At the Edge

Working on the edge

I'm on the last bit of the Spring Cloud Blanket ... the purple picot trim around the very edge of the border. There's something so exciting about that final round.

Photographs and artwork by Allison Gryski. © All rights reserved.

Tutorial: How to Sew a Stuffed Carrot Toy

There's a bunny who's been looking for a carrot, so I rooted around my fabric stash and this is the result. I had no plain orange fabric, but I love the "heirloom variety" carrot that resulted with this patterned fabric.


Bunny and Carrot

If you'd like to make a carrot of your own, then you will need...

Materials
-felt (for the leaves)
-fabric (for the carrot)
-some stuffing
-paper (to make a pattern)


Carrot Materials

Step 1: Cut the carrot out

First you need to make your pattern. Draw a carrot shape. Then add some seam allowance by tracing around it a bit larger (however much you want to make your seams). Then draw the leaves. They don't need seam allowance since they'll be made out of felt. This part really doesn't need to be that precise. Cut out your pattern and pin to your fabric or trace with a fabric marking pen and cut out. Cut out 2 matching carrot pieces and however many leaves you like. I cut 3 leaf pieces. Mine match, but there's no reason they need to be identical.


Carrot Pieces

Step 2: Pin and sew the carrot together

Pin the carrot right sides together with the leaves tucked inside. I always have the wrong instinct to have bits like the leaves sticking out, but then when you flip it, they'd be on the inside. So make sure your leaves are tucked in and be careful to keep all but the stem away from the edges so that you don't catch extra bits when sewing.


Pinning and Sewing the Carrot

Sew around the carrot, leaving a gap of at least an inch on one side for turning it right side out. I sewed back and forth over the leaves a few times to make sure all three were well secured.

Step 3: Flip and iron the carrot

Flip your carrot right side out and iron it flat, making sure to iron in the edges of the opening. This makes it easier to sew up later.


The Unstuffed Carrot

Step 4: Stuffing and finishing the carrot


The Stuffed Carrot

Now stuff in lots of filling. Sew up the gap using a ladder stitch.

Voila! The Finished Carrot Toy!

If you make a carrot toy following this tutorial, I'd love to see it! Please add your pictures to my flickr group.


The Finished Carrot
Photographs and artwork by Allison Gryski. © All rights reserved.

Border delays and a baby hand

The stripes are all done. I'm quite pleased with how balanced, yet random they turned out. The ends all got woven in and I merrily began the border.


Stripes done, onto the border

About 70% of the way around with the pale blue, I ran out. Ooops. Borders sure do eat up the yarn at a tremendous rate. So I've ordered some more of it, along with some of the other colours that I plan to use in the border and which had a skimpy amount of yarn leftover. So far I've done a row of double-crochet clusters and single-crochet in pale grey and most of a row of double-crochet in pale blue. I plan to do some turquoise and aqua single-crochet and then end with some purple. I think I've got enough of the purple left so I didn't order more... we'll see if that was wise or not.


border beginnings

It's now on hold as I'm waiting for the yarn to arrive. I've been rather busy looking after the Wee Lass who has been a bit under the weather, in any case. I think I'm still on track to finish the blanket by her first birthday, which was my goal when I started it in the weeks before she was born. I just wanted to smooch this little hand full of kisses, but it probably would have woken her, so I settled for taking a picture.


Sleepy baby hand

Photographs and artwork by Allison Gryski. © All rights reserved.