Tis the season

I made a little bear for a little girl. I know it's almost Christmas, but this bear was supposed to be a birthday present (back in August, whoops).

He's my own design, made of fleece, with an embroidered nose and a seed-stitch hand knit scarf.

I'm really proud of him, I think he's one of the best stuffed animals I've made and through him I was able to really start creating a style that I like. I think I'm going to try and make the limbs a little chunkier next time though to add to the cuddle-factor, and perhaps use fake fur instead of fleece. But I figured that for a baby, fleece is just fine.

Hope you all have happy holidays and a great New Year!

Philip: A Bear-y Inspiring Success Story

The cheesy titles are back and I have no regrets.

Before I start relating to you the enthralling tale of my success story, let me paint you a little picture. At the beginning of the summer, I was in a creative slump. Nothing I designed seemed to work, nothing I sewed fell into place (insert the too-small pair of shorts here) and I was just in a funk that I couldn't seem to get out of. It's like writer's block, when your words get all jumbled up and nothing sounds quite as it should.

Anyway, I left for France in the beginning of July and began a super simple knitting pattern. It took me several tries to get the size right, but in the end, one of my more successful projects fell from my needles. I then began designing something (it's a secret, you'll find out soon enough) and to my great surprise (and relief) it worked and it looked good! I had actually sat down and written out the design process as I was doing it too, so it was a proper project.

When I got home, I knew I wanted to design a stuffed animal. I knew how I wanted it to look, and how I wanted it to feel. So I was a responsible designer and drew out pattern pieces, dug out some old denim from my closet and proceeded to create something that was absolutely not what I wanted.

Back to the drawing board.
This time, however, it worked.

This is my bear. I made it all by myself, pattern and all, and I am pretty darn proud of the result.

It started out as a sheep, but right now it's a bear. It also, surprisingly, doesn't have a name. Maybe I'll call him Philip.

So Philip is the result of many hours of creator's block, a summer of chill knitting, and finally, proper designing procedures, and I am so proud of how he turned out. I love the lanky limbs and big feet and slightly floppy head. Figuring out what he should wear was easily the longest part of the process because conventional shirts and other items of clothing don't quite fit.

So that's the story of Philip the sheep-bear-thing that sits on my desk and watches me work while silently giving off good vibes. It's very difficult to take a picture of his entire body, but if I make another Philip (which I think I will) I will take clearer pictures.

The moral of this story is, if you're in a creative slump, find a simple project with a simple pattern and watch a lot of episodes of Friends while making said project. It helps, I promise.

On that note, have a nice week!

Seed Stitch Scarf Bunnies

Hello!

This trio is the first part of a hopefully successful series of bunnies that I like to call the Seed Stitch Scarf Bunnies for the very simple reason that they are bunnies with seed stitch scarves.

First we have Alice, the sweet little girl of the bunch. 

Next we have James, the rowdy little boy with an earful of stars and a brain full of mischief. 

And finally Basil, the calm and quiet boy who makes sure James doesn't do anything too stupid. 

They are all up for adoption on my Etsy and would be delighted to be scooped up as late holiday gifts (don't lie, we all need some) or as a perfect gift for a baby shower. I will most likely be making more of this cuties, so keep your eyes peeled. In the meantime, have a wonderful week and if I don't talk to you before the 31rst, have a fantastic new year!

The Foxes Hunt the Hounds

That's from a Fall Out Boy song, by the way, I did't make that up.

Hello!

Last night I made this little guy. Instead of making an order that I have to ship by Friday, I decided to make an order that I have until Christmas to make. I'm really good at prioritizing. 

To be fair, how could I resist the prospect of making a little guy like this? My only guidelines were "My daughter likes foxes and I want to give her one for Christmas." 

This pattern follows one I made this summer, expect that one was a sheep, so I had to make a few alterations. 

Super simple, just a fleece back, ears and tail, as well as a cotton belly and inside of the ears. A few white and brown details, a good movie, and there you have it, an adorable little fox.

Here you can see the cotton I used, isn't it cute? I bought it a while ago cause it was too adorable to pass up, but I didn't know what to do with it until now. 

I want to keep him for myself. 

Have a great end of weekend, and tomorrow is December woo!!!

Hello bunny my old friend

This is Garfunkel.

He is my new buddy. 

I was feeling very stressed and overwhelmed the other day, and in my mind, making a bunny was the only way I was going to relieve that stress. So I blew up the pattern I usually use for bunnies, got the proportions all wrong, and made Garfunkel in about four hours. 

He is made of fake fur that is amazingly soft and fluffy that I got this summer in Normandie. The ears are made with scraps of fabric that I had, and the scarf is made from some of my many yarn scraps. He is a very organic and adorable companion. I call him my stress-relief bunny. 

