Nana Peanut

Hi friends!  I had a full and exhausting (in a good way) holiday weekend.  Finished moving MOST of my studio upstairs (still need my cutting table moved, but it's really heavy so I have to wait for help). Participated in my very first ever garage sale (it was 100 degrees out - it was not very pleasant).  And I did some sewing (I know, you're shocked, right?!)


Here's Nana Peanut - I made her over the weekend.  She's perfect for holding my studio supplies, but I'm pretty sure this little cutie pie would rather hold little kiddie toys instead!  I'm thinking she needs a hair bow or flower or something.  But my little "product testers" really like her.

How 'bout you?  How was your weekend?  Get anything productive done, or did you lay around and do nothing?  (Ooooh, doing nothing sounds like great fun!)

Cheers to a great week,
:) Caren

Planning for the Grand Opening

Things have been quiet on the blog for a little bit, so I thought I'd fill you in on what's been going on lately.  First of all, my oldest nephew got married last weekend in Cleveland (OH), so I've had lots of family around.  My mom stayed with me for a week or so and we traveled up north to meet with the family and celebrate.  It was good to see everyone.

Craft Center Mess (aka - a corner of my living room)

Now that the dust has settled on that adventure, I'm starting on a new one: moving my "sewing stuff" into my new studio!  I have been sewing in a blocked off corner of my living room for over a year now, and it was getting to be too much of a hassle to keep the toddlers out.  So...

 ...I moved the boys in together, moved Sunshine in to her own room, and now there is a room for my studio!  Yay!  (Oh, and the above picture is SO cool - and so NOT my boy's room.  There is NOTHING this fantastic in my home!!!)

And now for the most exciting news of the day:

After many months of prayer and discussion with my husband, I've decided to open up a soft toy "shop".  The details of when, where, and how are still being ironed out, but I will have an online presence as well as  consignments in at least one physical location.  I am so excited and at peace with this decision, and am looking forward to providing you all with unique, happy, high-quality soft toys that have been made by my hands, right here in the U.S.A.!!!

Blessings,

 :) Caren

Happy Monster Appreciation Day!

What do you mean it's not Monster Appreciation Day?  OK, OK: I confess, I made that one up.  But if there were such a thing as Monster Appreciation Day (M.A.D. - tee hee!), I think this little guy would make it a happy one!

I still have a bit of tweaking to do on the pattern, but I am really beginning to like him!  The main fabrics are from a line called "Power Pop" (thank you, Julie, for selling such great fabric!), and the stripey fabric was cut from an old stretchy t-shirt!  I decided to go with flappy arms instead of the button joints on this one.

I typically reserve my button joints for stuffed creatures that are not going to kids, like the Patchwork Horse.  On this one I am going to wait and see how Robo-Frills holds up to rough handling by my Spunky (who is ALL BOY - definitely NOT gentle with his toys), then I'll feel more comfortable with doing button joints on more toys.

Have a super happy Monster Appreciation Day, everyone!  If you'll excuse me, I have to go and appreciate the little monsters in my life!
:) Caren

Pictures of Some of My Creations

Made a little collage of some of my work to share with you today.  Enjoy!  

:) Caren

Excellence in the Details

"Can we be friends?"

I'm drafting a pattern right now for a soft toy.  I am relatively new to making stuffed creatures, so every attempt at toymaking is a learning experience.  Right now I am finishing up my second prototype (the blue one).  This one actually has appendages (my first draft, the green one, didn't get that far).

I thought I'd share some of the things I have learned while doing this particular pattern.

Yep, I always spell gusset wrong.  Every time.

The first thing I learned is about all of those "rules" and "advice" about things like needle size, where to set your tension, what kind of thread to use, only using fabric scissors for fabric, etc.  I'm thinking that those rules were made by a general consensus of expert ladies from generations to generations - they figured out what works and what doesn't.  In my mind, they've been elevated to the status of grandmothers and great-grands who want us to learn "the right way" - not so that we could be like them, but so that we could sew with excellence.  I really like that.

