Gone to the. . .rhinos?

Yes, rhino.

A co-worker hit me up to make something for a charity event she was doing (to benefit a rhino sanctuary).  She wanted a chameleon (she'd seen them before. . .yes, I like to show off stuff at work, I'm so vain) but I had a memory of Jodie (Ric-Rac) having a rhino pattern.

I was right, she did but she didn't have the one I remembered (it was YEARS ago) up in her shop.  So I emailed her and she hooked me up with her Dozer pattern because she's a super nice woman.  (she's also the maker of the chameleon pattern. . .her stuff is so wonderful).

So I whipped up a Dozer for the rhino charity.

(side bar:  how many times have I typed 'rhino' incorrectly. . .almost every time so far. . .what is that about?  some words just will not be typed properly. . .but I digress)

Rhino and chameleon in a race to see who's cuter.  PHOTO FINISH!

The winner is. . .

EUGENE!  Photobombs always win.  He's looking all scowly, too, which I know darn well is not how he is.  He's an epic dude bro with a very pleasant disposition.  But he is a cat so he is naturally given to stank face.

Hmm, now that I'm typing this up I realize I didn't ask my co-worker how her event planning is going (I think it happens at the end of the month. . .I'm not planning to attend, making something for one of the raffle baskets gets me out of having to actually GO, which pleases me immensely.)

I've been up to other shenanigans, too.  Let me just type those posts up now.  Give me a sec.

I'm still making stuff. . .wanna see?

Know why I've been neglecting this blog?  Instagram.  It's all Instagram's fault.  That and being lazy.  Instagram rewards my lazy self because I can just post the pic right from my phone (right after I take it), give a little blurb, and done.

BUT. . .there is something fun about being able to really blabber about the stuff in a nice rambling blog post (and it's a slow day at work so I need to look busy).

It's been a few months and I'm still making stuff.  In fact, not having posted here in a while I realize I've churned out quite a bit lately.  Where to start?

Ok, let's start with the random things, mostly gifts for others.

GIFTS n'At

Guinea pig!  I've made two of these before.  This was a single pig made for a co-worker who was leaving for a new job.  She used to take us (meaning the office folks who were interested) to see the baby guinea pigs (in the labs) so she needed a guinea pig as a going away present, naturally.   (Ric Rac pattern used)

Let me just side bar, baby guinea pigs are just about the cutest little things I've ever seen.  They are born looking just like miniature versions of full grown GPs and they can eat sold food fresh out the womb (though they do nurse).  I so wanted to stuff one down my shirt and steal it but the workplace does frown on theft and my husband frowns on rodents as pets so. . .no baby GP for me.

Next up, a baby gift for my SIL (well, it may be a gift more for my SIL but it's under the guise of "for the baby". . .pishaw, that baby can share)

My sister-in-law likes her some Dr. Who and cats so. . .see this is why this gift is more for her than her baby.   (dolls and daydreams pattern used)

Speaking of. . .a new niece means the Bratling count (remember, Bratlings are all my husband's nieces/nephews) to FOUR.  Which means I have to come up with an official Bratling name for this new one.  Which meant I had to amend the Bratling naming scheme a tiny bit.

The new list:

OB1 :  aka The Original Bratling (the eldest)  formerly known as merely The Bratling until he was no longer the only one.

Her Royal Hind-Brat:  aka the first female bratling (second eldest of the group and formerly known as the She-Brat)  Play on Her Royal Highness (this child is a bit of a princess of her castle. . .in a not overly obnoxious way)

Wee-Brat:  also brother to OB1 (no name change yet, he's still little so no personality based name has emerged yet)

Ab-Brat-cadabra:  so named because she was late to her own birth, which leads me to believe this kid will like making an entrance (keep folks waiting!) so she has a "ta-da!" feel to her.  I was going to go with "Tardy-Brat" but that has negative implications with the expression "tard" and I don't like that for a number of reasons.  Ab-Brat-cadabra is also a little nod to this new she-brat's real name.

Blah blah. . .next up, a gift for OB1.

