Crafting Hope

Craft Hope, that wonderful organization that collects and distributes hand-made items to brighten the lives of those in need of hope, has just announced it's latest project:  Dolls, Animals, and Monsters. Oh My!

For this project they will be collecting handmade softies--dolls, animals, sock monkeys, monsters, you name it---for kids who live in the northeastern United States who experienced the recent devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy.

My first thought was, "Hey, I like to make stuffies!  I want to make some for them!"  My second thought was, "Hey, I have my own pattern that I can use to make the stuffies!"  That pattern is for the Mystery Critters, which I first showed you about a year ago.  Yesterday I got out my template and started sewing; these three little friends will soon be on their way to New Jersey!

They are pretty quick and easy to make, and you can put any kind of face on them you want.  I made mine without anything that could pull off or pose a choking hazard, so they will be appropriate for any age child. If you would like to make one or two or a dozen, click HERE to go to the pattern and tutorial.  I hope you will join me in spreading hope to those children.  All the information about the project and where to send completed stuffies can be found by clicking HERE.

Just as I was finishing these stuffies, I came across another fabulous stuffies-for-sharing project that I'm dying to tell you about...I just have to sew a few of them, then I'll get back to you with this new idea soon!

Update:  LimeRiot asked me how I sewed the critter's faces; that's such a good question I will answer it here.  The pattern for the Mystery Critters does not include the face (that's what makes it a mystery--it will look different for every crafter).  I made my faces by cutting a paper oval to use for a template, then ironing my good friend Heat n Bond Lite (the sew-through kind) to the back of the face fabric.  I traced the pattern onto the Heat n Bond, cut out the face, and ironed it onto the body.  Then, using a short and narrow zig-zag stitch, I machine-sewed all around the edges.  For the eyes and nose I used Heat n Bond Ultra Hold, which is not sew-able.  The mouth was hand-stitched with embroidery thread--that's why I had to use the LITE version of Heat n Bond for the face, so I could sew the mouth on.

A Different Kind of Stuffie

Every month on Craftster there is a Birthday Craft Swap; March was my birthday month, so I joined the swap!  Everyone who joined posted a list of things they would like to receive, and the other people in the swap could choose to craft anything on anyone's list.  The only requirement was that you "claim" at least one item to craft during the month.

I made two claims, and I've already shown you the pink and gray Kindle Cover.  The other thing I made was a little outside my comfort zone as far as style goes, but it was right up my alley in that it was a stuffed toy.  I present to you:  Octo-bear!

 Usually I go all uber-cute when I'm making stuffies, but this one wasn't for me, so I had to make it to my partner's liking.  She had a creature very much like this on her Pinterest, with a teddy-bear for the top part; I used my Mystery Critter pattern for that.  I gave it a zipper for a mouth to make it look scarier, but that wasn't quite enough, so as a final, touch I gave it the scowling eyebrows--THEN it had the proper demeanor!

I had some black and white checkerboard fleece that worked great for the legs; they are stuffed with fiberfil and have heavy wire all the way to the end so they can be posed any way.  Sewing the legs to the body turned out to be very simple (I had worried about it and thought it through a LOT!)  For the finishing touch, I tied a ribbon around it's neck with a key and a coin bearing the words "secret" and "unique". 

My partner said it was the best stuffie ever, so I guess I got it right!  I learned from this swap that I can be flexible with my style when I need to be--that's nice to know.

Happy Critters Toy Drop

I finally figured out what to do with these cute little stuffies I made as prototypes when I was designing the Mystery Critters pattern.  (The one on the left was my original idea; he morphed into the guy on the right.  Quite a change, isn't it?!)

The two above, as well as the three below (which were the "models" for the swap on Craftster) will soon be going to new homes, thanks to a group called The Toy Society. They encourage people to make toys and secretly "drop" them in public places, for anyone to claim and take home.

A few days ago I got an e-mail from my friend Diane, saying she had just seen a picture at The Toy Society of two stuffies someone had just "dropped" near the town where she lives.  The stuffies were made from my Mystery Critter pattern!  Of course I hurried to take a look, and I was instantly captivated by the idea.  Here's a quote from the website:

"The Toy Society is a craft/street art project spreading love throughout the streets of the world.  From Melbourne to Lisbon, Antwerp to Michigan and everywhere in between, The Toy Society is all about giving you a 'something for nothing' experience."  How cool is that!

To participate, you just go the www.thetoysociety.blogspot.com and register by submitting your name and e-mail address.  They will send you an e-mail which details how to do a toy drop.  On the website you can also see pictures of toys that have been "dropped", and  read about some of the toys that have been found.

I decided to give these critters a makeover--I switched their button eyes for safety eyes, so they would be ready for any child who finds them. (I just noticed that some of them still have a button on their bodies--don't worry, I will snip those off too!)

The Toy Society will give you links to print out the labels and letter that goes with each toy you drop.  You seal it all up in a zip-lock bag, and take it somewhere you think a child might find it.  I'm going to drop this one in a near-by park.

 The letter that accompanies the toy gives the website address, so if the finder wants to report the toy "found", they can.  This would be a great family activity!  My kids are in college now, so I guess I will do the toy drop by myself!

They have a special toy drop date just before Christmas, when they hope to have 300 toys dropped around the world.  I will save one or two of mine to drop that day, and then I will register them at the site.  I'll be sure to let you know if any of them are reported after they are found!