vintage dress dog

I have a wonderful customer who has requested that some animals be made from her vintage clothing. See the vintage skirt whale for reference.

The second animal that I just finished is a boston terrier made from a vintage dress and white corduroy fabric. The dress has a pattern of little men walking dogs, which was very cute and appropriate for this dog. The markings and paw colors are based on the customer's own dog, making it very special.

For new animal patterns, I always start out with a sketch, so I'm posting the sketch here for you to enjoy. The computer sketches always help me visualize how the shapes will translate to a 3D stuffed animal and into a flat pattern piece. The mouth was a new design for me, and gave me a little trouble when I went to add the nose. I had placed a seam right where the nose needed to go, so I had to make some strategic cuts and stitches in order to secure the nose and keep the fabric together.

More blogs to feature me!

I'm back from vacation, and I just found that I was featured on the Funky Finds blog. It was a nice treat to come back and see more fans!

Here's the link to the specific blog post about my animals, but the entire blog is amazingly fun! If you are looking for cool stuff, Jessica seems to know all the great places to find fantastic gifts! (obviously, as my Etsy shop was featured) :)

Another blog (how could I forget this one!!) to feature me is the D.I.Y. Kids blog run by Ellen and Julia Lupton. The Lupton Twins' blog has recently achieved How Top Ten status! I feel honored to have contributed a "make your own stuffie" lesson.

Again, I'm adding the direct link to the feature, and also the link to the entire blog. A wonderful resource for great activities to do with kids.