As for his name, whenever I need to think of a name for a stuffed animal, I think "Simon". I don't know why, but it has resulted in my having a lot of bunnies named Simon. So I thought, what goes with Simon? The obvious answer is Garfunkel. So there you go.

Have a great end of the week and end of October!

The blogger to the detective

Every Sherlock needs a Watson and of course, my Benedict Otterbatch needed his as well. The internet has decreed that if Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock BBC) is an otter, then Martin Freeman (John Watson in the same) is a hedgehog. I find this resemblance to be accurate and because the internet's wish is my command, I made a little Hedgejohn Watson to accompany the Otterbatch detective on his adventures. 

Designing a pattern for this little guy was an adventure in itself. I basically meshed a bunch of different animal pattern together, cut a big hole in the back to replace with longer fur and made him a mohawk. 

The scarf is black and white because in Sherlock BBC, John wears a black and white striped shirt, and its become a bit of staple John Watson outfit. 

I'm quite proud of his back fur, it looks enough like spikes that he doesn't look like a weird bear. In my opinion, I mean maybe he does, but I don't think so. 

I love his punk rock hair. 

If you guys want your own little John Watson or Sherlock Holmes, you can head on over to my Etsy shop. However, I suggest you wait for a bit before buying these little guys. I have a few changes in mind and a few deals for you all, so be patient for a few weeks more and you will be pleasantly surprised. However, if you want to buy one now, feel free, I'm not going to stop you!

Have a great week! And a great Easter, if it applies. 

First update, first excuses

Hello!

As you may have noticed, I haven't posted anything since last year (I like bad jokes, haven't we established that already?). That is because, and I'm sure many of you can relate, I have been insanely busy for the last week. I have been on a constant school, theatre, homework and work on Mondays and Thursdays schedule.

In addition and because of how busy I have been, when I get home, the sun is nearly set and I usually don't have the time or the light to take pictures of things. As much as I enjoyed my light box, I like the look of "normal" pictures with natural lighting.

I think I should mention that my cats - as was inevitable and predictable - have destroyed my light box and it is no longer usable. If I make a new one, it will be out of wood and fabric, not cardboard and paper. It was good while it lasted though.

To make up for the lack of pictures/posts in the last two weeks, here are some pictures of a really cute lemur that I custom made for a family member back in November. Considering I completely improvised the pattern, I think I did okay.

Since this post is basically turning into a mess of nonsense and random facts, here is another.

If you have been on my Etsy recently, you will see that my stocks are severely depleted. By which I mean, I have all of one thing there at the moment. There is a valid reason for this. Actually, two valid reasons.

a) I didn't actually expect anyone to buy anything. I mean, I was hoping people would, but it seemed like a far-fetched idea. But apparently people did buy stuff and now I have nothing there. So thank you very much if you're one of the people who bought something. I hope it fulfilled all your stuffed animal dreams!

b) I have run out of some supplies. Plain as that. I will be restocking... eventually. Hopefully.

Yes.

So anyway, if you're here from my Etsy, and especially if you're one of the many people who has favorited my Otterbatch (thanks for that by the way) I will be making more, have no fear. They will be back up for purchase soon!

That's it, I believe, for the 2014 updates.

See you next time!

(I'm sure other bloggers have actual structures and ideas for when they write posts. I admire those other bloggers.)

The Grand News

Hello!

So as you very well know, I haven't been on very much as of late and that is for several reasons, one being school, the other being theatre and the third being that I had some big news that I wanted to share with all of you. It ended up taking longer to set up than I had thought, but now I can finally tell you!

I have been wanting to set up an Etsy shop for a very long time and now, I have at last accomplished that goal!

For those of you who don't know, Etsy.com is an online international community of people who sell handmade things. There is jewelry, furniture, journals, art... Everything you can imagine someone making is there for you to buy. It's pretty wonderful.

And now, I'm there too!

At the moment, all that I have listed are Benedict Otterbatches (made to order, so if you want one for Christmas, I would suggest ordering now), a bunny, and a polar bear. More will be made this weekend and in the coming days, but now you know!

You can see my shop by clicking on the Etsy button to the right, or by clicking here!

Happy November - what day is it? - 16th... Happy November 16th!

A very loud idea at the back of my mind

Hello!

I've had this idea at the back of my mind, well not really at the back, more like screaming whenever I took pictures, but I've been wanting to do this for a while.

I wanted to build a light box.

So I built a light box.

Using this link here I knew how I wanted to make it. I scavenged the materials from here and there (seriously, the cardboard box was the hardest to find) and today I finally had everything I needed, including time.

Here's the best part: my dad just got a lot of used professional lights and I get to use them! So that's my lighting (I would have used some of the brighter lamps we have if I hadn't had the pro ones) and now, all that remained was to make it.

