Monthly Archives: November 2015

Purple Bear

Following on from Leopard Bear, I had also bought 50cm of some longer pile fake fur – this had been sitting in a box for a few weeks, while I plucked up the courage to try cutting out the pattern pieces.

Purple-head

Rather than using the same pattern, I found a different one for this bear. The muzzle is longer (this one doesn’t have a chin), but I want to try something even more challenging for this bear – an open mouth! So far I have the head made and trimmed around the muzzle, in readiness for the lower jaw and nose.Once I’ve tackled that, I can add in his ears, then work on the paws!

purple-body

This fabric sheds even more than the black did, but I hope that once the bear is completely stitched up, that he won’t shed any further!

London Tourist Bag

I thought it was time I made myself another messenger bag, and I’m sure that Amber read my mind, as she posted a tutorial for a messenger bag with a zipped pocket.

tourist-bag-front

I wanted the fabric to be different to my previous bag, and this London map fabric stood out in the shop. The lining is a red polycotton, with some blue polycotton and piping around the edge of the flap.

I deviated from the pattern, and added a lining to the front flap pocket, so it doesn’t have any visible raw edges (and fraying ends). The red works brilliantly in there as well, and the pocket edges are just caught into the flap seams, so the pocket is full sized.

tourist-bag-zip

Because a map is obviously directional fabric, I did have to add a seam at the top so that the back and flap could both be the right way up. It was worth the extra figuring out though, as if the map was upside-down, it just wouldn’t have looked right!

tourist-bag-back

I think if I make another one like this though, I would probably change the front zip pocket slightly, and not have the zip reaching the end seams. That would give it a neater finish, and would also lose some of the bulk in the seams at that point.

Leopard Bear

I was browsing the shelves in the fabric shop and came across their small selection of fake fur fabric – it was black but with dark patches, almost like Leopard spots. I decided to take the plunge and buy 50cm to try making a jointed plushie…. my first time of using fake fur, and also the first time I’d ever even looked at bear joints!

Apart from the fur shedding everywhere, and the mistake of using black thread (have you ever tried unpicking black stitches from black fake fur fabric?), I think he came out pretty well! I didn’t trim the muzzle, so this particular bear has no nose…. but from a distance, you wouldn’t know 😉1

His eyes are a little lopsided, but that just gives him a cute, slightly quirky look.

2