Bosom Buddies

Who would have thought that a dog and a bird could be such good friends for so long. Luckily for all of us, Charles M. Schulz did and the completion on my current amigurumi simply reconfirms the fact that Snoopy and Woodstock are meant to be friends forever.

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Due to my disappointment in the finished Woodstock, I almost did not finish the Snoopy pattern from the same author I had previously started before I made the Woodstock. I finally decided that it would not take much to finish Snoopy so I started crocheting. I found another error in the pattern count for a grand total of 4 miscounts I had to correct on the pattern. This really ruffled my feathers. I paid money for these patterns and expected the author to make every effort to have the counts correct.

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I would make some of the same changes to the Snoopy pattern that I would change on the Woodstock pattern. I would like his nose and arms longer. I like Snoopy’s feet much better than Woodstock’s feet, so I don’t know if I would change them as I would Woodstock’s feet. I disliked Snoopy’s neck as much as Woodstock’s neck until I attached Snoopy’s collar. Snoopy’s collar lifts up his head and hides the stitches at the neck. I thought about putting a collar on Woodstock to see if I would get a same effect, but decided that a collar on Woodstock just wouldn’t look right.

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Now that both amigurumi’s are done and they are sitting on my table side by side, I can finally say that I like my end results well enough. Alone, I do not like either pattern very well, but together they match and are very cute. The things that I see as a problem on each individually, are not there when they are posed together. I am so happy that I finished Snoopy so that Woodstock would have a friend and find his place in my heart.

Meng Long – The Fierce Dragon Panda Bear

After perusing my usual crocheting web sites, I noticed that many people were crocheting amigurumi panda bears in various shapes, styles, and sizes. All the panda’s looked so cute that I decided I wanted to make one too. So, this is Meng Long. His name means fierce dragon but I don’t really find anything fierce about him. I think he turned out super cute, and is just adorable.

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Meng Long’s pattern came from the book Amigurumi Two by Ana Paula Rimoli. I used the “toys in pajamas” pattern. I have made this pattern a couple of times and just love it. It crochets up quickly and easily and the end results are  always cute. I really like the shaping on the hands and feet of this pattern.

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The time limiting factor in Meng Long’s construction was the details on his face. Did I want to use felt or crochet rounds for the black of his eyes? Did I want to add white felt to the eyes as well? Did I want to crochet him a muzzle or just use felt for his nose and mouth? If I crocheted a muzzle, did I want to use a plastic nose or embroider a nose to the muzzle? I finally decided to stop asking questions and just try a few things out. So, with that, I got started.

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I liked the felt on the eyes better than the crocheted rounds right off. And I decided on blue eyes early in the process even though I know that pandas do not really have blue eyes naturally. The white felt on the eyes was a must. It took a long time, with lots of trimming, and several tries to get the felt shapes I wanted for the eyes, but the end result was worth the time and effort. I crocheted a muzzle but it took only a couple of minutes to decide that I did not like it with the muzzle. I decided I wanted him to be cartoonish cute, and not look very realistic in the end. I embroidered  his nose square, but the husband said to add the point at the top of the square. After adding the point, I agreed with the husband. It looked better that way. The crooked smile I made him with was my idea though.

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After the face was designed,  Meng Long just needed to be stitched together. The stitching together of the parts went smoothly. I did not rush the process. I took my time to do it right, which kind of made it fun to see him come together. I decided to stitch his arms and legs closed and then stitch them to his body. This way he can sit down, but it is harder for him to stand. This is ok because I designed him as a toy to be  played with, and not a decoration to be displayed.

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Meng Long is having a great time in the sewing room playing with Sarah and the other amigurumi’s hanging out in there, but he needs a home of his own where he will be loved and played with.

The Hip Bone is Connected to the Leg Bone

Although Halloween 2011 is now just a collection of wonderful memories and good times for me, the skeleton I was making before Halloween is finally done. Even though I did not make him as a Halloween decoration, I did start him before October 1st. But, with some endurance and a few projects made in-between, I have finally completed him.

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I bought this pattern off of the internet. I fell in love with the pattern the minute I saw it and it moved to the top of my to do list quickly. I knew it was not going to be a quick or easy project for me. I knew it was going to be one of those projects that I had to concentrate on while I was crocheting it, not watching TV or riding in the car. Although as I started to crochet the parts, I quickly fell into the rhythm of this pattern. Once I had crocheted one foot or one hand or a rib, the next one was much easier and much quicker to make. If I make a second skeleton, it will take me much less time, effort and worry. Actually, after completing the hands and feet, it was fun to see them come together and be so cute that I had no problem crocheting the last foot while watching TV.  My only complaint about the crocheting would be the small count of the rounds. Ten sc was a common count of the rounds and that is a tight area to work in especially when my hands were tired. At least he was made with a size G hook so I could keep a good grip on it. I am not a fan of crocheting with tiny hooks.

