Cam the Camo Bunny

Told y'all I had some stuff in the pipeline!  Check out this little guy!

Cam the Camo bunny

 

 

Yes, I made him!  I named him Cam, because he's partially camouflaged.  I got this pattern care of Jo Carter for Love Patchwork and Quilting Magazine.  Isn't he darling?

 

I'm sure the name Cam is only temporary, because I'm not keeping him.  I know, it'll be hard to part with him, but this gift is for little Dawsen.  Dawsen is a co-worker's first grandchild who (at least a few months ago) is completely enamored with stuffed animals.  Dawsen's family is very outdoorsy, hence the camo print I chose. 

 

Me and Cam in the Kelly Courtroom

 

This was my first time working with linen, and it was rather interesting.  Per the instructions, I washed and dried the linen before cutting into it.  Oh my--I had heard about how wrinkly linen can get, but I just didn't know.  It took a LOT of starch and a lot of steam to get the linen looking smooth and beautiful again, but I think it was worth it. 

 

The linen was easy to cut and pretty easy to sew.  The only issue I ran into is that the seam allowances were very small, and some of the seams began to come undone.  I remedied that by using a larger seam allowance throughout. 

 

Now for the construction of the bunny: the pattern was mostly clear, but I had one major issue: when it came time to sew the front of the head to the back of the head, the pieces just didn't match the way it looked like they should.  In the end, I just kind of fudged it, and it turned out quite alright. 

 

One thing I didn't realize--making dolls is kind of creepy.

 

Limbs everywhere! 



Someone please help me!

I had a few good laughs in the midst of my frustration looking at the random body parts laying around.  In the end, Cam came out pretty cute.  I hand embroidered his face as well as Dawsen's name on the back. 

Look how handsome!

So cute with his quilted cotton (well, mostly polyester) tail!

 

I'll have to make some girly ones next, I think.  Until then, God Bless!

Learn Something New

Wow, it's been over a month since I've updated the blog.  I know, I'm such a slacker!   I'm so bogged down in my unfinished projects that I really haven't finished anything in a while.  With a few exceptions:  I made this cool triangle caddy last week at my quilting class:

I love those buttons, don't you?!

Robin's plan for this session of her class is to teach us one small gift every week.  I'm so psyched about this because it's the type of sewing I'm more comfortable with, but I'm still learning new things.

One thing I learned from this particular craft: my Singer Simple has to go.  It's been great to learn on, but it just doesn't have the oomph I need.  For example, this triangle caddy calls for Peltex Sew-in interfacing, which is really thick.  While it fed through my machine smoothly, when it came time to sew the edges together, my machine locked up and refused to sew.  They just don't make them like they used to.  That being said, I'm on the lookout for something new (to me).  Between you and me, I've got my eye on my mom's Kenmore--she bought that thing at a pawn shop before I was born! It looks like this, and it's a beast!

Going back to the learning thing: I finally figured out how to sew a button on with my machine.  Face it--no one likes to sew buttons on by hand, but I did anyway because the caddy was too awkward to fit under the presser foot.

For now, I'm happily using my triangle caddy as a thread/scrap catcher, and my husband is much happier, now that my threads are in check.


And now, for my very first block of the month (BOM)!  I guess it's been so long, that I haven't mentioned that I am now a member of the Lakeland Modern Quilt Guild.  One reason for joining is for programs like these--little projects to keep you sewing, and to keep you learning. 

Ta-da!  This took me two tries to complete, and it STILL isn't what it's supposed to be.  Sewing with triangles can be tricky!  This pattern is called Treasure Hunt by Tula Pink.  Not something I would have picked out, but this is how you learn, no? 

Let's play find-the-flaws, shall we?

Sorry about the picture quality.  I turned 30 since I've last written, and  received an iPod touch for my birthday.  I thought the camera was supposed to be a big deal, but it's still not as nice the one hubby got me for Christmas 5 years ago.  Maybe I'll get better at it. 


Another little project I've completed is this little pencil case:

It uses this stuff called kraft-tex, and I'm totally intrigued!  It's paper, but it's leather?  It's easy to sew, and you can embellish it just about any way you'd like!  Pretty cool, I think.  I'll have to update y'all later on this stuff--I ordered all three colors from my instructor, so I'll get to play with it soon enough!

I can't help but leave y'all with a sneak peek of my biggest project yet:

Sshh!  Don't tell mom!

I've got a bunch more projects in the pipeline--hopefully it won't be that long before I update this again.  Until then, God Bless!