Handmade chickens and chicks ....

I sold a lot of these chickens last year, so I have made a few more....They were great fun to make...I thought of speckled red hens and found just the right fabric for their heads. After a sort through my fabric stash I chose the material for their bodies ...curtain weight cotton with a print that looks like feathers.I sewed a pocket on the front and popped a little chick in....All four are just about the same...

Each chicken is about 15 inches tall......

                          ..........The felt chick is about 3 1/2 inches tall..........

This is Echo with her chicken in my hall way....you can get an idea of their size....her chick is having a sleep, all tucked up in a little crochet blanket......

These are my handmade fabric birds, they look lovely hanging in a window...in a decorative bird cage or where ever you fancy putting the.... One of my customers has bought a few to hang over her daughters cot......

They are made from various pretty fabrics. I used the same pattern for all of them but have put a different style tail on two ....

The measurement on the birds with the straight tail is about 6 and a half inches from tip of the tail to tip of the beak. You can judge from that the length of the other two.

 These are quite fiddly to make. I sew the wings on by hand and use an iridescent flower sequin and a tiny black bead for the eye. The hole in the beads is weeny so I need to use a very thin needle...

The fan shaped tail is quilted through two layers of fabric with wadding in between...I am trying these out to see which style is preferred.

I have secured a long thread to the back of each bird that can be altered in length.

 I sold out of these over Christmas and have been meaning to make more ever since....

 

 

 



 



This is the bird I made for myself in a bird cage I got for my birthday......

Handmade rag dolls 'I love you' ....

These are some of my 'I love you' dolls. I have sold more of these than an other thing I have made. I started selling them on eBay five years ago....They have changed a lot over the years as I have altered the pattern many times.

The idea came as I have so many left over bits of material...There is a limit to how much patchwork I have the need for.

Each doll varies slightly in height but they are about 9 and 1/2 inches tall. They are made from cotton and or poly/cotton....I spend too much time coordinating fabrics...embellishment and hair,but I like doing this.

The hair is acrylic yarn...sometimes I print the eyes ...other times I use felt, buttons or embroider. A lot of details are hand embroidered and everything sewn on is done with very strong thread. I make each doll slightly different so that each is unique. All the things I make are don't to the best of my ability.  

 

Handmade rag dolls ...................

                     These are my rag dolls.......

I was told by two customers that they have a retro look about them, I suppose they do in a way.....

I think that is because I tried to make them simple in shape, similar to how children draw people.

The heads and arms are made from curtain weight cotton,the bodies and legs are in various cottons or poly/cotton...

The hair is acrylic yarn....the eyes are felt sewn on with tiny stitches..the other features are embroidered. They are all embellished in a different way with buttons...felt...embroidery...and each has something pretty in their hair.

These dolls are about 12 inches tall.

 

 

Handmade little mermaid dolls ....

These are my little mermaid dolls...I have been selling mermaid dolls for over five years on eBay and at my farmers market. I have changed the pattern over time and am happy with how the look now.

The ones below have felt eyes sewn on with tiny stitches,but the new ones will have printed eyes.

Their faces are hand embroidered, the hair is acrylic yarn and everything is sewn on with very strong thread.

 The bodies are curtain weight cotton...the tails are poly/cotton. I have stuffed each down to the tail fin which is sewn across in a 'v' shape to mimic a fish tail.

 Each doll has something different in her hair...a bead shell...starfish....sometimes a flower, whatever at the time I feel is right for the doll. I buy the flowers that give her a little Modesty.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

Handmade fabric lovebirds ....

These are my lovebirds...each is made from patchwork... about nine and half inches tall.
The backs are various colours...patterns picked out from the patchwork on the front.
 They are made from cotton..some fabric may be poly/cotton. The wings have a layer of wadding in to give them body....
I hand sewed a pocket on the front of each bird and popped in a little stuffed heart that I made...the hearts were fiddly..a labour of love. There is room in the pocket for a little love note or some other special little something...

 

                                        ....................The lovebird above is sold........................

 

 

....................The lovebird above is sold........................

        

 

....................The lovebird above is sold........................

 

                                  ....................The lovebird above is sold........................





 

Handmade big mermaid dolls ....

I sold all my little mermaid dolls last Christmas and thought it might be a nice thing to make some bigger ones....I have in fact been asked to make some even bigger than these...

