I have talked before about my love/obsession with the book Wee Wonderfuls-24 Dolls To Sew And Love by Hillary Lang. At some point, I will make everything in this book! So far, I am up to 4. Its a little slow going, but I will do them all, probably quite a few of them more than once... I have done Evelyn the Inchworm, Pixie, Koji (who I accidentally gave away before I took pictures of...he was made in orange felt in my version...I will get pictures of him to share one day, I swear!), and, most recently, I finished a lovely Patchwork Penny.
Here is Penny in the Wee Wonderfuls book:
I think this is actually my favorite photo from the book. I love her tiny sewing machine. What a sweet image!
Here is my Penny:
I love how the author of Wee Wonderfuls breaks everything down into easy steps. I really think you could do her dolls with a child, but its still a great book for adults to make lovely soft toys with.
The one thing I wish I would have done differently is the face layout. Penny's face in the book is cute, so I am not sure if I fudged the template a little, or if its the light blue button color that makes the face not look as grounded as I would like. I followed the template for the face that's in the book, but if I would have had more time, (I made this in a rush for my mom over the course of two nights after work) I would have made some alterations to the face.
I usually always alter something in the patterns I follow, and if its a soft toy, its often times the face. Even if I do a repeat pattern, the face is rarely done the same way. I don't know if its the different colors, or if its the tiny differences between one cutting and another, but I think the toys have something going on that tells you what looks just right verses what's only ok. So Penny may be my first repeat pattern in the Wee Wonderfuls book...I do have a new niece on the way, so I have some sewing to do anyway. And Penny is such an happy little doll that I think any kiddo would like her!
I was a little naughty and am currently waiting on three new (or new to me, I should say) books, all about soft toy design. They should be in before the end of the month, and I am super excited to learn! The amazing time I am having between the Wee Wonderfuls book and a great blog I recently discovered called whileshenaps.typepad.com, has inspired me to do my own tinkering about with soft toy design. The blog I just mentioned has a really interesting series of posts concerning soft toy design, and I think it would be a really good starting point for a beginner to see if they would like designing their own creations without spending a lot of money on books and such! A little thrift never hurt anybody, even a craft acquiring junky like me!
While I sit here in eager anticipation of my recent booky purchases, I am thinking I may need to bid you adieu and start a new little Wee Wonderful named Katie Kitty...
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