Mini Turntables!

So I had this great idea after finishing my large turntables (see previous post). I thought it would be cool to make a smaller size and have changeable pieces. Originally I thought I would have different pieces for the eyes (record part), face and arms.

Well there were a couple things I realized during this project:

1. Fleece was a really bad choice for something this small and detailed. I plan to make another one but I am going to try with wool felt next time because I think it will stand up better to the necessary hand sewing and not stretch out as much. It was also really hard to make things match with the fleece.

2. Sometimes I am a little too ambitious with my pieces. I wanted to make these as something to list in my new Boom!Plush! shop but I was beginning to think I would have to charge a billion dollars for one if I made everything changeable. I had to settle for just the eyes and face being removable. Maybe if the next one goes faster I will add more pieces that can be changed.

A little about this guy; he measures about 8 x 3.5 x 1 inches big and is made of fleece and foam. The eyes and faces attach by Velcro and can be changed any which way. The eyes are non-pop safety eyes. I think I am still going to list this fella in my shop and hopefully the next one will be a little easier on me to make as well as a little better looking.

Now I am going to begin on the Plushteam July/August challenge which is VEGAS!! I am excited for what I have decided to do but you will have to wait and see because I never tell until I am done.

Boom!Plush! and Progress

Have you heard? I opened a new shop. It is called Boom!Plush! and you can find more info about it here on etsy. You will find lots of plushies I have been working on that don't fit into the BeBe Babies theme. I am working each day to come up with new creations as well as my first ever pattern so check back often.

Also during the next couple of months that I have off from school I plan to finish up projects that have been lying around. One of those projects is turntables that I started what seems like a lifetime ago (I actually just looked it up and it has been over a year...holy crap). I was never really happy with the first go around and was a little frustrated. Well it has sat around my craft room all these months doing stupid things like holding up backdrops and getting in my way. I wasn't happy with how the face was coming so I removed some things and started in again. This time around it is really starting to come together and I think I am in the home stretch. I ran out of black embroidery floss so I had to stop for the night. To read about the turntables in the beginning click here.

This is how it originally looked when I gave up.

And here is how it looks now!

Working on this project again has energized me. Mostly it is because I am also working on a boom box that has been frustrating me and forcing me to start over on things that don't look right. Switching to the turntables has reminded me about my own best advice which is to keep going until the piece is done. There will be bumps in the road and when there are it is best to set something aside and come back reenergized. So here are some pictures of the boom box and the plush cassettes that inspired it.

The tapes fit inside!

Much of this work will be posted to my new Etsy shop hopefully in the near future. I hope you like my new stuff!

Blog Bomb!

The Plush Team is celebrating the release of its 120-page team annual with a "blog bomb" of plushy goodness! Other team members will be advertising this fine publication today in their own blogs, but you can get the whole scoop right here!

What is in store for you upon opening this marvelous book?

• An opening by our team founder, Megan Green, describing how our team came to be.
• An insightful, informative, and all-around fascinating account of the history of plush craft by our team co-founder Christina Ward.
• 42 two-page, full color features of our Plush Team members. Each includes photos of the artist's work, and text written by the artist explaining motivation, process, and inspiration.
• A time line of Plush Team activities through over the years. Profile pages providing a comprehensive list of Plush Team artists, including artist head shots and Etsy shop addresses.
• Photos of PT Stitchy, the team mascot, scattered throughout the book in his various incarnations as interpreted by our team members.

The book is full color, professionally printed, and soft cover. It measures 6.75"x6.75" (or 17 centimeters square). This is volume 1 of our Team Annual, featuring the artists from 2009. Our intent is to make this a yearly publication, updating it each year with our newest members and their incredible work.

And here are my pages!

Progress!!

Here is a quick progress of my quilt. It is going well....definitely not perfect but I am happy with myself.

Quilting Class!

Sarah asked me a while back if I would be interested in taking a quilting class with her at this little fabric shop that is only about a block from my house. It is called Piece by Piece Fabrics and they have a great selection of cotton fabrics. I told her of course I would! People consider me a professional sewer and I get asked all the time for tips and advice but I usually have to admit that I do not know a thing about it! It's true! I don't follow patterns and mostly sew by trial and error. I tried to make a quilt once and my corners were so off it was a mess. Granted that was 10 years ago and long before I sewed for a living but I still remember it and think that experience adds to my reservations on my abilities. I have wanted to improve my sewing skills for a long time and this class seemed like a great chance.

We had to pick 4 fabrics for our quilt and here are three of mine.

Sarah and I went fabric shopping and I had a bunch of other fabrics picked out until I found the middle one. It has adorable foxes and squirrels on it in a fall motif. I couldn't resist so I stole a couple Sarah had already picked out for her quilt (sorry Sarah!). She ended up picking something totally different anyway so there.

The class is 3 hours each Sunday for 3 weeks. That seemed like a long time but our first class today went by so fast. I really like our teacher and look at my squares!!!!!

They aren't perfect but I am happy with them! I will be sure to post more progress pictures next week.

A Big Custom Bunny

A while back I was asked for a large bunny similar to the bunny series I did a few Easters ago (here, here and here). Well I finally finished her today and I think she is soooo cute. She is a whopping 27 inches from her foot to the tip of her ear and 19 inches from her foot to the top of her head. She is made from a pink cotton candy plush faux fur and her face is cotton. Her face is needle sculpted and her ears are wired so that they can be bent and posed. My previous bunnies were string jointed but this bunny is going to a kiddo so I decided to give her plastic safety joints. The joints are in her arms, legs and head. She is weighted a bit in her feet and tush so that she can sit pretty well. Her feet and hands are needle sculpted and shaded. Instead of making her a dress I put an adorable vintage dress on her. I am no seamstress and I thought an easily removable dress would be better for this girl. I hope her new momma likes her!