Evolution of the owl

This is the first owl I ever made.

 It now hangs out in the depths of ‘the zoo’: a cage for all of the girls’ stuffed toys.

 Next, I tried to make the owl able to stand by adding a flat bottom (it doesn’t actually stand, it’s too top heavy).

I then tried to see if shortening the body would make any difference (I still wasn't sure, but look at my gorgeous girl!!).

Then, I read the archives of my hero, Abby Glassenberg’s, blog (she is ah-mazing and gives brilliant tips and advice!!) and learned more about making softies in 3D. This latest owl has three panels instead of simply a front and a back so that it can actually stand up by itself.

 I’m still planning to tweek it some more, but I am very happy with where it is heading.

What's in a name...

When I first got into sewing, it was because I was suffering from PND and needed to do something other than longing for Bel to go to sleep and wondering what had happened to my life. I am so grateful for this hobby. It has truly been my lifeline!
One of the first things I made was a door hanging for Bel with her name on it. When I made it, she was madly in love with birds of all kinds and would lie on a blanket in the front garden for hours watching them. At that point, I had loads more time and hand-embroidered her name.


She absolutely adored it and loved swinging it on her way into the room. So when Willow came along, it was time to make a new one. She didn't have any interests when I made hers, being that she was only a few weeks old, but I hated that she didn't have her name on her door.
When she was in the womb, she was an absolute pest and wouldn't move very often. Consequently, they couldn't move her into a good position to discover her gender during ultrasounds. So, her nickname was 'Sprocket' (my husband is a motorbike mechanic). But sprockets aren't particularly feminine...With a bit of embroidery and lace, anything becomes girly! I severely underestimated how busy I would be with two darlings, so Willow's name was machine stitched on, otherwise she would still not have a hanging on her door 6 months on!


Once it went up on her door, my husband started collecting sprockets at work for actual garden edging!