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My biggest complaint about the construction of this skeleton is, and of course you have already guessed it because it is a reoccurring theme with me, the sewing together of the parts or in this case the bones. This is really what took the most time and it is totally my fault because I can not do this quickly or for a long time without a break. So, don’t let my problems discourage you from giving a pattern like this a try. I will say though that it was fun to see the skeleton come together as I stitched it. This does bring me to the only complaint I have about the pattern and that is that the author of the pattern needs to give more pictures of the construction stage of the skeleton. Other than that, the pattern was great and well written.

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Although when I first saw this pattern I was afraid it would be too complicated for me, it turned out to be a lot of fun to crochet and, well, sew together. I am very pleased with the end results and would not hesitate to make a second one. So, the moral of this skeleton construction story is to not let a pattern that looks overly complicated at first glance discourage you from giving it a try.

Stealing From Goodwill

I didn’t mean to do it, but the fabric kept calling to me. This piece of grey fabric with black rose buds was found in the mystery boxes I was sorting through earlier and it had made it’s way to the Goodwill box. This fabric was originally purchased and put in the stash to be a shirt for me long ago. When I pulled it from the box it had spent so many years in, I could no longer see me wearing a shirt made from it. Although it is the right color for me, the little flowers just did not appeal to me any longer, so into the Goodwill box it went.

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While the fabric was in the Goodwill box, it kept catching my attention until my creative mind just took off with it. Just because I did not want to wear tiny flowers did not mean that some little girl would not just love to wear them. I began to see a little girl’s dress with an embroidered design on the front made from it in my mind’s eye, so I pulled it out of the box and got to work on it..

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I decided to make a size 5 (small) dress. Since the fabric was originally purchased for me a shirt there was plenty for any size I wanted to make. I went to my pattern box and picked out a basic dress pattern, a bodice with a gathered skirt. Because the fabric was a woven cotton instead of a knit, I knew I had to make some way for the little girl to get it on because it wouldn’t stretch. Since I was not in the mood to play with a zipper, I decided to do a slit in the back with a button. And I wanted to keep the front left open for an embroidery design. Because of the grey fabric, I knew the embroidery design would need to be bright and full. But when I saw the black Mickey and Minnie Mouse red work outline design, I knew that was the design I wanted to use. This design absolutely would not work on the grey fabric so I decided to make the front and back of the bodice in white.

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With the basic design in mind, I cut out the dress and got started. I embroidered the design first with the black bobbin thread which you know worked great. I decided to double the bodice instead of making a facing. The white fabric I picked for the bodice is thin so I figured it would work as a lining as well. For the slit in the back, I drew a line in the center back about 2 & 1/2 inches long. I then sewed down each side of the line, tapering at the end. It worked great. I got the results I wanted and only had to stitch it once. I about fell off my chair at this point, since I figured I would be unpicking and restitching the slit at least 3 times to get it right. I also added some corded elastic to one side for a button hole. As always, sewing is a learning experience and I made the loop too big. So, when it came time to pick a button, I had to pick a larger button and place it to the side to accommodate my large loop.  Next time I will make the loop smaller and I will pick the button first so I know what size to make the loop beforehand.

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I decided to use the bodice fabric to line the skirt too. Since I have never really lined a garment, I was not sure which technique would be best. Should I attach it to the gray fabric? Or should I have it separate like a slip under the skirt? Because of the colors and design, this dress was turning out very tomboyish so I decided to attach the lining to the skirt. This seemed to work out fine. I hemmed the skirt with the lining before I gathered the skirt and attached it to the bodice.

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I used the floss method to gather the skirt. I zigzagged embroidery floss to the skirt and then pulled it to make the gathers. It worked great and was much easier than pulling threads and stitches. I would have liked more gathers in the skirt but I gathered it so that it fit the bodice. I will cut the skirt bigger for more gathers if I make this pattern again.

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Even though the dress did not turn out quite as I had envisioned it, it is very cute none the less. I like the colors and of course the embroidery design. I still have plenty of the grey fabric left, but I can’t decide if it should go back into the Goodwill box or back into the stash now. I am leaning towards the Goodwill box, since I have so much other fabric to work with. I’m sure my creative mind can pick a different piece to play with next.

Black Bobbin Thread

It’s always the little things, isn’t it? The simple act of changing the color of bobbin thread used on an embroidery project made all the difference in the world and gave a perfect end result. I am so excited about this little change that made such a huge difference in my last project.