Back at christmas time, after being presented with the jigglypuff I made for him, I was informed by OB1 that the only pokemon he still needed for his collection was an oddish.  He instructed both me and his grandmother that we needed to get cracking on making this creature for him (hey, he is a brat after all).  Once I looked up what the hell an oddish was (and saw it was basically a ball with feet and leaf hair) I told OB1 that I'd see what could be done for his birthday (notice, no promises just a "might happen" type thing).   (original pattern based off a basic ball pattern I got via sweetbriar sisters baby bird pattern)

I'm happy to report oddish did happen before his birthday but he didn't get it until about a week later when I actually saw him (I don't see any of the bratlings much, which is fine with me. . .they are perfectly nice children but none of them live super close and I'm just not keen on taking vacation time just to hang out with a kid. . .sounds harsh but that's not my idea of a good time).

Oddish did have one design flaw which I'm fixing now.  I need to more firmly attach his leaf wig to his head.  OB1 (being a brat) was none too gently with oddish (swinging him by the leaf hair) and the hair came lose.  My design flaw, I should have remembered my target audience here.  So I just need to stitch the hair on a bit more firmly (using a button to anchor the stitching at the bottom of his body then running the thread up through the body AND putting a few stitches directly in the leaves to the top of the head).

Despite the design flaw, oddish was well received (if being flung about a desolate mall is to be considered "well received" which in the case of OB1 I'd say is a big yes).  I was happy with how he turned out so that's all that really matters.

Next up:

SWAPS

Some patches

I'm doing a color series of patch swaps on swapbot and these are the orange and red rounds.  I missed the yellow round (oops!) but plan to keep up with the series.

And I did a pincushion swap:

I re-purposed some shopkin packaging (they come in baskets/boxes like these) to make a pair of pin cushions for the swap and one for me.  I kept the pumpkin.  I had the idea to make a pin cushion out of it for a while but just never did it.  So this swap was good to get me to do that.  They turned out really nice, so I was very pleased.

Then, I did a doll swap.

We were to use an existing pattern (cupcake doll pattern) and make a doll based on what our partner requested.  My partner wanted Stevonnie, a character from Steven Universe.  It's a cartoon I'm not familiar with but google can solve that problem lickety split.  S/he (Stevonnie is a combination of a male character and a female character, so s/he has no one gender) turned out VERY well and was a big hit with my partner.

PAINTING

Finished my first octopus painting.  I'm very pleased with it.

Then I started (and I think might be finished with) this canvas.

 It's just a fun little abstract (that looks really bad in this pic, I swear it's more fun in person).  I just needed something fast (this only took about three classes, which is break neck speed for me when it comes to painting) before I moved on to my next (and much bigger) canvas.

I just started this one last class.  It's another octopus themed piece.  I like how it's looking already but I know I'll get to a stage where I think it's a flaming sack of dog crap.  That's how painting works for me, each canvas has to go through a cycle.  First is excitement to start (with a bit of trepidation).  Then wondering if you did it right (that's where this new canvas is currently heading. . .where I'm trying to figure out if I have everything drawn out so it will look ok at the end).  Then hating everything about it (aka the cursing stage).  Then kind of liking it but not sure if it's really that good.  Then realizing it's done and it doesn't matter, it's done and you made it and that's that.

Speaking of painting, I definitely have my favorites and some I actively despise.  And a whole bunch that I'm just "meh" about.  They are not like your children.  Or maybe they are!  I don't have kids (and this is one of the many reasons I don't. . .I'd feel so bad if after it was all said and done I loved the kid but I found their personality was just not compatible with mine and I thought they were just kind of a dick or a bore or something negative. . .I know that totally happens but I just don't want to deal with that).

Ok, I'm ending this post here because I want to make separate posts for the QUILT I made and for the Fluff stuff that's been finished.  

2017: January Recap

I realized I haven't posted anything from what I've been up to for January.

