Squiddly Prototype

So a while back I doodled a cute little guy absent-mindly.  He looks sort of like a squid-monster thing.  I was really fond of him, so I tore him off whatever scrap piece of paper I had been drawing on and saved him, not sure exactly what I'd be doing with him.


Several days ago, I decided to sketch him out bigger into a test pattern for a plush.  He actually went pretty well, but I'll probably revise the pattern some to make his arms/legs/tentacles thicker. They ended up being skinnier than I thought. I always forget that when working with fleece, I need to go larger than I normally do.

So here's his little prototype:

I also think I'm going to make a slit in his back to stuff him, so I can make sure the crown of his head is smooth and less bumpy.  I may also add some polka dots. This little guy is currently for sale at The Soundry.


Now that I'm back from my mini-vacation visiting one of my sisters and my nephews, I need to get crackin' on the holiday items. Both for my gift-giving and for selling.

Commissions and Christmas

Yes, its already time to start thinking about Xmas.  Especially when most of the gifts and goodies you've planned are handmade.

I'll be visiting my sister and her husband, and my nephews this weekend.  We're going to have some Xmas Crafty Time, since I think its something that they really haven't gotten the chance to do much of in the past. I figured I'd whip up some patterns and we'd make some cute felt ornaments, as well as make them each an ornament with their name and birth year on it (sort of a tradition in our household).

Speaking of ornaments, I'm working on creating a line of ornaments to put out for sale both at the Soundry, and online in my Etsy shop. More on that later.

Besides ornaments, I'm diligently working on making and finishing crochet afghans for my parents. I just learned to crochet a few months back at the Maker Faire in Brooklyn New York. I started work on an afghan for myself soon after, and decided it would be a great present for my parents.  They are both older so its hard to pick presents for them, as they do not use any kind of gadgets (they still have a rotary dial phone line) and aren't very materialistic. They also don't like it when we buy them stuff, because they feel we shouldn't have to. But, super cozy afghans that I made, that I'm sure they will like.

In addition to all the Xmas projects I have in my crafty queue, I also have a couple of commissions on the horizon. A friend asked me if I'd be able to make a custom plush based off a made for tv horror movie for him to give to his gf. I just finished up the sketches this weekend.  Also, some of my coworkers saw the plush girls I was dropping off at the Soundry and asked about getting some custom ones made as presents for friends.

Looks like I'll need to stay organized and on task through the holidays!

Etsy shop open!

Yup, that's right!  I finally got my Etsy shop started.  I'm so excited. There are only a few items in the shop at the moment, but look for it to grow over the next couple of weeks. As well as finishing up some more plush and artwork, I'm brainstorming on Christmas ideas.

But that's only part one of my exciting craft news. Part two is that I've joined The Soundry! The Soundry is a local (to me) multipurpose space. One part art/craft studio, one part musical rehearsal space, one part performing space, and one part coffee shop. Its the only space in the area that has so much happening in one location.  I can't wait to meet some of the other artists and crafters, as well as use some of the studio's equipment.  I'm particularly excited about experimenting with silk-screening thanks to their screen press. On, and to top it off, I'll have some of my plush and other goods for sale in their boutique (oops, its also one part boutique. Is that 5 parts now? anyway...).  Beginning this week, I'll have some of my items available for sale there.  Neato! Also, if I ever wanted to teach a class on something, I could do that there too! I really can't say enough about how excited I am about this place, and finally becoming a member.

I also plan to participate in some of their monthly craft shows. I've been wanting to for a while, but some other things have been popping up keeping me from being able too. I'll keep everyone updated on when I'll be there in case anyone wants to stop by and say hello.