Meet Fred

Ta-da!

I think he looks pretty darn cute, in my humble opinion.  More importantly, my sister thinks he looks great, which means he can be given to the baby when it's born.  This is just about the perfect size.  It'll be a bit big for a newborn, but as the baby gets older, it'll totally be a huggable stuffed animal. 

Next up is some doll clothes.  This is something I'm very excited about.  It's just a simple jumper and blouse, but I have a feeling it might be challenging, considering I've never really made clothes before.  We'll see!

It's beginning to look a lot like a hippo...

I'm getting there!

 

I kinda think it looks like a cow in the above picture.

This looks more like a hippo, me thinks.  Or maybe a dog.

I'm oh so close to finishing this, but I truly don't feel like doing anymore tonight.  So I'm stopping.  Tomorrow I'll put in all the stuffing and sew him up.  Then we can decide if he's good enough to give as a gift!

Saner Heads Prevail

So I was able to convince my sister that a giant, and do I mean giant hippo might not be the best present for the newborn.  I mean, the hippo would have probably been twice the size of the baby.  Which might have provided some amusement, but not nearly enough for the effort.  It was then decided that the small version of the hippo would be best.  

I've actually learned a great deal so far.  First off, cutting out the pattern, then the fabric, then the interface kinda seems like a waste of time.  Is it possible to do all three at once?  Pin them all together and just cut?  I think I'm going to try that next time, cause I've put in a whole lot of effort and haven't even turned my machine on yet.  

Here's where I'm at:

 

Next I need to figure out how to transfer the markings to the fabric.  I bought both tailor's chalk and a marking pen today so hopefully one of those will work.  Then tomorrow (possibly, seeing that it's Christmas and all) I might be able to actually start sewing.

More than I can Chew?

Oh my.

A friend of my sister is having her second baby in about a month.  For the first baby, I crocheted a gorgeous white and raspberry baby blanket.  I was incredibly proud of the end result.  I had assumed that I would make another baby blanket for this baby.  My sister, however, had other ideas.

She wanted a stuffed animal.  Now, one of my goals for 2012 is to really learn how to sew.  So when I found this pattern, I thought, perfect!  I would be able to practice my skills easily with this pattern.  This evening I decided that it was time to start.  I took out the pattern...

It's freaking huge!  I must admit, I'm sort of scared to make this.  There are darts, and all sorts of sewing techniques that I haven't tried in years.  If I can pull this off, my confidence in my sewing abilities will soar, that's for sure!  Tonight my goal is to get all the fabric cut, not the interface, though.  Then I'll most likely put everything aside for a couple of days for Christmas.  And then it's right back to work.

ah new yarn...

I do love yarn.  Sadly, the local big chain craft stores simply do not have a good selection.  I'm going to have to find a store that has better quality and more selection.  I bought these three skeins today.

I'll be making a baby sweater and hat with these.  The colors are gorgeous.  (In my opinion!)  What I like is that they aren't typical baby colors. The brand is Vanna's Choice, which I haven't used before.  The reviews are fairly positive and they are certainly softer than Red Heart Saver yarn, so that's a plus. 


There will be a bit of experimentation with this sweater set.  Hopefully it'll turn out fine in the end!

A Fresh Start

I finally unpacked my sewing machine today.  This poor machine hasn't been used in almost 3 years.  I didn't touch it once while living in Los Angeles.  But one thing I knew I wanted to do once I moved back to Chicago was learn how to sew clothes.  I can sew; I've made king sized quilts before.  Well, one quilt.  Not multiple ones.  But I'm more interested in clothes and learning how to make them.

I'm going to start simple.  I bought an 18 inch doll pattern.  If I can make that, I'll try another, more complicated one.  And so on.  Hopefully I'll be able to make adult clothes soon. 

However, I can't ignore my other crafting interests.  There are numerous crochet projects with my name on them at the moment.  I still would love to learn how to knit.  And finally, I'm going to research paper making.  Though that is a project for when the weather is nicer.

It's wonderful to feel so inspired about various projects!