I did set myself some creative/crafty goals:

1.  5 Fluff tems per month (minimum)

2.  5 Mirabel items per month (minimum)

3.  Try something new (new pattern, block, something)

4.  Make a quilt top

1-3 will be something I do every month.  Number 4 is something I'd like to be able to do but I'm willing to admit that sometimes that one just might not work out (because some tops are time consuming, etc).  And I want to not just make the tops but finish them (by years end) so I won't be making 12 tops this year.  Right now my quilting goals are set at three/four finished quilts.  One is a top I already have done, two are tops I want to make, and one is a baby gift.  I think that's a reasonable goal for the year.

But anyway, what did I get up to for January?

First, Fluff and Mirabel:

That there is a dozen seahorses.  Six for each cause.  It got these done early and am already working on February's items (that will be at the end of the post).

For the "try something new" I suppose I have THREE things for the month (just got lucky).  In no particular order:

Pussy hat!  Had to get my Women's March on and when I realized I had left over pink fleece (from making the jigglypuff doll) I figured why not?  It took just about an hour start to finish (and by start that means getting the fabric from the craft room and cutting out the pattern).  Pattern is HERE.

Then, I also tested two patterns for Sweetbriar Sisters.  (really, get on their pattern tester list, it's good stuff).

Hmm, is that an egg?

It's unzipping. .. what's inside?

Welcome to the world!  Come on out.

Zipper egg and little bird.

The zipper egg was kind of a pain in the ass to make.  Not a total pain in the ass but more of a pain then I thought it would be and it's not going to work out as something I can "mass produce" for charity (too labor intensive).  BUT, it's not the fault of the pattern.  The pattern made it easy to do and I got very good results from my first go around.

The only real "problem" with the pattern is the bird just barely fits in the egg.  They noted they could resize the bird but honestly I'd prefer they make the egg larger.  The bird is a good size.  Small but not so small it's hard to work with.

Close up of the bird.  His beak is a little crooked but still within "acceptable to donate to charity" range.  BUT. . .I might just keep him and his egg since the egg was such a bother I think of it like my reward.

How cute is that fabric?  Feather print for the win!

What else. . .what else. . .OH, quilting. .

The top I'm working on is a cat face block (check out Stash Bee blog for a ton of fun blocks. .. that's where this one came to my attention).  As of this writing, the top is NOT done.  All the blocks (like pictured) are done and I have 30.  So a nice even number to use for a quilt (5 across, 6 down).  I need to put sashing strips between each to make the rows and then I think I'm going to do a type of "quilt as you go" technique to finish the top and the whole damn quilt at one time.

I've made a "strip as you go" quilt before (where you sew strips down to the backing/batting so the quilt top is sewn together right onto the batting and backing in one go) and I think this method will work for this quilt.  I made a tester (from two spare faces) to check my hypothesis.

(enlarged that bad boy a lot)

Don't mind how wonky it is, I was not trying for perfection (and if you look close you'll see the one of the side sashes is sewn on wrong side up!).  I started by sewing down the top sashing (sized to the width of the cat face block).  Then I sewed the first cat face block on (face down on the sandwich, then flip it right side up). then the middle sashing (I pieced together scraps!), then the next face, and finally the bottom sashing.  Then I put on the side sashings, trimmed the batting and rolled the backing fabric to the front for binding.  For just being a tester piece, it turned out well (meaning it worked like I wanted it to).  I think I'm going to just go balls out and try making the quilt this way.  Worst case scenario, it will be a train wreck.  BUT, it will count as a "try something new" so it won't be a total loss, right?

So I just need to finish up this top (hopefully as a full quilt) and then I'll move on to either another top for myself or the baby quilt I need to make (by May/June).

What's am I up to now?

February's charity sewing is already in full swing.  It's snails!  I think there are 14 or 16 or something like that (I forget now exactly how many).  OH, and for March I'm going to add a third charity to the mix (more on that another time, gotta get those snails done first. . .I'm so bad at having tons of projects started at once so I have to stay focused or nothing will get done).

AND. . .I haven't stopped painting.  Now, I only paint 3 ish hours a week (for 6 weeks or so at a time. . .like a school semester) so I'm not really whipping out the finished canvases.  I did finally finish the chameleon set (which I gifted to my mother, who requested a painting. . .any painting. . .for Christmas. . .I'd never force my paintings on anyone, they aren't really that great in general. . .total rookie stuff).