I kid you not, my entire day has been building up to this. I had a chemistry test to study for (which I did for a very long time) and math exercises (which didn't take as long as I thought) and once those were done, I could start! I even used an Exacto knife for the second time ever, which was a little worrying because I like all my fingers where they are.

But enough chit chat and suspense-building: look!

I took a few pictures of my little bear and then my brother came in and I took pictures of his Legos for him. I'm still playing around with the zoom and the background, but that's details. 

Just like all the cardboard that is covering my bedroom floor right now.

Details.

My room is a mess.

But what you should really take away from this post is that it is currently pitch-black outside my window and I still managed to take decent pictures! This is my revenge on horrible winter light.

Have a wonderful day/night/whatever!

A time-traveling dragon companion

Hello my fellow Blue Cats!

So recently, I have become infatuated interested in a British TV show that most people have, if not seen, at least heard of.

I speak of course, of Doctor Who.

And what do I do when I discover a new show to love? I make myself a little companion to watch said show with. You may recall my infatuation interest in Sherlock BBC at which time, I made myself an Otterbatch.

Now to completely explain this new companion, let me just say that you may have noticed a trend in the stuffed animals that I make and yes.
Yes.
I do love dragons.
I enjoy drawing and sewing dragons (although to be fair to myself, the sewings are often much nicer than the drawings).

And so without further ado, I present to you...
Tardis the dragon!

This is Tardis, he is a dragon. And to all those hardcore Whovians out there, yes, I am aware that the Tardis is a female, but I decided that my dragon was a guy named Tardis and that's that.

He has become my loyal Doctor Who watching companion. He is the perfect size for hugging when something sad happens (which is quite often) and for perching on my shoulder when I feel like being a pirate.

I think I may have messed up his back spikes because they don't stand up right, but oh well. He wouldn't be a Blue Cat creation if he was perfect (I feel like I always say that, but it's 100% true. )

I made him out of dark blue fleece for the main body, light blue fleece for the belly and feet pads and snowflake-y light blue cotton for the ears and spikes.

He is made using this wonderful pattern that I got at the start of a four-day weekend. It's been awhile since I've made something for myself, it was nice. I finished sewing him in maybe two days? I followed my bad habit of watching TV and sewing at the same time, which means that I missed half the episode and had to pull out quite a few stitches, but he turned out all right.

Tardis is entirely hand-sewn except for the details on his wings and ears. (Which incidentally was the hardest part to do because for some reason the machine never does what I want it to. I never have that problem when I hand sew!)

My attempt at a photo shoot until I eventually build myself a light box and am able to take proper pictures.  The Converses are my little nod to the Tenth Doctor. (As always, if I'm making references you don't understand, ignore me, this hasn't got anything to do with sewing.)

So there you go! I actually sewed him last week, and I've been incredibly lazy when it comes to uploading, but now that I've got my computer back, I will attempt to stick to a more regular schedule. That is, of course, assuming that I actually have time to make stuff, which might be a little hard to juggle. I'll do my best!

Tardis is patiently awaiting a time-travelling mad man to whisk him away in a blue box to travel the stars. In the meantime, he's stuck on Earth with me. 

Have a lovely day!

Fun fact about Tardis the dragon: he has two hearts. I literally made two little hearts and stuck them in when I was stuffing him, just like they do at Build-A-Bear's workshop. 

Cupcakes!

Hello!

I made another little bunny a while back, so here he/she is!

Someone ordered an animal that had cupcakes. Any animal, as long as it had cupcakes somewhere on it. So, here is a bunny (because I like bunnies) with a cupcake scarf and cupcake ears.

He/she went to a little baby I think, to protect him from nightmares most likely. Bunnies are brave like that.

In other news, I will not be here for a while, as I am traveling (yay!) so there won't be any posts until...eh, end of August I'd say. Do not panic, I will return before you know it!

In the meantime, feel free to leave comments and whatnot. If you are new here, welcome! I hope you enjoy this little piece of the Internet!

Good-bye and have a great summer!

-Blue Cat

Kind of vintage

Hello!

Now that I'm on vacation (insert happy dance here) I've been sewing a lot. I'm talking one-project-a-day kind of a lot. So here is yesterday's project, a little bear named Rosie.

I named the post "kind of vintage" because the fabric in her ears is oldish and in my eyes the overall effect is a little bit vintage. However I know that there are people who will completely disagree with me about this. Oh well.

This is the first time I've made a bear using this pattern, so she turned out a little lopsided and her nose is off center and the eyes are uneven but you know what? She doesn't let that bother her, because she knows that she's adorable. Besides, I can't get everything right on the first try.

Have a nice day! And here is my advice for you this summer. Have fun. Sew. Cook. Read. Do nothing. A day is not wasted if you did what you wanted to do.