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.

On my coffee table at the moment

On my coffee table at the moment...


tulips

A glorious vase of tulips in pink, violet, lavender and white.


yarn tangles

Little nest-like tangles of yarn snipped off from weaving in ends.

Less photogenic but also present is random household detritus like envelopes, and, of course, books. The latter run the literary gamut from Fox in Socks and Moo, Baa, La, La, La to Gödel, Escher, Bach and Od Magic.


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

Stripey cozy

the striped cozy

As of last night, past when I should have gone to bed, I have finished the body of the Spring Cloud blanket. I've got ends to weave in, and a border to do, but the bulk of it is done. I'm excited about the pretty border now and which colours to pick! The Wee Lass seems to like it already.


the Wee Lass and her cozy stripes

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

Happy New Year!

I wanted to make a "year in review" photo montage like I did last year, so while the fireworks burst outside (annoyingly waking the Wee Lass several times), I searched for a couple photos for each month. As you might expect, nearly all the photos that I took this year were of her. But I did take photos of other small moments and that's mostly what I've included here.

This year was amazing, exhausting, and inspiring and I'm looking forward to the exciting new things in 2012. Wishing you all the best in this next turn around the sun!

January



February



March



April



May



June



July



August



September



October



November



December



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

Happy Holidays!

Solstice Bouquet

May your days be merry and bright over the holidays. Christmas with a small one is extra fun, even though she's too little to understand it yet. While the toys and storybooks have been enjoyed, I think tissue paper has been the biggest hit.

We are doing lots of feasting and grazing, just how we like to celebrate as the days start to lengthen again. Happy Solstice and Christmas!


Snowflakes


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

Recipe: Nanaimo Bar

Nanaimo Bar isn't exactly a traditional Christmas treat, but it is a traditional Canadian treat, and as an expat, I have a perfect excuse to indulge such cravings. It's also made in easy stages, which is a plus with a small one around. I'm not sure I'll have time to make rolled and cut cookies this year as they're pretty time consuming.


Nanaimo Bar

I had to substitute "volkoren" biscuits (wholewheat digestive biscuits) for the graham crackers, but they're nearly the same. If you wanted to make it more Christmas-y, add some crushed up peppermint candy canes to the bottom layer in place of part of the nuts/crumbs and add a couple drops of peppermint essence to the icing layer.

Bottom Layer
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
2 oz semi-sweet chocolate
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla (optional)

Melt the butter, sugar, and chocolate in a double-boiler. Then stir in the egg and vanilla and remove from the heat.

Add:
2-1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (or whole-wheat digestives)
1 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (replace with more crumbs if you have a nut allergy)
optional: replace some of the nuts/crumbs with smashed up hard peppermint candy.

I use the blender to make the crumbs and chopped nuts. You don't want it completely powder, but avoid big pieces or the bottom layer will not have structural integrity when you cut it into squares.

Pack this mixture into a 9x9" pan (I used a 20x30cm pan, which was a little large and required extra for the middle and top layers). Refrigerate for 2 or more hours, until it's solid.


Nanaimo Bar

Middle Layer
1/4 c butter (absolutely NOT margarine)
2 cups icing (powdered) sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp milk
optional: a few drops peppermint essence

Beat these together until smooth. Spread on the crumb layer and refrigerate another 30-60 minutes until the icing is firm.

Top Layer
4 oz chocolate (bitter plus semi-sweet to taste)
1 Tbsp butter

Spread the melted chocolate on the chilled icing layer (try to do it pretty quickly or the icing will go all melty). I make this layer more bitter than I would like on its own in order to balance out the sweet icing layer.

Refrigerate it over night, then cut into squares the next day. If you wipe down the edges of the pan and use a knife run under hot water you will get a tidier result than I did. These are dangerously addictive, but very rich. Best served with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee.

For a twist on this, see my Raspberry Variation.

You can find more of my recipes in the Food section, in the tabs along the top.


Nanaimo Bar

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