ANYWAY, this is the canvas I'm working on now.

Octopus!  This is how it looks RIGHT NOW.  But I have painting tonight, so maybe. . .just maybe. . it'll be almost done after that (it's very close now. . .I'm trying to not go for "perfection" with my paintings so I can enjoy getting more actually FINISHED. . .this one is at the point where I'm starting to think about what my next canvas will be, so that means it's almost done).

(shout out to my hubby who's photobombing there in the background. . .woot! hey hubby!)

I'm aiming to make February as productive as January and I'm off to a good start!

Fluff Project and some swaps

I haven't had many finishes to show off here lately.  I share in progress pics of things on instagram.  I also haven't done any swaps in so long but I just did three right in a row so now I finally have something to show off.

Swaps first!

First one was for a Junker Jane style doll.

While you're allowed to make whatever you want, this swap did ask folks to mention if the preferred "creepy" or "cute".  My partner was cool with either one so I did my best to lean on the creepy side.

And this happened:

It may be a bit too subtle, but I had a definite intention with this doll.  Since I was aiming for "creepy" I grabbed the low hanging fruit that is T***p (yes, I'm editing that word because I don't even like to think it let alone type it or say it. . .vulgar word that it is).  This doll is a cross between T***p and that racist frog cartoon (P**e, again, censoring the word because I don't want to be associated with it in any way).  But I did want it to be subtle, too, since I don't know the person it was going to and didn't want to get them all riled up should they be a T supporter.  I'm very pleased with how it turned out.  I think it's creepy without being repulsive and it's just a wee bit whimsical (I won't say "cute" since I know what I was going for and I'd never use "cute" to describe that waste of human flesh or that cartoon character).

Orange skin frog shaped creature in a blue suit, forked lying tongue hanging out of its creepy slit of a mouth.  Dead, black eyes, narrowed in a hateful glare, surrounded by large white circles.  Head of unruly fake looking hair.

Yup, I think I nailed it.

And as if that's not enough, after you handle the doll a bit you just want to wash your hands.  The blue dye on the fabric does come off on your hands (that wasn't part of my original plan, but I did appreciate the irony after the fact).

I was tempted to make the hands super tiny but instead I went a tiny bit more subtle with:

Gold cape.  I mean, come on.  You know if he could get away with wearing a gold cape (a la the wrestling foolishness he used to participate in) he totally would.  And, I could make the cape without having to do a damn thing.  The piece of fabric was already cut in a cape like shape so I just had to sew it to the shoulders.  Doing minimal work, that fits with the theme too!  Go me!

I haven't been rated for the junker jane doll yet so I'm hoping it's just a matter of the recipient being busy and not that they got my joke and were all butthurt over it.  Honestly, too fucking bad if they are.  I made a damn cool junker jane style doll and sent it on time so. . .

Now, a palate cleanser (not that I despise that JJ doll. . .I love it and kind of wanted to keep it but it really does need to go out into the world).

Ok, palate cleanser.

This swap was for either a doll in a costume or an animal in clothing.  I went with animal in clothing.

Polar bear in a tutu and crown, to be specific.

I really wanted to put her in a bikini but after she was all sewn up it just wouldn't work.  There wasn't enough room on the chest for a decent looking bra top and this bear has some serious booty.  So tutu it was.

(side note, the minute I started working with the tulle Gene was up in my grill trying to eat it.  That cat is obsessed with tulle.  Not exaggerating, I couldn't even turn my back on the tulle or he as leaning in trying to bite it).  The wee crown is removable (but not the tutu, that sucker is tied to her waist).

I had the same partner for the tutu bear and another swap for amigurumi fruit/veggie.  So this was the full swap package:

I went super lazy and just gave her one of my sweet pickles.  I managed to get 21 pickles out of the piece of fabric I bought just to make them, so it seemed like it was meant to be.  Then I was left with 10 for fluff and 10 for mirabel.

