New Plush Toy Pattern Giveaway!!

Dear friends, I have a delightful surprise for you all - a Pattern Giveaway!! 

This new collection will feature pattern pieces and instructions to make a Bunny, Bear and Kitten plushie, complete with a halter neck dress, shorts romper, super hero glasses and cape and a pretty pair of 1950's inspired sunglasses!

These little cuties were so much fun to make!  I wanted them to be bright and eye-catching, so I used many of the scrumptious felts I have in my collection.  The kittens and bears measure about 8 inches tall, while the bunnies are a little taller at 10 inches. 

Five lucky winners will be drawn on Wednesday, April 24, so if you'd like a chance of being entered in the draw, please leave your name and email address below in the comments section.  For those of you who are unable to comment here on my blog, please leave your info on my Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/gingermelondolls?ref=hl under the link with this blog post.

Wishing you all the best and a very happy weekend too ;)
~Shelly xo

New Plush Toys

Spring greetings dear friends!  I'm quite shocked at how time has flown since my last post!  This last month has been a bit of a stressful time for our family as our dear Nannykins has been in and out of hospital three times.  At 95, everyday things are getting harder for her and she's finding it difficult to manage on her own.  She's been living independently, though in the same apartment building as us, so we've been able to keep an eye on her.  But, her health is steadily going downhill due to congestive heart failure and renal problems and she requires a lot more care.  It's hard to see her struggling and my only hope is that she can be comfortable during this part of her journey. 

I've not had much time for making things due to our trips to visit her in hospital, but I've slowly been working on a new collection of plush toy patterns that I'm certain will be perfect for beginner sewers!  There are three animals - a bear, bunny and kitten, along with three different outfits - a romper for boys, a dress and a super hero cape, which I still need to design:)

I think the unfinished kitty in the middle is my fave so far and I can't wait to see how he turns out, especially wearing his little cape!

 One fun thing my hubby and I did last Sunday, was to visit the VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver which was featuring a Japanese fair and cherry blossom festival.  As most of you know, I absolutely LOVE anything to do with Japanese culture, anime art and food, so this was a definite must see!  Thankfully, the rain held off long enough for our visit and we enjoyed the beautiful gardens, performing arts and delicious food!

This lovely geisha was handing out info on an up-coming Anime convention.  I may have to go just to see all the different costumes!

Oh, if only I were 20 years younger!  I'd be dressing up for sure!

Some of the many cherry trees in bloom.

Love the colour and artwork on this wooden canoe!

One of the many food tents offering tasty treats!  That's hubby surveying the menu boards on the right side of the photo.

We're hoping to take in many more local events throughout the spring and summer, so I'll keep you posted when we do:)

Take care and have a lovely weekend,
~Shelly  xo

Free Mini Bunny Pattern

Hello everyone!  Today I have for you a sweet little tutorial on how to make a felt bunny.  I think these would be perfect as Easter gifts, but, as we all know, everyone loves bunnies whether or not it's Easter, so they're really good for any occasion!  I've chosen to attach the bunnies I've made onto a head band, barrette and brooch pin, but you could also make them as teeny little bunny toys to tuck into a pocket or tin, maybe with a little blankie and pillow:)

My lovely niece, Amy, was thrilled to model the bunnies for you, so here she is wearing the head band above, and the barrette and brooch below.  As you can see, she's wearing a T-shirt with one of my embroidery designs that I printed onto iron-on paper.   

The bunny is super easy to make, so you may want to cut out and sew a bunch at the same time.  In fact, it would make a lovely project for you to do together with your little one!  You can download the pattern pieces here.


You'll need:
:  Scraps of felt                                                             :  Embroidery thread
:  Disappearing ink or water soluble ink pen               :  Polyfil
:  Barrettes, brooch pin, head band                              :  Pink coloured pencil or powder blush
:  Embroidery scissors

**  Please click on the photos for better detail.

**  Please be aware that some of you will not be able to download the pattern pieces.  We're not quite sure why that is the case, but if you'd like me to send the pattern pieces via email, please contact me at md1911(at)shaw(dot)ca, and I'd be happy to send them over for you:)

Cut out pattern pieces, lay onto chosen felts and cut out using a small, sharp pair of embroidery scissors.  Arrange your felt pieces onto your work area as I have them in the photo above (right sides facing you).  Draw a little eye onto each head as shown with your water soluble or disappearing ink pen.

Applique each inner ear onto the attached ear on each bunny.

Flip bunnies over (wrong sides facing you) and lay each single ear onto each attached ear, aligning the tops and sides of the ears.  You'll notice that the bottom of each single ear is a little longer than the attached ear - that will ensure that when you sew the sides of the bunny together, the little tabs will be tucked in between the two layers.

Whip stitch each single ear onto each attached ear.

Flip bunnies over once again, so that the right sides are facing you.  Embroider the outline of the eyes with black embroidery thread and fill in using satin stitch.  Stitch a tiny dot of white embroidery thread onto the eye to give the illusion of light reflecting off the eye.

Place sides of bunny together, wrong sides facing.  Starting at the curve of the back of the neck, whip stitch around till you get to the ears.  Back stitch through all layers of felt along the base of the ears and then continue whip stitching once you get to the other side of the head.  Continue whip stitching around to the start of the bunny's tummy.  Stuff head and neck with polyfil.  I like to use an orange stick to gently push the stuffing into place.

Continue whip stitching around to the other side of the bunny's tale.  Gently stuff legs and body and continue whip stitching to close the seam.  Leave a length of thread for attaching the bow and also for attaching the bunny to either the head band, barrette or brooch pin.  Smudge a little colour onto the bunny's cheeks to give them a rosy glow.

Position the bow in the centre of the neck and stitch the centre of the bow in place.  Take your length of thread through to the back of the bunny as you'll be using it to attach the head band, barrette or brooch pin next.

Pin bunny onto head band/barrette/brooch pin and sew on securely.

I hope you enjoy making these little buns and I'd love to see pics of them!  You can post them on my Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/gingermelondolls?ref=hl, as well as on the Gingermelon group page on Flickr:  http://www.flickr.com/groups/2124571@N25/.


Oh, and by the way, I'm happy to announce that you can now purchase the gorgeous Merino wool blend felt, as well as the safety eyes that I use to make many of my creations, in my shop! 

There are 60 luscious colours to choose from, and you will absolutely love working with this soft, vibrant, high quality wool blend felt!  Below is a swatch card with all the colours I've chosen for my shop.

Happy sewing everyone!
~Shelly