Socktopus

The other night my mom's group did a craft/sewing night at the quilt shop. The socktopus was our project for the evening - isn't it cute?! It's very easy to make, you just need 2 pair of socks, (long or short), some stuffing and a ribbon to tie around the neck. You cut the socks in half down the middle (the middle of the sock if you had it on, not the sides - hope that makes sense!) Then you cut the tip of the toes off. You stitch one end, and stuff the socks, then stitch the other end closed. One sock you only cut 3/4 of the way down. The remaining end piece is the octopus head. You sew up both legs and leave an opening 1-2 inches below the head for stuffing. Then you put all of the leg ends into the hole below the head, hand stitch it closed, and tie a ribbon on the neck. I think it's better to embroider the face first before stuffing the head, so the knots don't show. I did it after it was all sewed up, and it still turned out ok, so either way is fine. You can also embroider a piece of felt for the face, add the cut off sock ends for a cap, and add leg warmers to the legs - the sky is the limit! I made this one for Sarah and she loves it! She drew a picture of the features and I copied it onto the face and embroidered them - fun!

"Hyacinth"

I finished #5 of the 10 outfits I need to take down to Shipwreck to sell. I'm half way there, wohoo!

Did you ever wonder how clothing patterns are made? If so, you get the "April" version of how it's done, right here on my blog. First, I get the measurements for the size I need, (in this case 3T), then I usually find a pattern similar to the one I want to create in the same size. Using the measurements and shoulder/under arm measurements from the pattern I pencil a rough sketch of the pattern out on newspaper - (see bottom pic.) I'm always sure to add in the seam allowance, and I pin the pattern together to make sure I have a good fit. Usually I end up altering the pattern about 3 times before I get it just right. That happened today, and I ended up needing to actually take the bodice of the dress in after I had sewn it. (I got to try the dress on Justin since he's a 3T, lucky guy! I was glad I had a model who was the size I needed today, that's a rarity!) This isn't ideal, and usually I'm able to get the measurements right when I make my pattern. Then, I add my embellishments, in this case pillow case lace and a vintage button. That's all there is to it, you should try it sometime! It's a fun process, and when you're done you have the satisfaction of knowing you designed your very own pattern.

"Hyacinth" Size 3T. Made from repro vintage fabric, vintage pillow case lace and a vintage flower button.

Bodice close up - The blue flower button is so sweet. (click on the pic to enlarge.)

Here's what I started out with today: repro vintage fabric, vintage pillow case lace and button, and a newspaper pattern.