Speaking of fluff and pickles:

I mailed the bag of 10 to Kristy at the same time I was mailing the swaps.

I also sent her a second bag of goodies:

5 spiders, 2 crabs, 1 chameleon, and 3 zip pouches.

So, 21 more items mailed off to fluff.

As of this post, I have mailed off 41 items to Fluff for 2016.

Waiting to be mailed I have:  5 cats, 5 puppies, 5 ghosts, 4 mama/baby sets, 2 pigs

Still being sewn I have:  3 rabbits, 6 deer

So, if my math is correct, after I get everything in progress done, I'll have 71 items for Fluff (for 2016)

Fluff had to take a short back seat for some Christmas sewing I'm doing.  I'm about half done with that so I'll finish up Fluff sewing right after that.

The Mirabel total might be slightly smaller than that only because I pull 5 for Fluff first for each item I mass produce.  I try to make 10 of each item but sometimes I don't have fabrics that work to make 10 total.  That happened with the Ewoks (I pulled a few of those to give as a gift, so I ended up with less than 10) and the crabs.  Occasionally Mirabel will get more of an item than Fluff, too.  With the crabs, I think Mirabel got more because I was trying to round out the 3 pouches (so added 2 crabs to it to make 5 items, since I still think in "5/month" when it comes to making and didn't feel like making more pouches).

Man, I have to get those damn deer finished.  It's not that I don't want to make them, it's just that more interesting projects came along.  I still need to do faces on them, baste limbs, turn and baste ears/antlers, and then assemble (I might have to put tails on, too, but I think I got that done).  It's just so many steps with that pattern (not hard, just kind of boring).

I'll have all Fluff and Mirabel items mailed out by Mirabel's deadline.  Then I'm going to focus on making sure I get each month done during the actual month so I can have some time for sewing things just for me (I have some quilts I want to make!).

2015 Fluff Project Goal: MET!!

I just wanted to make this official (even though I know I showed these items off before).

I MET MY 2015 FLUFF PROJECT YEARLY GOAL

I set out to make a minimum of 5 items each month and a week ago (or so) I mailed out two bags of items which marked the completion of my 2015 bare minimum goal.

I got back up mailing stuff out but those two pics show my quota (plus a few extras) for September, October, November, and December.

I feel like I cheated for December because I made the pickles and they were SUPER easy, so I'm working on a few more (more involved) items for December.  I have three gingerbread men in progress right now so I want to (at bare minimum) get them done by the end of the year.  Then I'm going to make a Fluff Project year in review post and give a grand total (I know it's over quota a bit but not a ton).

I'm also hoping to get a few of the Ric Rac guinea pig pattern guinea pigs done for Fluff for December, too.  I'm set to make a pair for my friend's girls but if the pattern proves too fussy, I'm not going to push to get some made for Fluff (for this year).  I'll save the pattern and make a few for Fluff next year.

I have so many patterns I want to get to making, I'll have plenty to keep me busy for 2016.  (lots of Dolls and Daydreams patterns. . .they just had a sale and I snagged three more patterns from that).

2015 Softies for Mirabel: FINISHED

I mailed them out this morning and had been showing them off as I went (on instagram @madameugly) so now I'm making one big fat post about them.

THIRTY FIVE items.

Yes, I'm totally bragging and I don't care.  I'm damn proud that I set myself to producing a nice amount of toys (didn't set a number but I wanted it to be at least double digits) and I met it.  I treated this like a job but not in the boring torture yourself sense of the word and just LOOK what I was able to do.  Totally showed me how much time I piss away sitting in front of the t.v. (and this did not impact my t.v. watching at all, I still sat on my fat ass and watched a ton of t.v. but not quite as much as I normally do).

Ok, we need detailed pics.

12 snails.

