Simple felty foods #2

Last week I shared with you some pictures of the felt food toys I had been making for my little girl for Christmas.  Since then I've been going free-style and making the patterns up for the food as I go along.  It seemed a little daunting to begin with, but once I'd figured out how to make the basic shapes in 3D I was flying along.  Here's my progress so far...

 

 

The sausages were made with rectangles of pink felt rolled into tubes and simply whip-stitched along the length to hold in place.  The tube was then stuffed and both ends were drawn in, the strings were knotted off and then taken back through the sausage with a needle.  This helps hide loose ends and I also think it makes stuffed toys stronger and less likely to come apart.  The penne pasta was made in a similar way, instead of stuffing the ends were cut at angles and left open.

 

 The mushrooms were a bit harder to master.  Probably not helped by the fact they're not entirely made of felt, but I just couldn't resist using up this scrap of fabric.  It just shouted "mushrooms" at me!  The stalks were pretty simple (sewn inside out and then turned right way around and stuffed.)  The tops are made from two circles of fabric.  The top fabric had a diameter of approx 2cm more than the bottom, which I then drew in and turned under a small seam allowance as I sewed the two together.  The mushroom gills are embroidered on with a simple back stitch.

 I just love these little prawns!  They were a lot simpler to make than they look... I am thinking of doing a mini tutorial for them though, as they may need a few photos to help with the explaination.

 

 
These tea bags aren't the most realistic looking, but I really wanted to add a little colour and fun.  I really have a thing for sequins, use them wherever and whenever I can!  Thinking of doing a mini tutorial for these too as I'd really like to share with you how I have sewn the strings in safetly and securely... Nothing worse than a toy that is a choking hazard, or one that falls appart on Christmas morning!

Are you making Christmas gifts this year?  Leave me a link in the comments below, I'd love to see what you've been making too.

Next on the agenda for me... a roast chicken I think, eep!

Simple felty foods

Earlier in the year I posted about the felt sandwich toy I made for my daughter's second Birthday.  It proved to not only be a hit with my daughter, but has become one of my most viewed blog posts, so I thought I would share with you my plans for some more felty food toys I'm making my little one for Christmas.

 

I had this idea to make lots of bits and pieces for a kind of shop/market for my little girl.  So far I have been warming up by stitching some simple felt foods mainly from existing patterns which I've saved from old craft magazines.

 

 

Techniques so far have included sewing 3D cylinders, circles which are drawn in and stuffed (similar to making a Suffolk puffs,) and also tubes and cone shapes, both with drawn in ends.

 

 

OK so these strawberries aren't entirely felt, but they were so simple to make!

 

 

The carrots were made using the same kind of technique as the strawberries.

 

 

I particularly like this simplified version of a jammy dodger, from an old Mollie makes magazine.

 

 I do love sewing with felt, it's both easy and satisfying.  None of that stressing over fraying seams and lots of quick and easy whipstitching!  I've already made some felty sausages and bacon since taking these photos and have plenty more foodie makes planned, which I hope to share with you over the next few weeks.

 

Are you planning a handmade Christmas this year?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Soft sandwiches & felty fillings

I have been rather quiet this past week.  The reason for that is that my daughters second birthday is fast approaching.  As always I have bitten off more than I can chew with the making of presents (along with shopping, party food, my partners Birthday also this week, possibly two Birthday cakes, I feel quite stressed!)  When will I learn to start making sooner and not make things so complicated?! (probably never as I like to be busy and with me, the more complicated the better... no sympathy here then!)

 

This is the first of two toys I've been making her.  Some of her favourite toys are her plastic food things, so I wanted to add and expand on this play by making a soft sandwich.  I am hoping it will encourage more interactive play, talking about fillings, choosing different combinations, stacking the layers and probably a lot of bringing mummy different sandwiches.

 

 

I have seen some toys similar to this available that are made from wood, but when I saw the price I was like, HOW MUCH?!  Present buying gets so expensive and I refuse to spend loads on something I know full well I can make from bits and pieces in my stash.  While my kid is young and I can get away with it, I will!  I don't really see how such small hands are supposed to pick up a chunky wooden sandwich anyway, without it falling to pieces... leading to frustrated toddler tantrum! 

 

I really enjoyed working with the felt for a change (with the exception of the bread being cotton, the slice of ham was made from pink corduroy and the egg yolks a piece of nylon.)  It was nice easy sewing and the simple embroidery details were also fun to do.

 

 

The felt was limiting only in the fact that it is impossible to make sandwich fillings such as tuna and egg mayonnaise... I think however it is probably impossible to make these with anything other than actual tuna or egg!

 

 

I didn't use any patterns when making this project, as it was all fairly 2D, so everything was drawn out freehand.  This project was all hand sewn, with the exception of a quick whizz around the sewing machine on the cucumber and tomato, before hand stitching them... As I'm typing this, I realised I still have a little making to do as I've forgotten to make lettuce, DOH!

 

 

Chicken salad sandwich? ...Don't mind if I do!

 

 

A giant Scooby-Snack also looks quite good!

 

I am also working on a second present for my daughter this week, which is a doll with (hopefully) two or more dresses.  I have all the pattern pieces cut out so far, so fingers crossed I get it put together in time!  What have you been making?  I would love hear about your current projects.

 

A little toy making

I have spent my afternoon relaxing whilst sewing furiously. Lets just say, the two don't really go hand in hand!  But I must say I am very happy to have yet another UFP which has been bugging me, finished and out of the way.

Meet Mr Lion.  He is made from a large yellow checked remnant of fabric, and his tail is a gold cord that has been kicking around in with my ribbons for forever.  The same goes for the eyes (they were originally from my mothers sewing box.)  Mr Lion has been looking very sad for the past few months, as I hadn't gotten around to sewing on his hair or face (much like Aslan from, The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe, after he has his mane cruelly shaved off.) Now much happier and very much more lion like, with a big bushy beard!

This is Miss Elephant, which I completed a while ago.  Miss Elephant is made from an old pair of grey cord trousers, a fancy print mans shirt, a piece of denim cord, hand crochet flowers in denim blue acrylic yarn and small and very old lace flower decorations, which have both been sewn onto felt and then blanket stitched onto the elephant.  I hope Mr Lion and Miss Elephant can be good friends and won't argue.

This is the pattern book I was working from for both toys.  It was published back in 1976, just look at those fabrics!  My mother originally made us the lion, pig, elephant and frog from this book, when we were very small.  I like that it still has the price sticker attached; 95p from Woolworths!