Sew Soon?!

In July, there will be another plushie swap on Facebook (Plushie Swap Group).
The theme is Stars and Stripes.
Because I like to think of my self as an over-achiever when a project is due, I like to get started right away -plus, if I do something and I don't like how it turns out, there is always time to change it.

The above picture is of a ballerina cavegirl.
She is yet to be named.
Over a foot in height and arm span, she is great for cuddling.
I am unsure about if I *really* like her.
My boyfriend's friend said it was neat looking.
My boyfriend said it looks like it was designed by a 2 year old.
My response: WELCOME TO MY IMAGINATION!!

The one thing I really like about her though is her skirt. Pink silkish material. The middle is pulled taught and there's another layer under it. It reminds me of a skirt from the Victorian age..but a tad bit more modern.

I was trying to stay away from the typical Stars and Stripes -as swap day is July 4th (and I'm Canadian).
The only stars and stripes currently popping into my head is the USA flag.
I shall keep thinking of something else, if nothing else to keep me making things...

...but if not, I hope someone likes .

Spring has sprung

I have not done anything crafty in a while, so I took 2 hours to make a Flora. I sewed her by hand while watching Neflix. Go me.
I feel like something is missing, aside from her neck.
I know she does not have a mouth, but that is only because I feel like eyes say everything. Even in things I draw, no mouths.

A Whole Lotta Crafting Going on

I have been busy, but I've not been busy.
I've recently started working 4 10 hour days a week, which gives me 3 days off. In those 3 days, I get things that needed doing done -but I would like to continue finding time to craft and make things.
While bouncing around Ravelry, I came along the pattern for Gorge The Monster. Seeing how amazing the original looked, I HAD to make one.

Like all the other things made from a pattern, compared to mine...the original always looks MUCH better. I love mine...as long as I don't look at Gorge1 too much.
The same night last week that I made the monster above, I decided to work on a friend's birthday present.
I made her a monster that has a friend. The little friend is a little seed of Happiness. Happiness is made for sharing.

The same awesome friend that is getting a small bit of Happiness will be recieving a Ponyo doll.

Along with crocheting, today Riana and I made bubble tea and little birds.
After everything was cut out and we were starting to sew did I realize something weird. Our colour choices matched the colour of shirts we were wearing. In the words of Riana "If we were going to do a totally *girl* thing, today is it. Colour co-ordinating our crafts".
The pattern for the birds has them made in printed fabric which has a different feel to it than what we used -felt.

Its a girl....

I can't seem to crochet without having someone or something implanted into my head.
I decided to make my friend Marie her very own "Marie" doll, based on her.
She is 6.5 inches of adorable.
I had nothing better to do on a lazy Sunday, so yesterday I made the base. Today, I tackled dressing her.
Upon attempting to make a shirt, I know I made the bust a teeeeny bit too big. She just keeps popping out all over the place.
I settled on a tank top, after my attempt at a tiny hoodie failed.
I knew I wanted to give her tiny flipflops and capri jeans, so the tank seems like it just goes.
I don't see the Real Marie in animal print, so this just adds the little bit of fun, flirty confidence -along with the feminine touch of a bow in the back belt.

Doll Marie was super fun to make. I wonder who else I could make. I know if I try to make myself, she will get wrecked. That tends to happen when I make something for myself.
I like to give what I make away...so this works out fabulously.

It's almost Christmas, so maybe summer dressed Marie will hang out in the green house with the plants to stay warm --and safe from the kitties until Real Marie flys into town in less than a month.

...who or what should I make next!?

In like a lion

My friends birthday is coming up. She likes lions. I wanted to make her a lion stuffed animal, but whatever I tried never seemed to work.
I was talking to another friend -the one who the giraffe is for- and came up with the idea for a pillow.
The friend recieving the pillow, has a small girl, so everything is double sewed on.
Please excuse the fugly couch and the paintball mask to the side.

On the flower front, I think fertilizing the lilies "might" have worked. One ovary seems to be larger than all the others and not shrivelling up in the heat.

One Two Cha Cha Cha

I ended the last post with hats, so let's start this one with hats.
The other one was too small for myself, too small for Tesah. I put bells in the ears, so it's like a toy on it's own. She put it on her rocking horse! Giddey-UP!
I bought new yarn, altered the pattern, and made my own hat. It turned out very warrior like [mine is the one with the teeth].


Since then, I have made 2 other hats, to be sent to friends across the pond.



