Inspiration from Mother Nature

I just had to share a couple photos of our beautiful night-blooming cereus buds. We've gotten about one bloom per year for the past three summers, but this year, we had a bloom in August (which, dang it, I missed) and now twin blooms this past week. They are the most fragrant blossoms I've ever experienced, and only open up around 11pm. By morning, they are closing (or, in this case, were completely closed by 7am). Aren't they lovely?

New fabric to love

I found yet another fabric line I'm in love with, and I just ordered 8 fat quarters for dolls. It's a FreeSpirit line from designer Erin McMorris called Park Slope -- so cute! It's very whimsical and bright, and I just love the purples and oranges together. The teal, too! I'm already designing dolls in my head using this stuff; I can't wait to get it in the mailbox ... woo hoo! We have a couple swatches from this line that Miss E has in her stash, but it will be fabulous to spread out some bigger pieces and match them up.

The official link doesn't really do the fabric justice, so also check out fabricworm on Etsy, where I got mine. She has some excellent bundles of Park Slope, showing how awesome they look together. I love her logo, too ...

Trudy the Owl

Poor Trudy ... She sat in pieces for at least a week, being assembled in and around other projects. She's a very long-legged owl, inspired by the multitude of owls I've seen lately. Miss E has a new fall shirt with an owl embroidered on it, new PJs with a mama and baby owl duo (I must make some like them!), and owls everywhere I look. We saw two in the latest Pottery Barn Kids catalog and I couldn't take it anymore; I had to make one for myself! I tried a few new techniques and combinations, making her quite the glitzy little lady. She has some pink rick-rack, pink pom-poms (excellent for helping toddlers fiddle to sleep), a cute pink flannel fabric we found in the remnant bin at Jo-Ann. The ears are a bit off kilter; I was studying an owl in the bird book today and have lots more ideas. However, they, too, provide a great tool for toddlers who love to twiddle as they fall asleep ... and Miss E is delighted with her. She has lugged her to several stores already, and made sure that she and Aunt Hooty went for a stroller ride together right away.

I also tried out some embroidery, but I think I have a long way to go. Cheap(er) floss is definitely NOT a good way to go, I've learned. And I was going to rip out the French knots on her, but Miss E said she wanted to keep them. Not sure they really add anything to the pattern, but they are a nice texture, I guess, for those who are into that. (Said toddler being one of "them.")

Monster Pirate

Happy Birthday, Mr. Tickle ...
Happy Birthday, Mr. Tickle ...
Happy Birthday, Mr. Tickle ...
Happy Birthday to you!

Yup, it's Mr. Tickle's official birthday, so he had better open his gift. If he sneaks a peak on the web as his mommy is looking, well, too bad. So happy #4, Mr. Tickle!

Okay, he really does rock the boat, doesn't he? Meet Monster Pirate. Ready to battle any mischievous monsters that lurk under beds, in closets, and down dark hallways. This guy will save the day. Rough, tough and ... made for snuggling.

Best part? He has a mini me in his back pocket. Just in case there are any itty bitty monsters lurking in really SMALL places. Send in the little dude and he can expunge the minis.

Let's see ... what's there to love about this duo? For starters, that Alexander Henry Baddanna fabric (both the red and the black) just screams angry pirate, but in a kid-friendly-enough way. Even Miss E loves it. And the charcoal skulls (also AH fabric) were a must-have. Mix that with some black polka-dots and you've got a great start.

I was satisfied with his pirate pants, but they are definitely not my best work. In fact, until he was fully done, I was ready to discard them! I had to mish-mash a vest together; regular vest patterns don't fit a flat monster. I doubled the fabric for the front part so that the skulls were always present, even when flapping in the breeze. He does look awesome without clothes, and that's good because even the craziest monsters prefer to be nekked sometimes.

His belt and sword are a monster pirate necessity, with or without his pants. Lucky for him, the sword (in felt) slides quickly in and out of the belt due to a nice ribbon loop.

Oh, and the teeth! I've seen a few other monsters running around with great fangs, and I had to try it. With some random, crazed sewing, they don't look half bad. (Don't consult a dentist for a second opinion!)

