sea, see, si!
Squid toy for a certain black cat living on the opposite side of the country. I’ve made toys for cats before. Feltsies – stuffed to the gills with catnip. I am going to guess that they didn’t last very long. I’m hoping the tentacles will provide enough entertainment that the squid’s body will remain intact. Nothing but recycled plastic bags fill the body. Sewing the tentacles proved to be more tricky than I anticipated. But, I succeeded!
Tentacles are about 8″ long and body is about 6″ long. I was thinking about doing some sort of glitter effect all over the body but it’s for a CAT. I don’t want the poor kitty getting glitter tongue and sparkly hairballs.
Details of body and tentacles. I can’t remember if squid have the rectangular irises or if it’s just octopuses and cuttlefishies. 
I’m bad. I could look it up, but I already made the little guy.
Along with the squid, came Narwhal Two.
I’ve decided that the best way to make the tusk is to sew it the same way I did with Narwhal One and use a pipe cleaner inside to keep the tusk stable and sharp! READY FOR ICE BREAKING ACTION!
Oh man.. I’m getting ambitious thinking I could make an entire pod…
clammy clogs and calamities
Our first full-length stop animation movie:
pod beginnings..
Five more patterns, five more sets of narwhal bodies. I need to buy more stuffing because all my stash of recyclable stuffing has been depleted! Also need more grey felt. I’m a bit anxious to get these all sewn, but first, tusk trials. I was having all kinds of crazy thoughts about how they should be constructed. I definitely need some sort of tusky skeleton inside the felt. I was thinking about using a thick paper board, but then I was thinking maybe even a small wooden rod would work. Will have to see what will work best with the curly effect that I really like now.
Oh hello Narwhal
The holidays always inspire me to start making stuff. This year, I forewent crocheting snowflakes, like I did last year, so I will be BAKING this year. Holy cow. We’ll see how that goes. Coconut macaroons and peppermint bark. I was thinking about making some sort of ornament, and turn it into a yearly thing – but honestly, I haven’t been feeling very motivated to sit and craft for hours.
Today, however, I did make a second narwhal. After digging through my drawer of dolls yesterday, I decided that felt would be the perfect material to use and I like the way it came out. I have to say, working with felt made me feel right at home. I’m really having trouble with the tusk. I think what I will do is try a few more different styles of tusks before I continue with the entire pod. I’m quite happy with how closely the doll resembles my drawings. That pleases me the most.
sea creature creations
In following the sea theme that keeps popping up in my drawings lately, I promised to make the following dolls for upcoming movies:
- Wimpy the Whale
- Narwhals
- Sleepy Octopie
- Octobat
And I probably have to make another Quadropus as the one that was given away as a gift will never resurface again…
narwhal trial #1
Yesterday, I decided to start on a project I had been talking about for a while. I can’t say I was prepared to make a narwhal, because I was feeling mentally frustrated. I cut a pattern, chose fabric, cut and started to thread my needle. I should’ve stopped there. As I was threading my needle, I somehow made a tiny knot in the thread and couldn’t get it out. Instead of cutting the thread and starting all over, I barreled through it and started sewing. By the time it was ready for tusk attachment, the narwhal had taken on life and I couldn’t stop even though I knew it wasn’t going to be what I wanted. Half an hour later, in a fit of madness, I pulled so hard on a stitch that the thread busted and I was done.
I’ve learned my lesson. Do not force myself to make stuff just because an idea’s been sitting in my head for a while. It’s okay for things to marinate. However, in this attempt, I’ve learned things for the next time I try making a narwhal.
He still looks pretty happy too.
Marcel
Fashion guru of the Seafarers, Marcel has been trained and worked with the best in the industry. Always on top of the latest haute couture, he spends his days on land photographing the best dressed of the seaside.
Captain Shark Bait so admires Marcel’s work that he set aside a private room in the quarterdeck for Marcel to sew and design to his heart’s content.