My mums birthday is coming up. I made her a dragon of her very own. A pink dragon with very gauche eyelashes!5.5 hours of hand sewing -the machine kept trying to vomit the bobbin. The dragon can also be seen on this blog. Yes, I submitted her myself, but shh!


Our garden is coming along. Some tomatoes are turning red already! Hurrah!


The flowers have lost most of their beauty due to the heat and the rain, but I am still seed collecting. I am trying to hybrid my lilies. They look like aliens, what with the foil over their stamens. It will either work, or not work.

Dont Look A Gift Giraffe In The Mouth

Previously, I said I was going to try to make a giraffe. Well, I tried.
She reminds me of a child's rendition of a giraffe.
Hand-sewn from my own imagination. Large cartoon-y eye. A horn and an ear. A blush of pink for the added adorable-ness, and even a heart shaped spot.

She will be going to a friend of mine for her birthday next month. Hopefully, she will be loved.
I will need to work on making a lion for another friend. The lion will have to be more child-friendly.
The giraffe has a large bead for an eye and her spots and cheek are glued on.
I will have to ponder...

...I don't think I can write anymore. I am starved and need to clean up the fabric explosion around me.

Happy Friday

Trial and Error

A friend of mine wanted me to make a dog, doberman, for her friend's birthday. I dont have my own dog patterns, and I couldnt really find some online. I did however find this pattern.
It was for a jack russel. There were no real instructions, but if you know how to sew, you can figure it out.
I am guessing I dont know how to sew.
The pattern was easy to do...converting it from a jack russel to a doberman didn't really seem to work out.
This pup measures 3 inches by 2 inches tall.
My friend requested something small and cute.
We shall see...there's still a month until her friends birthday if she doesnt like it.

Witch ya want?

My friend over at Diary Of A Bald Girl and I are going to do a doll trade. Once something comes up, if I have the materials, I have to start right away. I was going to use the patterns from the dress I was going to make, but I lent those out to a friend to scale down for me. Impatient, I decided to try to make my own doll pattern without the dress.
I tried to make her "modern" and fun.
I have never made a doll before [it was easy-peasy]. The hardest part was trying to figure out the shoes.
Hopefully she will be loved.




Made from: felt, safety eyes, shell necklace bits, poly-fil, yarn

Lola The Dragon

When you were small, did you ever want a pet dragon? Did you love Pete's Dragon? Puff The Magic Dragon? Dudley the Dragon? or even Dragon from Shrek!?
I did. My older brother got a stuffed Puff, and I got something else -what, I cannot remember. I am thinking Puff was my version of Brown Bear. The toy we got when we were born. As I am 50% sure of this, I am sticking to it. I loved Brown Bear then, and I still love her now, she's almost 24 years old and still makes me smile....
...anyway, back to dragons!
I have a Twitter account. Laugh away.
Done now? OK!
I have a Twitter account and have some amazingly creative people on it.
I came upon Mariska Vos-Bolman and her Fluffels, through Shanalogic's tweets.
Mariska put up a SUPERsuper darling pattern that I fell hard for.
With my misplaced understanding, I thought the pattern was $15 once converted into Canadian funds. A good friend told me that I was wrong, and it was only $9.
Even though Yoki was tugging my heart strings, $15 seemed steep. $9 seemed more reasonable.
I hopped onto my PayPal and purchased the pattern. Shhh..I am supposed to be saving money, but I figured "what the hey!".
Since the pattern was a .pdf and sent to my computer, I had it in just mere minutes. I was excited.
Once I looked at the pattern, it seemed semi-hard. It called for an "advanced skill level". I like to sew, but I dont think I would consider myself "advanced". More of a dabbler.
I still decided to go for it. If I couldn't do it, I would have pushed myself and made something amusing at least.

Today I decided to cut the patterns out and do it! The file had only been on my computer for 3 days. That's a long time to be in pre-birth. I've had no real human babies, but even I know this!
I traced my pattern pieces onto the green felt. I was hoping for hot pink and purple and something lushiously girly..but without spending money and venturing to FabricLand, I used what I had. I am proud of my "thriftiness".

From start to end, Lola only took 7 hours of straight hand sewing. I have a sewing machine, but I like to do things the hard way. I wanted to see how long it would take, how it would turn out, and if I could do it.
This is just proof that if a pattern say "sewing machine", you dont really have to use one. Yes, it would be quicker and probably much neater...but it's only a suggestion. I even tried to add some details to the wings...but I think I needed darker thread or more overlapping.