Ah, and for grins, I made Mr. Tickle a matching baddanna of his own, so he and Monster Pirate and Mini Monster Pirate can all coordinate while battling evil monsters. Cool, huh? ;)

Fairy

Miss E has this really cute growth chart behind the door in her bedroom, and every time I look at it, I want to smile. It has three adorable little fairies on it, and each has a pretty floral dress and gingham wings. I've been wanting to create little plushies like them, so last night, I took an hour or two to get one started and then finished her up this evening.

As prototypes go, there are things I'll do differently next time, but I think the pattern is a keeper. I started with the pattern I've been using for the dolls like Chloe, reduced it 60%, tweaked the hair (next will have longer hair) and added some butterfly wings. Wings were a bit of a challenge, so Miss E has the first one to play with. I decided to leave them to fray, much like the bits and pieces of fabric on the front of her dress. The wings are made from muslin and lined with flannel, making them incredibly soft yet stiff enough to stand out. Her dress has a little collar and pockets (sorry, fake) to match her sleeves; the last little bits of that gorgeous Amy Butler Gothic Rose. (I really might have to get more. Love it.)

I practiced my embroidery on the face, and it's not half bad. I'm signed up for an embroidery class in early October (yippee!), hoping to improve my doll faces. I've got at least 20 faces sketched out to try as I go, but Miss E loves the sleepy smiley look on this little fairy. She makes me smile just looking at her.

She's tiny -- maybe 7 or 8 inches, head to toe, at most. I should measure her, but she's currently sleeping in Miss E's arms, so that is not possible. Turns out, she and Chloe are BFFs, and both are being hugged tonight. I wasn't sure how the small size would be for a toddler, but she seems to just adore the tiny size, so it's a hit! I like the size because it's easy for her to carry around, and small enough that I can stash her in my purse if Miss E gets tired of carrying her. I was toying with the idea of calling them Pocket Fairies, but haven't researched to see if anyone else has those already. She's a bit too big for a pocket, really, but so dang cute! I'm ready to make more! :)

Snuggle Bunny

We had a last-minute kind of surprise baby shower for a friend today, so I put together a gender-neutral bunny for the upcoming baby. Yup -- they're waiting to find out if it's a boy or girl, so no cute girlie flowers and pink. And no trucks. Fabric shopping in town was challenging, but I finally found a really cute primary-colored flannel that ended up working perfectly with the red polka dot I already had.

We call it (him? her? not tellin' yet) Snuggle Bunny, cuz this bunny is super soft and super snuggly. I used felt for the eyes and nose, added a big red heart, and if you flip the bunny, you'll find a big, red felt tail sewn on the back. Just right for a tiny one to play with.

Big Sis will be getting something in October when the baby is born ... Maybe a mini bunny? We'll see when the time comes.

but I can't ...

Oh, I so badly want to show off my latest creation. He is awesome. Really awesome. But ... he's a birthday gift, and just got put in the mail. Birthday is this weekend ... So, not to give it away in case of snooping almost-4-year-old eyes, I will wait.

He was hard to send away. Miss E gave him a big hug and a farewell kiss. We sealed him up in a plastic bag for protection and took him to the post office.

This weekend, I can reveal. There were moments where I was frustrated, worried, afraid he just wouldn't come out as I wanted. I guess that's what you get when you dive in without a pattern, only a loose sketch, but when all was said and done and I put all of his accessories on for a photo session, he looked spectacular.

Of course, I can nit-pick and say that I need to work on my seams, embroidery, and maybe pattern placement, but I prefer to say he was a fantastic learning experience, and I know this particular dude will receive lots of love from Miss E's cousin.

And now that he's done, I wanna make a girl version, perhaps a doll, using the same fabrics. Miss E has another cousin who would totally dig a doll (or yeah, a monster; she's not all into dolls like Miss E) like this.

Grr. Argh. Grrrrrr. Arrrrgggghhhh. I probably shoulda labeled the box like that, but that mighta scared the mailman ... Heh!