I've made this pattern before for the Fluff Project (and might have even shown these off here as an in-progress pic).  The pattern is a free one I found online and I just picked through my stash to find the cutest fabrics (most of which were scrap sized).  This pattern is SUPER easy even though it looks fussy (the eye horns look tricky but really aren't, though you do need to go super slow when you sew them. . .I even turn the sewing machine wheel by hand for them just so they turn out really nice).  My biggest tip for this pattern?  DO NOT cut out both pieces (for body and shell) and then try to sew them together.  Trace the pattern once and then sew on the line (into two layers of right sides facing fabric).  Then cut out the sewn fabric (with pinking shears).  It's really the only way to do those eye horns and get a nice curl on the shell.  Also, leave extra on the opening of the shell.  You can always fold it up inside and crease it with your fingernail so you get a nice edge to do your ladder stitch.

7 pickles.

Only six are pictured since I'm recycling a photo.  I made 13 of these total and split them between Fluff and Mirabel (with mirabel getting the "test" one that turned out perfect).  I used fleece for these, the fleece that has the little raised fuzzy bumps.  I got it from the remnant bin.  The pattern is a free one from Abby Glassenberg (I used three of her patterns for this box of softies).  The original pattern is calls for felt for the body and french knots for the bumps (and felt eyes).  I used really small safety eyes instead and they fit perfectly.  BUT, I advise you put them on after you sew the pickle.  That's kind of backwards for safety eyes, but you have to put them close to the seam and trying to sew the seam with the eye stems all poking up is annoying (I had that problem when I was making the shark pattern I made for Fluff. . and it's not that hard to put the eyes in after you sew the item but before you stuff).

5 bacon and 5 eggs.

Nothing new here.  I made these for Fluff and they aren't that hard to make at all (I'm working on a tutorial for it. . .have the pics ready just need to type it up).  I hesitate to even use the word "pattern" because it's THAT easy (and there really aren't any pre-made pattern pieces, you can make the pattern pieces yourself then make the toys. . .it's stupid simple in that "holy crap, how dumb is that!" way).

3 crabbies.  That's an Abby Glassenberg pattern (and a recycled pic from the ones I made for Fluff. . .I used up all of that fabric making crabs or I would have made more than three for Mirabel.. .that pattern is easy and turns out a GREAT finished item, I used cottons instead of fleece with zero issues)

2 jellyfish

I made one of these for a swap before and (again) they are stupid simple.  They look like an Abby Glassenberg pattern but they aren't.  There's really no true pattern for these, either.  Just trace something that's circular (top pieces is about an inch larger than the bottom) and assemble.  They only tricky part is dealing with the tentacles.  I totally ran one over while sewing the side seam and had to fix it.  Annoyed the crap out of me.  Big tip for these is to put the eyes in after you sew them and before you stuff.  You don't "sew then turn" these so the eyes would totally be in the way as you're trying to ease the two different sized circles together while sewing (oh, and use a ballpoint needle and zig zag stitch when working with fleece).

1 flying squirrel.

Yup, totally an Abby Glassenberg free pattern (made for Wild Olive).  This is a simple pattern but pay attention when doing the ears (to make sure you put them in the correct direction) and be careful when you get to where the feet are.  I basted the feet to the body fabric but still accidentally caught the side of the paws (two different ones) in the seam and had to pick it out and fix it.  Not a huge deal to fix but annoying (the feet are felt so totally forgiving when it comes to picking out stitches).  I used a rather slick minky/low pile faux fur for this which was annoying but made for a kick ass cute finished product (so it was worth it).  OH, watch the grain of your fabric with this, too.  You could totally eff up the tail if you didn't mind the grain (the tail shape curves a lot).  Thankfully with the faux fur there was a lay to the hair so I had to cut a certain way which matched the least amount of stretch on the fabric.  (that's another thing I dislike about faux fur. . .you have to mind the pile).

I mailed this bunch out priority mail so they should totally make their destination in time (they need to be there by Saturday so I'm confident they'll make it with a bit of time to spare).

HUGE thank you to Spoonflower for taking the donations.  There is no way I could have mailed 35 stuffed toys to Australia for $12-ish (don't remember the exact total, but my whole postage bill for that trip was $25 and I had this box and three big bag style envelopes, one of which went priority as well).

