Lion Monster


This didn’t quite turned out as I imagined, but here it is anyway.  I asked my five-year-old to draw something for me to make into a stuffed animal for her birthday.  She quickly drew this “lion monster” and I used felted sweater, fabric scraps and felt to put it together.

Sewing with felted sweaters was difficult for me and I found it hard to avoid this lumpy look without overstuffing it.  I think it would be helpful to use iron-on stabilizer when working with sweaters.  I cropped this photo intentionally because my construction on the bottom is terrible!  It helps me to think of my awful hand sewing as folksy and quaint, rather than messy and uneven.  Whatever works.

Etsy Finds Friday

Doily clock, $24 from and furthermore,.

Art doll peace dove, $42 from shecological.

Hanako porcelain and silver necklace, $38 from Wapa.

White wool nesting bowls, set of 3 for $35 from Cose Dolci.

Scrappy wreath, $12 from Copabananas.

Set of 6 woodgrain coasters, $20 from Avril Loreti.

Payne’s gray cloud small, $55 from rosetung.

Candlewicking embroidery on muslin, $8 from Lucinda’s Nice Things.

Little Red Riding Hood jointed paper doll, $12 from wool & water.

Make Your Own Toys

Stick it to the man this year and make some toys yourself.  I went through a stack of toy catalogs and found some toys that you could make.

Make-My-Own-Monster Custom Design Kit from FAO Schwarz ($249).

Embroidered Growth Chart from Chasing Fireflies ($98).

Fairy Tale Handbags from Chasing Fireflies ($64).

Try this tutorial from UK Lass in US.

Customized Superhero Cape, from Chasing Fireflies ($48).

Try my tutorial here.

Hopscotch Play Mat from HearthSong ($39.98).

Under the Sea Hideaway from Magic Cabin ($64.98).

Doorway Puppet Theater from Magic Cabin ($39.98).

I am doing some recycling as well.  I raided my parents’ attic and found an old puppet theater and some doll beds that will be getting makeovers.  I’m also planning to find a nice large coffee table at a thrift store, rehabilitate it, and make it into a craft table for the kids with lots of new art supplies.  Vintage finds from e-bay and Etsy can also help you save money and  feel better about not adding to the clutter of the world.

Not feeling crafty?  No time?  Check out my Handmade Toys page for sites where you can buy handmade toys.