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

Unproductive

Have you ever had a day that absolutely nothing got done?  This past few days has been like that for me.

I have absolutely nothing new to show you.  I have been so unproductive.  And I can't even tell you that there was a reason.  Excuses?  Yeah, I could probably share some of those.  But it wouldn't help.

Any of you live in the midwest?  I'm in Ohio, and we've been hit with our crazy 2 days of cold, 2 days of warm, 1 day of hot enough to fry an egg, and back to chilly outside.  Popsicles one day, hot cocoa the next!

I guess the big thaw got me outside more than usual.  And then I wonder: will I sew in the summer?  I can't leave the little ones outside without supervision.  And I definitely want them outside as much as possible.

They love being outside.  My fair-skinned (or "almost translucent" as my big sister would say) Sprout loves being outside - he goes to the door often, trying to figure out the magic of the doorknob.

And Sunshine?  She LOVES the sunshine.  More than watching television.  (For that I am grateful!)

And Spunky?  Well, lets just say he's just discovered the attraction of digging in dirt.  I know you are probably wondering how he could make it to 5 years old without knowing how fun dirt is, right?  I'm not sure.  Actually, he was never really big on being outside.  He'd rather "do art".  Or watch t.v.

So that's me in a nutshell.  Unproductive, but real.  Didn't even get any farther on my purple project.  I really need to finish that purple bag!  Yesterday actually used a plastic bag from the thrift store to carry my keys, wallet, notebook, phone, and tape measure.  (I was shopping for a table of a specific size).  Maybe next week it'll be different.  I certainly hope so.  There are so many creations just waiting to be brought to life, and I'm looking forward to sharing them with you!

:) Caren

A Quick Patch

My 5 year old Spunky ripped up these nice jeans - you know, the kind that actually will fit for the next year (I bought them big) - so what's a mommy to do?  I made my own patch! (I know, you're shocked, right?)

Lucky for me, he loves my "stuff".  So I asked him what he wanted on his patch, and unsurprisingly, a robot was requested.

Isn't this the cutest little thing?!!  I was going through Sprout's clothes - he has been looking like a stuffed sausage lately and I finally figured out that he needed to go up a size.  He's 14 months old, and I just went through all of his clothes, put away all of the 18 mo stuff and got out the 24 mo clothes.  It amazes me that his 2.5 yr old sister and he are now wearing the same size.  But I digress...

The point of all that was to say that the little robot was on an 18 mo t-shirt, and it was so cute I decided to use it for the patch.  Then there was another little hole in the jeans, and I just made a "kind of round patch" (again, Spunky's request).

The robot was reverse-appliqued onto some recycled jeans, then to make it a bit more "worn" looking I sewed the whole thing on top of yet another piece of denim (this time I used the wrong side of the denim for accent).

I stitched the zig-zag part on my machine, but then when it came time to put the patch on the pants I ended up hand-sewing it on.  See the little green stitches?  Yep, silly thing wouldn't fit in my machine.  Go figure.

He likes how I patched them up.  Great!  So do I.  An hour or so and I was done - just in time to eat homemade "frozen Kool-Aid on a plastic fork" (aka - popsicles)!

Have a great week!
:) Caren

Purple In Process

After five weeks of Alien Landscaping, thought I'd switch gears and make a little something for myself.  I really crave color right now.  Bright, loud, pretty color.  So I'm making a little bag/purse thingie.  Any of you ever start a project without a pattern?  That's what I'm doing.

I got some strips of these beauties and stitched them together, cut them up and re-assembled them - a bit wonky.  It'll be the lining.  I love that the lining will be beautiful and chaotic.  Much like my life some times!

The outside is going to be much more placid, but with huge pops of color.  I LOVE the purples (or whatever fancy schmancy name the designer gave it) in the Terrain collection.  So I'm using some of that.  (Just figured out that this picture isn't great, but it gives you an idea, anyway).

That embroidered detail is the top of the outside pocket.  It is an interlaced backstitch - Spunky looked through my embroidery books and helped me pick out which stitch to use.  Yes, he's my little creative helper.

Here's what he made today on "Drawing with Spunky" (his make-believe tv show).  Yep, he's been side-tracked off aliens - now he's drawing monsters.  At least he's feeling better - that strep was awful!

I'll update you on my Purple project when it's finished.  From our home to yours, be blessed!

:) Caren