He's Sorry....

Here's my Sari Panda! My boyfriend and I decided to change the mouth a little bit and oh my, I'm gonna toot my own horn, he is CUTE! The play on words works out and he really looks sorry. Haha. The material was really difficult to work with. There was a lot of fraying and boy was it slippery! I don't think this one would be good for small children, as a good hard squeeze or a too-tight pull might cause a thread to loosen, so I listed him for older children.  He's super silky and smooth and I love the way his color changes a little in the light.

You might have noticed that I did a little reformatting to the blog. I added tabs for About Me, Tutorials and my favorite, Sensational Shops! This is a growing list of Etsy shops that I've come in contact with and just love! Make sure to take a peek at each of them because there are some really great, quality handmade items found there. Why don't you head on over right now? I'll wait....and while I do, I'll take another peek at Sari Panda.

Well, it's been a long and busy day! Spent a lot of time working on the blog, finishing Sari bear and cleaning my apartment. I've got a former co-teacher coming over for dinner tomorrow and I wanted to make sure I didn't have lot of fabric scraps all over the place. And after watching Shutter Island, I am totally creeped out and need to read a little bit of my new book, The Wedding Girl, to make sure I don't have any dreams of Leonardo DiCaprio coming after me.

A Productive Day that Ended Flat

After many, many days of having a horribly skewed sleep schedule, I managed to stay awake on only 4 hours of sleep...hoping that will pay off tonight! Having an early morning meant I got a lot more done today! I started out by getting my labels finished, cut out and one attached! These are required by law and must include manufacturer name, location, products used and (because I live in MA) my registration number as a licensed stuffed toy manufacturer. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that me, my sewing machine, and 11 stuffed animals equals a business, but it's official! I have a piece of paper and $300 missing from my account to prove it!

Anyhooo, after my labels got rinsed, dried, ironed and cut (while watching What Not to Wear), I sewed one onto my newest bear, then I also added some daisies around her ears and a ruffle of lace on her head. I think it makes her a little more fancy. Afterwards, I took her and the 'Roo outside to do a quick photo shoot. Outside by the flowers is always so much prettier than in the stuffy apartment.

This is my project I started this afternoon. I know...a HUGE departure from my "style" so far, as far as the facial features. I bought felt at the craft store this time instead of felt buttons...partially because the buttons were overpriced and partially because I wanted more control over the size and color. This little guy is Sari Bear...my boyfriend's pick of fabric and name. he thought it would be a funny play on words...thinking you could give a Sari Bear when you are sorry. I just really like the fabric! The fabric had a gradient of color that created an interesting look...I went from lighter on the head, getting darker on the way down, with the feet being the darkest, and a little more color on the ears. I didn't expect this to be anything more than a stylish choice, but when I sewed the ears on, the first thing I thought was "This looks like a panda!" So I chose to do matching blue panda eyes. I also added a mouth. The conception of that design was my boyfriend too...I think it turned out kinda cute. Unfortunately, I ran out of stuffing, so he is still flat and deflated. What do you think of this style?

My cat had to come investigate. ;)