Aurora Jade Aranez arrived safely on the 22nd June, 2006 at 3:04am.
Here she is being adored by her big sister, Ava Sophia.
Due to this delightful bundle of joy, I will be on a blogging hiatus for the next week or so. Have a great week ahead!
Finally got around to completing the next batch of these little creatures. Introducing (from left to right), Saxon, Shadi and Seiko. Saxon has an elephant softie, Shadi has a horse softie, and Seiko is clutching a bunny softie.
Here are some individual shots.
You can view more photos of each (plus the other Shmerpi creatures already made) in a new Shmerpi Set that I’ve set up on Flickr. You can also see additional photos of each in my shop where they are currently available.
Thank you to Caitlyn and Michele on their comments on my post about Booties - I just realised that the title of that post could have been read in a very different way :-) Speaking of booties, check-out this lovely free bootie pattern being offered by Heather.
My plan for this weekend was to make more Shmerpi creatures - once again, thank you to all of you who have taken the time to leave such encouraging comments on these little softies! My To-Do list also contains more Chibi and Happy Chibi dolls, and some softies for some of my god-children. However, just the thought of having to hunch over a sewing machine at this point (I’m 38 weeks) causes me to make a hasty u-turn away from my little studio. My soon-to-arrive bub doesn’t seem to enjoy it much either - I’ve noticed that when I am on the sewing machine, the bub starts kicking and punching like crazy.
I’m still getting a kick out of working with fleece and thought some of the scraps would actually be put to good use as booties. I quickly sketched up a simple bootie pattern - 3 pieces per bootie: one for each side and a sole.
So here was the first try, with seams exposed (and zig-zag stitch).
A little wonky and holey in some places so I made a few adjustments to the pattern. This time I tried a blanket stitch and turned it inside out.
I think I’ve got the pattern working now so hopefully I can make a few more of each type - I like the exposed seam look (sort of reminds me of little Ugg boots). I’d like to try some matching little fleece caps too. It would also be a good idea to embellish them a little bit with felt appliques. Fleece works really well for booties - they’re so soft and stretchy.
These were quite relaxing to make actually - sitting in front of the TV, catching up on some movies, and getting some hand-stitching practice in as well. And the little bub didn’t complain one bit!
Thanks so much for all the great comments about my new fleece softies - such encouragement really goes a long way! They have certainly motivated and inspired me to make a few more while we patiently wait for Baby #2 to arrive. I finally came up with a name for them - a “Shmerpi“, somehow reflecting the fact that they are made from Sherpa Polar Fleece.
So here are the next 3 Shmerpi creatures, from left to right: Saffron, Sanjay, and Sachi.
And here are some close-ups of each. They all have their own softies to cuddle (a cat for Sachi, an owl for Saffron and a ball for Sanjay). Additional images are available in my Flickr Gallery.
I also whipped up a few tags. All three Sanjay the Shmerpi creature is now available in my shop. (The other 2 have now been sold - thnak you!)
I’ve also been meaning to make something as a thank you for a fellow craft blogger whose blog is the reason I started this crafting journey in the first place. I stumbled across her blog by mistake - I was looking for a duck-shaped birthday cake on Google and was directed to this great website. I flicked through her links and came across this website - which, most of you probably drop into on a regular basis.
Claire’s blog simply inspired me - not just her gorgeous softie creations but the way she weaved creativity into her (and her daughter’s) everyday life. I have never met her (even thought we live in the same city!) but she seems like a genuinely sweet and kind person and her blog continues to inspire me daily. If it weren’t for her blog, I wouldn’t have tried to make a softie for her Month of Softies meme, and I would never have discovered the joy of expressing my creativity through making handmade items, whether softies, collages, bags or pillows.
So here is Skylar the Shmerpi, soon to be on her way to the fabulous Loobylu, and hopefully Skylar will find a spot to settle into in the new nursery.
1st June marks the first day of winter in Australia. It also marks the start of the Guardian Angel Knitting Program (which runs until 31st August). This winter Guardian Pharmacies are encouraging knitters to make scarves and jumpers for the needy in Mongolia, which will be delivered by World Vision Australia. Go to the Guardian Angel website for more details and free patterns to download.
The last time I picked up knitting needles was 3 years ago and I produced a very wonky (and way too short) scarf! I’m hoping to somehow contribute to this worthy cause even if it takes me all winter to learn how to knit properly :-) If you’re a beginner knitter like me, you might want to drop into these knitting blogs for a good dose of inspiration:
