Softies at the Beach

I’ve been making softies (little stuffed critters) lately. They are just too much fun! I love the speed of each project, and how simple they are, yet so very very cute.  Don’t you just want to squish them?

On my recent birthday (no, I’m not saying how old I turned, but I’ll tell you it has a 3 in it.  And a 7.), we went to the beach.  I took the softies along to finish the final hand-stitching on each of them, so they could travel up to North Carolina to my nieces and nephews for late Christmas presents.

They were just begging to be photographed by the water!

On the left is a Wee Bunny for our one-year-old niece, on the right is a Pointy Kitty for our six-year-old niece, and in the middle is the most precious softie, an original:

Our little gal (age 4) wanted to make a “monster” softie.  She drew a picture of the Monster on paper to show me what she wanted.   I used her drawing as a pattern,  she then chose the fabrics, and after a bit of convincing (she likes sharp scissors), she allowed me to cut it out.  She told me where to sew the head, arms, and legs onto the body, then she chose the embroidery colors and their placement.  In other words, I was simply the manufacturer!  Go ahead, just call me China.  Hmm, that’s kind of pretty.  Anyway, back to the subject…

When it was all finished Little Gal says, “Oh! It looks like a turtle!”  Indeed it does.   Whew, that was okay with her.  It’s a very cute Turtle Monster, too.  And one that will be hard (for me) to let go of – but it is for her 4yo boy-cousin, which she reminds me often when I say we need to keep it.  We’ll also send the original drawing that inspired the pattern and the above photo.  I have a feeling this little guy will find a place on a high shelf, knowing the boy’s mama, who appreciates handmade things.

~JpL~