My Brachidiplodocaurus Dinosaur

Following the success of Gerry, my giraffe (see previous post), I was asked if I would be able to make a dinosaur........?  Thinking I might possibly be able to find a pattern, I set about looking for one. Unfortunately I didn't much like the free ones I found so wondered if I could make one by simply combining my Nelly and Gerry patterns.............. (did I say simply?? oh dear!!!)

With a little selotape and a lot of imagination, I tweaked and twisted and finally came up with a pattern I thought I could make up.  As it turns out mine looks like a mixture of Brachiosaurus and Diplodocus dinosaurs: characteristics from one are mixed with the characteristics of the other - totally unintentional but quite cool....

Anyhoo, as readers will know, I always make a trial product up so that any tweaks to the pattern can be made enabling me to correct anything along the way or add notes to the instructions so that any subsequent makes, go smoothly and with fewer - if any - mistakes.

I found a piece of flannelet which I then cut out using my pattern and, due to the texture of the material, used my pinking shears 'just to be safe'.  Not entirely satisfied with the size of the discs for the 'paws', I cut three different sizes.  I will use the larger of the three in the first attempt and will probably tack them in by hand so that if they are the wrong size, I can easily remove and replace them with one of the other sizes.

First I worked out where I wanted the eyes to be.  As I hadn't asked the age of the person I was making my dinosaur  for and googly eyes are not something that I keep a stock of, I decided that I could save any risk of him swallowing a button by sewing an eye on which was made out of the same material I was going to use for the 'paws'.

Using my large stock of buttons to find a size which worked, I traced the outline of the eye onto the pattern which I then cut out.  I then marked the wrong side of material with the shape of the eye and then used the same button to cut out the shape from the material I was going to use.

To keep the material in place whilst I sewed it on - too small for pins and fiddly for my huge fingers - I sprayed a small amount of Gunold® KK100 (fabric adhesive) to the eyes which I then fixed permanently using a small running stitch on my machine as close to the edge of the felt as I could.

I then pinned the leg pieces to the main body, right sides together. Then sewed down the back of the legs, the in between bit and front of legs of one side, right sides together.  I remembered when I had made the elephant that the 'paw pad' circles were sewn on after the leg pieces had been sewn together so I followed the same procedure here.

I checked that all the seams had been closed securely and then began 'fighting' with the 'paws' to get them into position on the end of the legs.

The larger of my felt circles were too big so I unpicked the tacks and tried the middle sized ones.  These were great and so all four were added to the bodies I had just sewn.  These were sewn on with the leg material to the top of the two pieces under the foot of the machine and the felt pads on the bottom.  Slowly but surely is definitely the motto here!






The body was beginning to look something like!

I asked if it was alright to add bits onto my dinosaur which weren't on the 'original'.  Apparently the young guy I was making the toy for has ADHD so I didn't really want to do something which could affect him.  I was informed that this would be ok, so I cut out some scales for the dinosaur's back.  I cut two lots as I had done for the paws and eyes so that I could compare colours and see which I liked best.

The dark green felt I had chosen for the paws, also looked good as the scales so I decided to use these.

Both pieces of felt were sewn together, giving the felt a little more body and stability.  At first the machine did not like the felt - see picture right - but with a little tweaking of the tension and stitch length, I managed to get it done

The scales were then pinned to the right side of the neck of one of the body pieces with the scales facing down.

This done, I started to assemble the dinosaur proper.

The first part is to sew the tummy bits together, remembering to leave a gap so that you can stuff the animal once it is finished.  I have learnt from the two Nellies I have made that to ensure the seam doesn't come undone or rip whilst you are stuffing, double back a couple of times on the start and finish of the two seams either side of the gap.

The legs need to be pinned out of the way of where the seam is going.  Pin them up on the wrong side of the body pieces so that you can sew the seam on the belly correctly.  When you are ready to sew, pin the body, right sides together and sew the belly ensuring that you don't catch the folded area in the seam.

I then rearranged the body and pinned it together ready for the final push.  The sewing was quite easy but when I came to turn him inside out, I realised that I hadn't left myself a lot of room for stuffing. There were also some places along the tail where the seam was coming undone.

I turned him back inside out and used a small zigzag stitch in the places where the original seam was a little too close to the edge of the materials and had come undone.  He was then turned back the right way and stuffed.
I am quite pleased with my first attempt and it is the first thing I have made without a pattern.

I can see now that the neck needs to be lifted on the pattern and needs to be smoother between the body and the neck - i.e. straighter without the dip.

I also need to make sure that the seam allowance is the same all the way around - the tail is a little lumpy.

All in all, not a bad first attempt and he will take his place on my recently culled bookshelves.  I now need to find some plain blue material and contrasting one for the paws, eyes and scales.  Watch this space - coming to a blog near you..............  :0)



 

Gerry's in Town

Well today was my first Saturday 'me' day in a long time. I have been part-time at work this week only doing two days and have filled the other three doing the garden and reclaiming the house from the dust bunnies! I therefore felt that I deserved the day off and would spend it doing some sewing.  (What I don't tell you is that I had a ton of washing to do and the weather has taken a turn for the worse - raining - and my tumble dryer has just bitten the dust!! so what I had planned to do wasn't going to happen anyway).

Having had a disastrous first attempt - usually the way to go with me anyway (see any of my previous posts) - I had enlarged the original pattern and taken care to cut it and my next choice of material out.  (Daughter left iPad out so was able to take photos of the start of the project. material shown is the wrong side out......)

Having returned from purchasing a new tumble dryer, I made the obligatory pint of coffee, set my CD off - Mark Billingham's Lazy Bones - and began to sew.  It was so much easier with the slightly larger pattern - my fat fingers were able to manoeuvre the material through the machine - electric (!) one - and soon I had all the pieces made, ready to put together.  I ironed all the seams I could and began to sew them together.

From the first attempt you will remember I had extra bits of material sewn the wrong side so that when I turned the sewing the right way round he had inappropriate bits between both his front and back legs - see previous post.  I was so careful this time so make sure I did this particular part slowly so as to get it right.

Anyhoo, I was so pleased when I did finally turn it the right way around when there were no extra bits sticking out anywhere!!!  I then set to and stuffed his legs, head and neck and the shape began to emerge.  The last few stitches were then added to close the opening on his tummy and eh voila!  Here you go - the finished article.

A little more stuffing in one leg and little less in another but apart from that tiny adjustment, I am so pleased with him!

Now what next????  :0)

You're having a giraffe!!!!

Well, this week I decided that I wanted to try another soft toy and came across a pattern for this giraffe - cutie-pie!

I sifted through my 'hoards' of fabric and found a couple of combinations that I thought would look ok and set about cutting out the pattern and the bits of material.  Wanting this to be as good as I possibly could with the 'trial' run, I took my time and spent one night tracing and cutting.  Due to the material type, I used my trusty pinking shears and decided that I would the use the electric machine.

As with previous projects, the first attempt is the trial run where, if I come across any problems, I make a note on the pattern for the second - hopefully better - run.  I started around 8.30pm - hubby fast asleep on the couch snoring so tv was out and it was too early to go to bed!  I finished it around 12.45 and just went to bed.

When I got up this morning I turned the giraffe the right way around and groaned.

I have obviously slipped up when I was sewing the two leg parts together as poor old Gerry has extra bits in between both his front and back legs.  Think I am going to have to practice this part of the project a few more times before doing the 'proper' one.  I am also thinking of cutting the pattern a little bigger - can't have a giraffe smaller than an elephant!! lol

Watch this space.  :0)