts for a 2 year old. I have made cloth books a few times before, they are a great gift to give toddlers as they can’t rip the pages and it doesn’t matter if they chew on them. Over this Easter weekend one of the tasks on my “todo” list was to make a start on them.

In the past I have followed patterns to make them but this time I’m just making everything up. They are really easy to do without a pattern. For my pages this time I’m using white calico with a piece of sew in medium interfacing behind each one. In the past to stablise the back the pages I have used different vlieseline products, I have a roll of sew in interfacing now so I just used that as it isn’t too thick. I cut my pages 9.5″ x 10.5″ it will give me a nice size book, perfect for small hands. On the sewing machine I have tacked each page and lining piece together. I used the basting stitch setting which is probably a stitch length of 5 on my MC 11000 as I know that is the longest stitch length that I can do. I will remove the basting stitches after I finish each page.

The books I am making are colours and numbers. I used my sizzix cutting machine to cut all the pieces out of wool felt. I just realised that I never cut the pieces needed for the 2 front covers but I will do those pages at the end and will cut more. One of the cutting dies I have is numbers but I will trim some of those as they have a curved shape at the end of them and I don’t like that look. On the colours book I will free hand write the colour and embroider of over. I will hand sew all the pieces on to the pages. I don’t need these books until August so I have given myself plenty of hand sewing time to do it, mindless tv work so easy to do. Now that I have sorted my embroidery threads it will be easier to find the colours I need too!

Cassiy

Daniella Aka Polly

I mentioned in a previous post that I was going to make another version of my go to softie dolly pattern… Introducing Daniella

Once again the pattern I used was Polly from The Big Book of Sofites. Polly is a really simple cloth doll pattern. Polly is a great doll to make from stash as you don’t need that much fabric to make her. As she doesn’t having any choking pieces this toy is great for a child under the age of 3. The only thing I needed to buy to make this doll was the yellow wool felt for the hair, all other fabrics used were from my stash. For this doll I have used the same fabrics on all the limbs but I have made other versions where the arms were different fabrics from the legs, this is can easily be made from scraps. The face is hand embroidered and I hand stitched it to the head with just regular embroidery floss.

This time on the back I decided to put the yellow felt on the back like hair, the original pattern has the back area plain. The child I am making this for has blonde hair so I wanted her doll to match. I made the hair piece a little shorter than the entire head piece as I wanted it to stand out as hair. I just did a row of hand stitching with embroidery floss to hold it down, the top section is just stitched into the regular seam allowance. I must point out that I make this doll a little larger than the pattern, I had length to the head and body sections and make the arms and legs slightly bigger. I just like the look of the slightly bigger doll. I am really happy with the main body section as I cut the pieces so that the stripes would continue the same way and line up at the sides and bottom. Little details that I know are there but aren’t that important. As you can see from the way she is sitting her limbs are fully flexible so she is perfect for cuddling.

Little bit sad now I don’t have anymore kids to make Polly for now, I think each family I make toys for has a Polly in their toy box.

Cassiy

Moo Owl

Introducing Miss Moo Owl

Miss Moo Owl is done using the same pattern that I used twice last year to make the doorstop and the owl softie. She is actually for the same child who got the softie last year but is still obsessed with owls. This year I decided to add eyebrows and used some pompom trim that I hand stitched in place. This trim is great for eyebrows so I must invest in more of it. She needed something on her lower body so I created a skirt by sewing on row after row of ric rac with the sewing machine. This year she got a mouth. This toy is made entirely out of fabric scraps and trims from my stash.

Looking at the 2 softie versions of this toy they look completely different. It was a spur of the moment decision to make this owl. I had limited time so I wanted a pattern that I knew and was comfortable with. It is the same basic shape I’ve just embellished it differently. It made me stop and think of how to use the materials I had on hand to create a different look. During the ASG photo challenge I said I wanted to start using trims more well I have on this project. Simple bits of trim has really made the difference.

Blueberry

Introducing Blueberry.

He’s from Make Your Own Soft Toys. The pattern is called Ruby the Dachshund but you can see why I’ve called him Blueberry. Once again I didn’t construct the toy to the full pattern instructions. I attached the limbs differently. I sewed the limbs and ears on using dental floss so the thread would be a bit stronger. The eyes are also different to the pattern. I made the pom pom nose and am really happy with how it turned out.

This is my last Christmas gift for 2013. I completed him on Friday 13th. I’ve set a new record for getting Christmas gifts completed now.