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I wanted to put a simple black outlined design on my latest sewing project. I have used my machine to embroider red work a couple of times in the past. It has usually been a fight to get the tension just right so that the white bobbin thread is not pulled up into the design. I have even gone as far as to dab the white thread with a black sharpie pen to hide the white thread in the design before. For this design, I finally wised up and used black thread in the bobbin instead of white. This time when the bobbin thread pulled up into the design you could not see it. It blended in perfectly. The design came out rich and full and all in sharp black.

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Excited about these results, I had to try it again so I grabbed a bib towel from the closet and stitched another outline design and the results were once again rich and full.

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Now, why I did not think of using black bobbin thread years ago, I will never know. I have known since day one of embroidering that they make colored bobbin thread and that if your stitching a monogram on towels you can even use your top embroidery thread in the bobbin so the design looks stitched on both sides. But, it just never dawned on me until now to give it a try. I am so excited about the results that I plan to use a lot more black bobbin thread in the future. I am planning on using black bobbin thread on more than just outlined designs too. I plan to use it on all my dark designs and to even switch out bobbins on lighter colored projects when it is time to stitch the outline of the design.

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Stay tuned for the results.

Wow! A great sewing machine deal on Amazon Goldbox for Black Friday!

It’s BACK! For Black Friday this morning’s Amazon’s Gold Box deal is for a commercial JUKI HZL-27Z Sewing Machine for $159!

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This deal is good only for 11-25-11 or until they sell out! So order it quick! They only lasted a few hours last time!

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That is $690 off the retail price. It’s a great deal for a great heavy duty commercial machine if you want a spare to do those heavy or dirty jobs you wouldn’t want to put your normal machine through. It has several 5-star reviews on Amazon. I’ve owned several Juki’s in the past and my first serger which my mom still uses today was a Juki. They are tough machines.

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Since Amazon has a no questions asked money back guarantee and free shipping I am going to pick it up as a spare. I’ll let you know how I like it once I get it and try it out.

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If you want more information on it or want to purchase one for yourself you can find it here:

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JUKI HZL-27Z Sewing Machine

Embellishing Baby Towel Bibs – Part 1

I am spoiled. Very spoiled it seems. When it comes to embellishing the baby towel bibs that I make, I simply move over to my embroidery machine, pick a design and stitch away. The bibs always turn out so cute, and I have a chance to try a new design that I have always wanted to. But, what if I did not have an embroidery machine? Would I still make the bibs? How would I embellish them without it? Would it take a lot of time and be a lot of work? And would it be more time and work than I would want to put into a bib? After giving these questions way too much thought, I decided to embellish a couple of baby bibs without using my embroidery machine to see how they turned out.

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My first thought was the simplest thing to do, apply a store bought applique to the front of the bib. So, I dug through the closet and found my small selection of appliques. Needless to say, I don’t have many and they are not really suited for a child or baby, plus most of them are small, so I was not really impressed with my store bought applique as an embellishment.

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When my store bought appliques did not pan out, I decided I would make my own appliques instead. As I dug through the closet, I ran across my last Snoopy fabric purchases. Yes it’s true, I am the world’s biggest Snoopy fan! They would make great appliques, especially the black Snoopy pirate on the bib with the black ribbing.

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Not wanting to use all my fabric on appliques, I only cut a small square from the corner of the fabric, but tried to get all the designs out of it. At this point, I had to make a decision. Just how much time did I want to spend embellishing baby bibs? I decided that I did not want this to be an all day project or  to be difficult, so I cut the designs in squares rather than cutting out the actual designs.

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The next step was to attach the designs to the bibs.

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I started by  folding the edges over and pressing them down. This worked fine but I quickly learned two things. First, I needed a little more edge to fold over, so next time I will cut the squares slightly larger. Second, I need to spend a little more time cutting and measuring. This does not mean I have to spend all day doing this or have it perfect, but a little more time centering the designs and folding the edge over evenly would have givien me a little more professional look. But, for a baby bib that the kid is going to spill mushy peas down the front of, my appliques were just fine.

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Next I sprayed my squares with some spray adhesive. If you don’t have spray adhesive, you can just pin the squares to the bibs, but I am all about the easy way. I then arranged the designs on the bibs and took the project to the sewing machine where I quickly stitched the squares to the bib. This is where the larger edges would have been helpful.

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I think the end result of this bib turned out great. The bib is just so cute! The time factor was minimal but the fun factor was off the charts. Now I can’t wait to make more bibs.

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If you want to see my original baby bib post you can find it HERE.