From the top of her head to the tip of her fins...each mermaid is about 15 inches tall.

They are made from curtain eight fabric. I stuffed each to the fins which have a layer of wadding inserted in them.I machine quilted the fins to represent a fishes tail...

Each doll has something pretty in her hair and a bikini top edged with trimming...I printed the eyes...embroidered the mouths, giving each a slightly different expression...The hair is acrylic yarn

Each doll is slightly different....

.....Above..mermaid (no.1)...with pink hair and a pretty necklace..

....................The mermaid above is sold..................

 

 

.....Above..mermaid (no.2)...with green hair and a tiny pink dolphin bead on her top...

Handmade cat dolls .....

These are my cat dolls...About seven years ago I made a black one for my son Charlie...based on our own cat Bloopy. You can see a photo and read about it on my blog...the link is at the top of the page.

I altered the pattern and sold many black ones on eBay...I was asked by a very good customer if I could do some in other colours...which I did. That particular customer has bought a great many in all the colours....

Each cat is about 13 inches tall...they are made in various fleece or brushed fabrics.....cotton fabric for the body... I use buttons for eyes...felt details...and a lot of hand sewing...embroidery and sew on a label...mostly saying 'Perfect' although sometimes I use another meaning full word....a nice little touch which means a lot when given as a gift.........

....Above pink fleece cat (no.1) in a teal floral outfit....

....Above pink fleece cat (no.2) in a red heart outfit....

....Above white fleece cat (no.3) in a navy print  outfit...

........................The cat above is sold......................

...................The cat and kitten above are sold..................



....Above pink fleece cat (no.4) in a shabby chic floral outfit....






Handmade kittens in bags....

These are my little kittens and a bag to put them in.

I sold a lot of my cat dolls and wanted to make a kitten to go with them ....I pondered over how the cat would carry them and thought of the bag.

 At the bottom of this post is a photo of a cat I made with the kitten and bag so that you can see how they go together.

I have made the cats in a lot of different colours...so....I have made kittens in various colours as well.

The kittens are about 4 inches high....the bags are just over 3 inches wide by 2 inches tall excluding the strap...

....Above..kitten (no.1)...white fleece with red heart body...

....Above..kitten (no.2)...black suede like fabric with red heart body..

....Above..kitten (no.3)...white fleece with navy body...

....Above..kitten (no.4)...pink fleece with purple gingham body....

...............Above....this kitten and bag are sold...................

I put this photo and the one below on to show you how the 'kittens in bags' look on the cats......

......This cat above and kitten in the bag are sold...

Handmade cat dolls .....I love you cats...

These are my little I love you cat dolls.... Last time I made these I did them in a brick red colour at Christmas..I sold out of them, in fact all my dolls just before Christmas....I was asked to do some pink ones by a good customer, I will do some suitable for boys later on....

Each measures about 9 and1/2 inches tall..for some reason all the dolls I make vary very slightly in height.... 

The cats are made from cotton and sometimes poly/cotton. I use my special little bits left over from other projects to make the arms and legs....

The faces are printed with fabric paints...some other parts are printed and some applique with hand embroidery details.....

I did the writing on each cat in a different way to make each unique....

...............The cat above is sold............

....Above.. I love you cat (no.1)

...Above..I love you cat (no.2)

...Above...I love you cat (no.3)

....Above..I love you cat (no.4)

 

 

Cat applique tote bags

I enjoyed doing these tote bags. Each measures 12 and 1/4 inches wide.....nearly 10 inches deep NOT including the handles. They are made from curtain weight fabric...lined with fabric that is white with pretty little roses and rose buds...The bottom corners of the bags are squared off to give the bag a base.....

Between the main fabric and the lining is a layer of wadding that gives body to the bag and a nice squishy feel.... 

I appliqued the design using a zigzag satin stitch with my sewing machine....other details are hand or machine embroidered with embellishments done by hand....each bag is slightly different...I have posted a little more about these on my blog....



.......Above bag (no.1) with a ditsy floral heart....

 

...Above bag (no.2) with a pink and white spotty heart...

 

...Above bag (no.3) with a dark pink spotty heart..
 

 

....Above bag (no.4) with a pink and teal floral heart....