Sheldon
To say Sheldon is a genius inventor would be a gross understatement. He is fluent in 9 languages, including dolphin, won his first science fair at age 4 months and continues to amaze his fellow Seafarers with his ingenious mechanical creations. His recent project, labeled 8 Arms of Love is a robotic octopus which helps other octopuses find love under the sea.
Gustavo
Pensive Gustavo. He spends his days standing at the rail, watching the sea, daydreaming about life on land and his favourite thing of all, laps. If he wasn’t born a Seafarer, he’d be perfectly happy as a lap creature. He enjoys snuggling in laps on airplanes, on the couch, and most of all, during car rides.
Chapman
Chapman joins the Seafarers as not only a skilled fisherman, but also their deck engineer. Flexible and able to perform under pressure, he is often called upon to make repairs in the most precarious of situations.
Rene, Sommelier
Rene is the Seafarers resident sommelier. He is often found throughout France and Oregon looking for the best wines to serve the crew on their nights off. He has a penchant for cummerbunds and fancy dancing.
the scholar
What can I say? Today’s been productive and fun.
The Scholar (aka Theodor) is an avid collector of antique eyeglasses, thimbles and cocoons. He provides the Seafarers with a wealth of oceanic knowledge and can quote philosophical writings of Lao Tzu, Socrates, Jung, Descartes, Nietzsche, Sartre, the list goes on and on (so do his rants and raves).
p.s. Glasses are removable and made of cardstock.
docksider bebe
Docksider Bebe is my foray into the world of making baby safe dolls. This doll does not have any small plastic buttons/parts and it has been reinforced with double stitching to avoid a toothy (human) baby from busting open the doll and eating its fabric contents.
trevor
After talking to Emily yesterday about handmade labels, I decided to give it another go today. I created Trevor, who is an avid skateboarder and glass enthusiast. His latest project is working on a see-through board which he would market as “Sweet Crystal!”. The label is made from a cut up tee shirt with “bee & bean” written with a Sharpie marker. Every doll will have its own unique tag which I think is more attractive and charming than mass produced tags, if I do say so myself.
My favourite part of making dolls besides coming up with the design is when I’m finished sewing them, and I get to flip them inside out – or right side out – and see the little dude almost finished. It’s a great feeling of accomplishment.
In a week or so, I’ll be shipping most of the newer dolls to Portland. Emily (I’ll be there telepathically) will be selling our dolls at Last Thursday on Alberta Street in Portland. Very excited to finally get some publicity and hopefully people will come out and support us!
monster monday
Brian.
He’s made of black corduroy which befits him as he’s a prep. Joining the Seafarers as their in-house cartographer, he keeps compasses and mechanical pencils in his back pockets.
Also experimenting with tag placement with a makeshift label I haphazardly made using a shirt sleeve and & Sharpie marker.
the scientist
The Scientist is part of our Seafarers collection. I created him to assist in the studies of marine creatures and to aid in the health of all Seafarers as he is not only a scientist but a veterinarian and neurosurgeon.
cap’n shark bait
Captain Shark Bait is the main dude of the Seafarers collection. He lost his eye whilst battling megalodon for a sea scallop. He managed to escape with his life, and megalodon’s baby tooth.
beardy
Sometimes, Seafarers don’t know when to say when. This is the tragic case of Beardy. Usually found in back alleys amongst last night’s rubbish or getting sloshed at Bear’s Bar, Beardy is a Seafarer that hasn’t fared very well these days.
detail of bear the bartender bear
Bear (quite popular with the ladies) is the bartender our Seafarers rely on for keeping them well hydrated and safe from harm. Along with being a smashing bartender, he owns a fleet of pedicabs run by a group of hard working flamingos.
docksiders
Groups of Docksiders and their seafaring friends are often found in local bars singing sea chanteys, drinking, and running amok. When put to work on the ships though, they’re the hardest working bunch you’ll ever meet.
docksider
Docksiders like to hang out at the dock. They’re also the first in the Seafarers collection to have been created. Docksiders are superior abalone hunters and avid deep sea divers. Lazier Docksiders, who only work the docks, end up with leg trouble because of their tendency to keep one leg in the water and one firmly planted on the dock.