For a Swap: Adventure Time Swag

I loved this swap so much.  It was "craft your fandom" where you had to make three items (your choice) from your partner's chosen fandom.

I got lucky in two regards.  One, I got Suzanne who I love making things for (and getting things from) and she picked Adventure Time.  Originally she had listed "Lost" but she changed it before the swap closed.  I could have pulled off "Lost" but it wouldn't have been as easy as Adventure Time.  Granted, I've never watched even a second of Adventure Time (still haven't even after this) but I know (in a roundabout way) what it is and all that.  And, for crafting purposes, it's easy to do.  It's very 2D in its look which makes it easier to craft.  And there are a buttload of characters to pick from (bonus!).

That there is the whole shebang (and my cluttered ass work area--I have craft ADD and like a bit of mess around me when I'm working--same with my desk at work, too.  Piles are comforting!)

We had to make three items that took at least an hour each to make (so no slap dash junk).  Our partner couldn't chime in with their favorite character or request any particular thing.  Well, unless you were stumped and needed some help (because the fandom just wouldn't give you any ideas).

I decided to make a fabric shopping bag as an extra item mostly because I had a Joanne Fabric's coupon so the fabric was a steal.  And it's cute as hell (and those bags are so sinfully easy my lazy butt was all about it).

The other items took a bit longer to do.

Peppermint butler paper mache box, snail pin, and Shelby stuffie.

The box took the longest only because I had to put a ton of coats of paint on it.  Ok, not TONS but quite a few so that damn paper mache wouldn't show through.  But it was acrylic paint so it dried fast enough (but I had to stash the box in a cupboard so my cats wouldn't get up on the table and neb at it and get hair all stuck in the paint--that was really my biggest concern).

The white and blue are acrylic paint.  The red and black are oil based paint pens which made the whole process SO much easier.  Paint pens for the WIN!

Snail pin (in felt).

This was so easy once I just sat down to do it.  I just got an image from a google search and cut out each color section (body and shell) then added the embroidery to each part.  Sew a safety pin to the back of the backing felt, then glue the snail parts down to the backing.  No joke, this really did take only slightly longer than an hour.  I was doubly lucky because I had just the right colors in my stash (and the pin).  (I used single strand floss for the embroidery since this is a small piece)

I've had Shelby done FOREVER.  I whipped him up almost immediately after partners were assigned and I knew I was doing Adventure Time.  I just googled it to get pics of different characters (beyond the boy and the dog and the rainbow unicorn and that cloud that you see everywhere on all the merchandise).  The minute I saw Shelby I knew I was making a stuffie of him.  WITH his priest collar.

I was tempted to make him with a removable butt/brother but I didn't feel like I could make the arms/legs on the butt/brother come out right.  But I do love that Shelby got his butt cut off and it came to life.  That's my kind of humor right there.

Shelby is made from felt with a pipe cleaner inside the stuffing so he's mildly bendable (meaning he's still smooshy and you can't curl him up super tight).  His priest collar is embroidered onto his body ring (what is that called on an earthworm. . .hold on, I'm going to google it. . .clitellum, it's a clitellum and it's used to make mucous that protects eggs. . .gross but fascinating and it's not lost on me that "clit" is in the name of this reproductive organ, just saying).

I got an itty bitty Shelby, in my hand.  I got an itty, bitty Shelby, in my hand.  I got an itty, bitty Shelby, in my hand.  I got a Shelby in my hand!

I'm mailing this whole lot out tomorrow (because it looks raining right now and I don't want to deal with that) before I begin my VACATION.  Oh yeah, week of vacation.  Time to get my beach on.  Oh, and I have a new phone with a greatly improved camera so maybe. . .just maybe. . .my pics won't be quite as craptacular.  Know what that means?  I might just do a TUTORIAL. . .yeah, I got that stuck in my craw and I've wanted to do one for a while now but the "crappy pics" thing was really a deal breaker but now that's resolved so. . .yeah, when I'm back from vacation I think I'm going to work up a tutorial for the bacon and egg stuffies I made for the Fluff Project.  How's that grab you?

Ok, I'm done.