Fluff Project: Closing in on my goal!!

In case you forgot, this quarter's charity sewing project (via Hopeful Threads) was a double dip with the Fluff Project.  The Fluff Project is the ongoing charity sewing project at Hopeful Threads.  But Hopeful Threads also does different quarterly projects (for different charity things).  I was very pleased about the double dip.  So pleased, in fact, that I got all worked up and made myself a personal sewing challenge.

40 items.

Yeeeeah, I should have thought that through just a tiny bit more BUT. . .there you go.

So, I need to get my items mailed out by July and it just so happens that I'll be on vacation the last week of June so guess what that means?  I need to get my items in the mail by June 20.

For those that aren't keeping track (or don't have a calendar hanging on the wall RIGHT next to their head) that gives me exactly 11 more days to meet my challenge.

That there is what I currently have done.

That's 10 bunnies, 6 dollies, and 9 puppies.  A grand total of 25 items.

That means I need to make 15 more items in the next 11 days.  Totally doable considering there's a weekend in there and I'm not going to painting right now (summer break) so I can take the three hours on Wednesday evening that I normally paint and make them sewing hours.

I did already cut out a dinosaur and get the face all stitched on.  I'm giving the pattern a test drive to see if it will lend itself to mass production.  So far it's no more time consuming than what I've already made.  I'm just curious to see how fiddly the pattern will be.  It has a belly piece that attaches to the front and it's a big ole curve.  And the body has some dips and humps to it (to make a limb).  So we'll see how irritating all those warbles and curves will be.

If the dinosaure proves too annoying, I'll at least have one for the pile.  I may push through and make a second one since, in a fit of dumbness, I cut a few of the pattern pieces in the wrong direction.  So I have a belly and front body already cut (facing the opposite direction of the one I'm working on).  So I'd only have to cut the back body, head pieces, and limbs to make a second dino.

I'm not sure what pattern I'll make if the dinosaur proves too annoying.  I'm tempted to re-visit some patterns I've already done.  Maybe the monster.  It was so cute and you can use a variety of fabrics.  I like picking fabrics.

Ok, time to check out the puppies in detail (since they haven't been profiled here yet).

It's a My Funny Buddy pattern.  They really are nice patterns for pillow style stuffed toys.  (Pillow style means they're rather flat, so no gussets to make them stand up).  They have nice details like hand stitched faces which can be fiddly but I've found once you get in the groove the faces are easy to mass produce.

The most fiddly part of this pattern are the ears.  You can make the ears without the flip to them, but the flip is so freaking cute it really is worth the tiny bit of fussiness.  Really, it's not that bad.  You just sew a curve into the underside of the ear and then put the two pieces together.  The curve is easy but putting the two pieces together is where the minor irritation comes in.  I just always worried I wasn't keeping the fabrics lined up well enough and would get puckers/folds along the top.  It never happened but I fretted it each time (despite copious pins).

The collar involves a few steps, too, but it's not fussy. Just straight sewing.  And the finished results are totally worth it.  The collars are also fun scrap busters.  All the collars on my pups came from my bucket of small scraps.

This was the first one I made.  I always do a test item to see if the pattern is good for mass production.  Nine times out of ten, the test item turns out well and I can use it.  This puppy is definitely good to go.

I was testing the face fabric along with the pattern.  The face fabric is a rather thin muslin from my stash.  I like it for the faces since it matches everything and is a natural shade.  It also made it so I could use off white for the eye patches.  Pure white just attracts so much dirt and dark fuzz.

The test puppy is the only polka dot one and the only one with a bright yellow collar.  The other eight puppies come in pairs.  OH, and for the record you can get two puppies out of one fat quarter of fabric and still have a nice piece leftover.

Patriotic puppies.

That fabric is so dang cute.  I got it in a swap and I liked it for the cuteness but (since it was patriotic) I really did think "what the hell will I use THIS for?"  But that's the fun of doing a fabric swap series.  You get a few fat quarters of different themes so you have them around when/if that them comes up.

I used it because it was puppies.  I dug around my stash specifically for dog print fabrics and found quite a few.  This fabric also has the bonus of being glittery.  I'm a sucker for glittery fabrics.

Groovy puppies.

That fat quarter came in a scrap vomit fat quarter bundle I got many moons ago from Pink Castle fabrics.  I recommend their scrap vomit fat quarter bundles.  You get nice fabric at a good price and it really is a grouping of miscellaneous fat quarters that really don't go with each other.  Mystery fugly fat quarters?  Yes please.

Big puppies.

Another random fq from my stash.  Cute dog print fabric perfect for making puppies.

These are my favorites (well, I really like the polka dot one, too).  That fabric is so super cute I could die.  It's also really nice quality.  I'm pretty sure it came in a mystery fat quarter bundle I bought when I first got really into sewing (I would buy mystery bundles to build my stash) and I've been deliberately hoarding it for a while.  I needed just the right project to show off the cuteness!  LOOK AT THE PUPPIES!!!  And I made sure to fussy cut the ears so puppies would show on the flopped over part.

See, that fabric is why I'm so happy there was decent scrap left over after cutting the patterns (even with a bit of fussy cutting).  I didn't want to use up every last bit of that super cute puppy fabric.  I need to have at least a charm or two to add to my 2.5 inch postage stamp charms (which some day before I die will become the world's most heinous quilt).

I will be taking a small break from the Fluff Project sewing while I finish up a swap I need to get out (by the same date as the Fluff stuff).  The swap item is going VERY well (after a bit of drama involving my cat, Olive, trying to EAT part of it. . .bad girl!) and as long as there is no further drama I think I can get it wrapped up in just a few hours of work.  I do need to fire up the glue gun and I'm not sure if the glue will play well with the paper clay (dried) that I'm using it one so. . .we'll see!  I can't wait to see how that project turns out, it's looking very cute so far.