Another thing - if you want to sew with excellence, your finished product should start with excellent materials.  My prototypes are junk.  There, I said it.  I know, they might be cute, and my kids certainly don't mind, but if you're stuffing a toy and you use cheap fabric, it will eventually (or immediately) show.  Do not use that thrift store thread for your toy, either.  I am all for using what you have, but cotton thread for the seams of a stuffed toy is a mistake (especially if it is a gazillion years old).  Polyester holds up much better.  So - if you want a toy to last, use the good stuff!!!

I'm the kind of person that likes to figure stuff out as I go.  I am intrigued with the details of construction.  Not of buildings and bridges, but of creatures from my imagination.  I love starting with an idea, figuring out how to construct it, selecting materials, and finally bringing it to life!

Then I learned that if my sewing space is a disaster (as it is at the moment), and it is nearing midnight, I should go to bed instead of trying to find my 3-inch doll needles.  Trust me, I'll be remembering that one!  (I work in a corner of my living room - having a dedicated studio is increasingly more appealing to me!!!)

The last thing I will share with you is: no matter what you call it (and I'm not sure what type of animal this one is, I just started out with "sea monster" in mind), its owner has the rights to rename it.  This little guy was originally named Hank (for lack of a better name).  But as soon as Spunky saw him, he called him "ROBO-FRILLS!!!".  He loves the button jointed arm-thingies; apparently they make him "more like a robot!!!"

Have a wonderful weekend, friends.
:) Caren

No Sleep for the Creative Mind

I am in a creative whirlwind.  The kind where I even think in my sleep (when I actually can sleep, that is).

Right now I am thinking non-stop about future potential projects.  Mind you, there is not much production going on, but I've got pages and pages of sketches in my sketch book.  I'd show you but I really stink at drawing.

I'm thinking of animal trends at the moment.  

Since when did owls get so popular? 

 And hedgehogs?

I've got an idea: how about if I start the next trend in animal loves?!!!  But what shall it be?  

The aardvark?  They are adorable, and think of how you could play up their features!

Or what about the sloth?  Sloths are kinda cute - if you don't look too hard.  Plus, if they're not real, you wouldn't have to smell them.

I could do some amazing things with sea slugs, though.  Hmmm.... 

Well, I might not be a trend-setter, but I am a creative person with a knack for constructing some really happy soft toys!  So for now, here's a sneak peek of a little creation I'm working on at the moment.  Any guesses as to what it might be? 

:) Caren

Spring Break Kick-Off

Hi everyone!  Hope your weekend was fantastic!  Mine was long, but good.  Easter service at my church was really good - I'm so blessed to be a part of a great church family.

 If you've known me long, you will understand that I absolutely adore my creative 5 year old, Spunky.  He often has very long-winded explanations about his drawings - what each detail is, and what it is doing, complete with sound effects.  He gets very involved in his stories.

He is a funny kid.  Very quirky.  Very unique.  And yes, he does stick his tongue out when he is drawing.  This is what I call his "thinking face".

He drew me this one in a very light yellow marker - with green grass as the only other color (I turned it b&w so you could see it).  I was thinking about making this an embroidered piece, then I wondered if it wouldn't make a better 3D stuffed toy?  I'd love your opinion on that.



We are beginning our Spring Break around these parts today.  So there should be tons of creative things happening at our house.  We haven't colored eggs yet, so I'm thinking that will be tomorrow's fun.  Then I was thinking of decorating rocks with chalk.  That might be fun, too.  And the Columbus (Ohio) Zoo and Aquarium is AMAZING, so we'll probably end up there, too (especially since we've got a new Polar Bear exhibit).  Maybe I'll take pictures.  I've been seriously neglecting my camera lately....

...so today, I pulled it out to take an impromptu family photo (minus me, of course).  It was horrifically cold and we were not prepared for the wind chill, so we had a very short playground experience (with an even shorter photo shoot - this being the only one where Sunshine is not crying because of the cold).

Happy Week-after-Easter (or Spring Break) (or both, as the case may be)!
:) Caren