There were some things I am not too happy about, but she is adorable.
The hands were kind of tricky, her ears are not straight -lets pretend she's listening for danger, her under-belly didn't have enough fabric (but that was an easy fix), I had no batting, so I just stuffed her wings, and no embroidery thread for designs on her belly or tail.
As much as I don't like the list above. I am still VERY proud. She is on my lap as I type, and is making me smile.
Bandit is on the other half of my lap.

Bandit and Pandora were both 'helping' me make her while I was tracing and cutting fabric.

While sewing I was watching LIFE on the Discovery channel. The boyfriend and his friend decided to play Halo Wars, so I mosied over to my computer and started to watch Pushing Daisies. Let me tell you, if you like dark humour and 30min TV series..check it out!

Anyway, speaking of Pushing Daisies, I am going to make more tea and get back to watching.

To see what I'm talking about, I highly suggest seeing these two sites...
Mariska's Fluffels
Shana Logic



The End...for today

Once there was a little girl...

...who found that if she picked up a needle and thread she could make impossible things come to life.


A good friend of mine sent me a package. In it was a CUTE crocheted fox and other goodies. I am sending her a crocheted JiJi from Kikis Delivery Service, a crocheted sunhat, and a small plush riceball. I think all people who sew have made a riceball at least once...there seem to be alot of them on the internet. For the shape of mine, I traced my riceball shaper. It's the real size, so hopefully the real shape too.
I liked making the first one, I decided to make another one too. I have to drop off a Get Well card for a friend's mum. I made her her own riceball too.
I am hoping my embroidery is getting better!


While I was in the spare room today, I found my dress making patterns for a costume I never made. There are like Alice in Wonderland, Snow White, etc.
I have an abunance of white felt..and black...and black that looks plastic.
Perhaps I will make a cute stylish witch!
Only time and talent will tell.


Sing with me now...Sew Sew Sew Your Boat....

If I use you more, will you stop shedding?

Dear Faux Fur,
It's me again, if I use you more, will you please stop shedding everywhere?!
Thank you very much.
-Annie

Once again I have picked up a needle and cracked the lid of my fake fur and fleece bins.
I think I am putting off making big ellaborate PlushKins for the time being. I am liking the simplicity of their babies. The larger ones look boring when they're plain -I've tried it.
The little guys also take way less time to complete. The 12 inch, handsewn, take about 8+ hours. 20mins-an hour for the smalls [depending on if I am doing other things]. I hope this is not diminishing the cute factor.
I am once again thinking of making a bunch of the Teenies and selling them at The Women's Art Festival this August. The larger PlushKins would be on the table too.

I am waiting for my Moo cards to come in. I sent off an order for MiniMoos. 100 cards with random images of my sewn glories.
I'm going to go off now and see what I can make with the horrible long red fake fur. I liked it when I bought it..and than I used it...

A little bit of everything.

I am still sewing, knitting, and now crocheting.
I have a little bit of everything going on all at once.
I guess it will be easiest if I put up a picture and explain a little bit about it.
However, before I go ahead with that I would like to introduce my new friend Ditzy.

Ditzy came all the way from England. She is made with love by a very nice woman, and I would like to say my new friend, Louise [aka Odd Sox].
The tutu is removable, on her chest is a VERY cute pink skull with button eyes.
If you're looking for a unique gift for someone, I suggest stopping in and sending her a message. You will not regret it.

Crocheting

I have taken up crocheting, and above you will see the first thing I have made without the use of a pattern -minus the hair.
You can see the full list of my yarn projects on my flickr page.
One thing about crocheting is it's *addictive*. I couldn't do it, well, I thought I couldn't do it. Than I tried. I do not think I have the patience to make a large scale project like a blanket or clothing. I am in love with making amigurumi though -japanese crocheting. I love the little toys and dolls all around me.
However, my next project will be Mary Jane slippers in soft sparkly black! :D
flickr

Sewing

This is Midge. She was a quick job, but I love her. I think more of her kind will be showing up around the place.
She loves to help in the garden. Just in time for growing season.
Just as I have not forgotten about my faux fur, I have not forgotten about my sock sewing.

Smoo loves to ride around on the house pets. She thinks she's a genie.

...
I will try to do better about blogging about my creations.
Even if noone reads, it helps to keep in practice about talking about things that I have made.
Now, back away from the keys and pick up a broom...It's Spring...back to cleaning I shall go!
Feel free to leave a comment and follow along on my little adventures!