We've got a really BIG problem!

I can't stop making these cute little stuffed toys! After making Cat from the TV show Peg + Cat, I decided he needed his friend. So I have embarked on a journey to make Peg. Here are some shots of what I gotten so far. I am using felt (recycled!) instead of flannel, and yarn for her hair. 

My materials.

The head without stuffing. 

For her hat.

Tada!

The basic shapes. 

I love the googly eyes but they are not the right ones to survive a child's attention and love. I will continue ton earch because these would be perfect for Peg. 

Her mouth is easy to draw, and I used fabric markers. I may end up going for a sheet of black felt to make the mouth and glue it on instead. 

I found an amazing tutorial on Pinterest, which suggests using pins to hold down and thread yarn for hair. This is a shot of me employing this method. After you have some pinned, you sew it on. 

I didn't have any matching thread, but I had some embroidery thread which was close enough. I thought I had orange thread lying around but I guess I was wrong. Stay tuned as I continue to put her together. I am pretty happy with her she's turned out so far.

Finished!

I hate doing gathers and the sleeves required so much of them. The thread kept breaking or I got it wrong and needed to redo it. But here is the finished product:

I need to sew the ribbon to the sleeves. 

Overall, I am quite pleased. It turned out to be the right size and fit fairly well. I did hem the skirt a lot shorter than the pattern suggested and I am very glad I did! 

Peg + Cat stuffed Cat

I happen to enjoy most of the PBS Kids shows, such as Martha Speaks and the new Peg + Cat. I intend to make a Peg eventually, but for now I have made Cat. I will have to make another because my daughter  really likes this one. 

He is made out of a soft flannel material my mother-in-law gave me which happened to be the same colors I needed (it was meant to be!). I stuffed him with batting, and made a fabric bag for rice and stuffed that in the bottom. 

 I glued his ears together since I cut four triangles in the hopes they would sew easily, but I was let down. Still, this method worked. 

 Next time I am sewing this on prior to stuffing the tail so it looks better. 

Closing up the bottom. 

His arms are on and his features are marked. I wasn't ready to use embroidery thread because I don't actually know how, but I made due. I used glitter paint for the mouth and cotton batting doubled up and dotted with fabric marker for the eyes. 

I am extremely proud of how this little guy turned out. True, he is a bit lopsided and as it is true with all of my sewing projects, I learned a lot on the first time around. The next one will come out much better I believe, and that one will go to my daughter. I plan to attach Velcro to close up the bottom so the rice packet and stuffing can be removed in case of washing. Let's face it, kids are messy.

So what do you think? What are some of your favorite cartoon characters that you have made into a stuffed animal?

Hi ho, hi ho!

I went in search of a dress pattern and some nice damask fabric for the skirt of said dress, but had not so good results. It happens a handsy toddler boy in a stroller kept pulling fabric off the shelves and made my visit difficult. I couldn't concentrate because my son wanted to touch every fabric. But I did manage to come across an unexpected deal and that turned my trip to the fabric store into a quest for Snow White. 

$3 per yard yellow taffeta, $4.79 a yard dark blue charmeuse, and a light blue taffeta for $9.99 a yard (ouch!) make a lovely match for a dress!

I had some gold rickrack from some scraps my husband had bought a yard sale. It really came in handy today. 

Iron on interfacing makes the collar stiffer. 

I didn't have red, and as I mentioned, my son was grabbing everything so I had little time to think. But pink looks just as nice. 

This is as far as I've gotten today. The dress will be too big for my daughter because she is quite small. Even this pattern sized at 2-3 is too big. But I'll make adjustments and go with the flow. 

Otherwise, all that is left is the sleeves need to be sewn on and gathered. Can I say how annoying gathering is?

So all told, zipper and fabric, (interfacing and lace I had at home, but could run an extra $5) cost me $10.73 plus tax. That's with $3 yellow taffeta! I think I'd like to get the proper amount of fabric for the sleeves if I ever make another of these. I bought 1/4 yard but probably needed 1/3. 

Here is a picture of the pattern I was following.

Don't have time to go to the store and search through patterns? Check the McCalls, Simplicity, or Butterick websites. They usually charge about $4 shipping and most patterns are only $4. Also another brand which seems pretty neat is New Look. A lot of these brands are owned by the same company, but they still offer diversity. Haven't used patterns before? I'm proof they can be used to make anything. Just take your time and breathe! I also allow an entire night just for cutting and organizing the pattern pieces and if I'm lucky I'll have time to cut the fabric too. 

Happy sewing!

Sew, sew my darling!

I made so many things recently, and I have so many more I'd like to tackle! I wish someone would pay me to make things for myself and my family!

These are a few things I have been doing. 

Princess Anna's dress (which turned out to be too big for my daughter because she's a size 2/3 and the pattern was for 3/4).

I added some bias tape to hide the bottom hem. I didn't feel up to putting a proper hem on this one since it was mostly created as a play dress. 

This is my tiny girl wearing her new dress. I tied something around her waist to hold it up for the photos, but it will need to be taken in considerably. I didn't add the appliqués because I'm planning to make a real heavy weight dress for Halloween (and a matching cape like in the movie). 

I also adjusted the top. Instead of long sleeves, I just made some straps. Once I manage to take the dress in I will post a final photo of it. 

Here is a clutch I made from the leftover fabric from the car parts for my husband. I made this in maybe ten minutes and it was super easy.

I didn't put much emphasis on adding a lining because it was more a prototype than anything. I do have to say I love this and am now sketching ideas for another purse or wallet. Sewing is addictive! 

Next will be a pencil roll for my colored pencils because I am tired of having them rolling around my house. I also need a better place to store my pastels so that's in the making. 

What are you working on?

Car restoration?

My husband ask me recently if I'd remake his shifter boot and emergency brake case. 

It was a fairly simple task and completely new to me. Here are some shots of the old ones. 

And here is a mix of action shots of me sewing the new items together along with the finished products. 

Happy to be finished! I am thankful for hot glue because it really helped keep the hardware in place, and when my machine decided to be obnoxious, it helped add the final pieces to the emergency brake cover.