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No Longer a Toy

When I decided to make the penguin a hat and scarf, I did not know what a job that was going to be. I picked the color forest green to make the hat and scarf. The hat crocheted up quickly and easily, but I was not happy with the end result. The scarf was not as easy. I followed the directions from the pattern, but did not like how wide the scarf was turning out, so I decided to half the count. As I crocheted, I was not happy with this either, so I decided that a color change might help, but that turned in to a disaster. A 3 stitch row was too small for a color change. There was no where to hide the knots or the loose ends. I had a mess. I tried several different methods of changing yarns. I read tutorials on the internet, and watched videos on YouTube to try and make the color change work, but to no avail. It was time for me to go to work, so a little flustered, I left my failed attempts laying on the sewing room table.

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When I got home from work, the husband had heard my frustration, and had stopped at lunch and bought me a skein of variegated yarn. He had picked out the color called cherry chip. He thought this would make a great hat and scarf. Excited about the color, I quickly crocheted a new hat for the penguin. This time, though, I crocheted 4 extra rounds at the bottom of the hat, 3 the same size as the last row, and decreased by a couple of stitches on the last row. I then folded the 4 rows up so that it looked more like a stocking cap. This gave the hat the finishing touch that the first hat did not have, changing it from a clown’s hat to a stocking cap.

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Next came the crocheting of the scarf. With the yarn changing colors for me, I chained the length I wanted for the scarf and then single crocheted 3 rows. The scarf turn out beautifully. I then put the fringe on each end to complete the scarf. The husband had chosen the color well. The cherry chip yarn made a wonderful hat and scarf for the penguin. In fact, I like the colors so much, I am going to go buy more cherry chip variegated yarn and make me something to wear with it.

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The only problem now to me is that the hat and the scarf changed the penguin from a toy into a decoration. Without the hat and scarf, I could see a child playing with the penguin. Now, with the hat and scarf, I see the penguin sitting on someone’s desk. So, now what do I do with him? He was on his way to one of the nieces or nephews or maybe even the neighbor girl, but now whose desk should he sit on?  So, the penguin is still in need of a home. Does anyone want to provided  a home for a penguin with a new hat and scarf?

The Penguin That Flew

I know penguins can’t really fly, but this one sure did. This penguin’s parts were crocheted during our layover on the trip back from Disney World. I only had black yarn with me, but I was able to crochet all of the black parts which made it quick to finish up the remaining white and yellow pieces when we got home.

The pattern for this penguin came from Lion Brand Yarn’s web site. It is one of their free designs. The pattern was very easy to follow and written well, but I am sure yet if I like it or not because this penguin ended up with such a fat body. Maybe I am just so use to all the ninja I had been making, and because their bodies were smaller than their heads on most of them. I did change the construction of the penguin just slightly from what the pattern said. I only stuffed his wings a little and sewed them flat to his body rather than stuffing them fully as the pattern instructed and sewing them so they stood out from the body. I do like the fact that this penguin can stand by himself. I did like that about the design.

This pattern also came with the the instructions for a hat and scarf for the penguin. I have not decided if I want to make them for him yet.

I have named this penguin Tubby and I have placed him on my sewing table for now. Tubby does not have a home yet, but I will need to find him one soon. I have too many things on my sewing table as is. But I will tell you, the more I stare at him the cuter he becomes and I have decided to make him a hat and a scarf now.

Ninja #10 – They Call Me Bruce

As his namesake ninja, Bruce is the greatest ninja of the husband’s army. He is ready for the fight, to defend honor and defeat his enemies.

Bruce is made from the same pattern as several of the other ninjas, Keen, Kato, and Hawk. To change the pattern just a little, I used an H size hook to crochet Bruce. I don’t think it made much difference though. I was expecting Bruce to be larger than Keen but he is really about the same size. One thing though about using the larger hook was that the ring of 8 for the arms and legs made a larger hole at the end so there was some extra work involved in covering up the hole. I used the stuffing tool to stuff Bruce, and I am still pleased with the results.

Bruce’s weapon is fashioned after the knife on a chain weapon used in the recent movie, Ninja Assassins, a movie for the strong of heart and stomach. It is the second time I have had one of the ninja hold their weapon in their hand. Tiny Bear is holding his star. Thanks goes to the husband for the making of the knives like Kelly’s.

As I put the finishing touches on Bruce, I started to think about what to do different on the next ninja only to remember that Bruce is the last of the army. This made me just a little sad. When the husband asked for 10 ninja, I didn’t think I would complete that many before I got bored and moved onto something else, but I have really enjoyed crocheting the ninja’s and I  learned many things from their construction. I think I will console myself by crocheting a teddy bear, or a new doggie, or maybe a penguin or the cutest giraffe ever.