Thursday, March 25, 2021

Salt & Sand with Mr. Merman

Hi, all!  Thimblechaser here - taking over Quiltscapes' blog!


Look who washed up on shore!  Mr. Merman arrived just in time to join the Salt & Sand Blog Hop hosted by Carol at JustLetMeQuilt

My Mom, Deonn, invited me to participate and I had the perfect project in mind!  This sweet little plushie Merman was made with this pattern:  MerPeople Plush Patterns by Choly Knight.  I made one of her plushies for a Christmas gift, and was excited to try this one!  'Specially because it was like a "pick your own adventure" type pattern:  fin styles, hair, clothing options plus an octopus costume!  How cool is that?  You could make an octopus mermaid!  And also, we live on an island in the pacific ocean.  So, I had to make one, because, Hawaii! 

I love all of Choly's patterns and want to make several more.  She has dozens of patterns and embroidery patterns, plus a huge range of Free Patterns.  This one was fun to make, and only needed a few supplies.

Plush fur scraps * Fusible Web (eyes) * Polyester Fiberfill * Crushed Walnuts

Here's what I learned: 
* Working with plush, I had to keep in mind the nap (direction of the fur) and stretch.  The nap should go from top to bottom to make it look smooth, and I intentionally kept all the pieces going the same way.  Also, keep a lint roller handy.


* I try to use only the materials I have on hand while I'm in school.  My family sent a big bin of minky scraps, and this was a great way to start using them.  I also scavenged some crushed walnut shells from an old pincushion to give some weight to his fins. 


* As I sewed the 5th layer of the eyeballs, I realized that the satin stitch was not going to work!  A small zig-zag did the trick.  I also realized that I need to add an embroidery machine to my wish list {life goals}.


Meanwhile, It has been a little rainy lately, and it was a perfect day to head to the beach!  Ooh, and look what else washed up with Mr. Merman?  A Treasure box!


Mr. Merman came to showcase all of his favorite ocean-themed stickers:


These cute stickers are permanent waterproof vinyl in a range of colors.  These can go on your water bottle, paddleboard, back window of your car, laptop cover, anywhere you'd like.  They can be found at Thimblechaser's Etsy shop.  


Each order is shipped in a hand-crafted envelope similar to this!  (It's also available as a .pdf to print and make your own).





So, Momma, thanks for letting Mr. Merman take over Quiltscapes today!  I have a feeling your granddaughter is going to enjoy him! 


I would love to have you follow me on Instagram @thimblechaser.  I'm a huge crafter with interests in many different crafting hobbies. Like my Mom and all my foremothers, I have a huge passion for making things.

Lauren

~~~
Hey, Thimblechaser, I have a feeling you're right - she's going to love him!  And don't I have a darling little granddaughter?  She's growing up too fast, and too far away!  So glad you had a good day at the beach.  Love your Merman and stickers.  She's a lucky kid.  You are so talented and creative, and I'm glad you get a few minutes between studying for your Masters in Library Science and raising a 2-year-old to make stuff.  Wish I lived closer! The last time I was on that beach with you was about two years ago...


~ Momma D.

P.S.  Here's the list of today's amazing hoppers.  You can see a collection of all the projects in this hop at Carol's PINTEREST page.

43 comments:

  1. Adorable mermaid doll. Choly Knight's patterns are awesome, and I have made a few of them.

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    1. So exciting and fun to hear of another person on the interwebs who has made one of her patterns! Thank you :)

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  2. I love it! I have not dove into making plushies but looking at Choly Knight's patterns especially the Purrmaid and Pokémon make me think I will have to try. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thank you! I honestly really love making plushies even though I haven't had too much of a chance. Her patterns are just so fun to follow. I learned the applique techniques from quilting with my mom!

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  3. What an adorable merman! I haven't made plushies since my kids where little, won't mention how long ago that was.

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  4. The merman is adorable, and the eyes are so well done. Great project.

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    1. Thank you! I honestly almost threw out the first one I tried, but decided to just use it anyway because I know I'm my worst critic. In the end, it turned out great!

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  5. Adorable merman; what a fun project!

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  6. Wow. What a professional looking project. He also looks like he will be well loved.

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    1. Thank you! He's actually headed to another little friend, but we'll be making more for home too. :)

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  7. What fun! Your post was just a cute as Mr. Merman. Great work.

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    1. Thank you! It honestly could not have happened without the help of Deonn! She's so talented

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  8. Your mermaid is adorable, Lauren! The eyes look amazing and even more so because you did it freehand without an applique machine. The beauties at the end, your daughter and your mom, were so fun to see! Thanks for hopping with us!

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    1. It was so much fun! Thanks for hosting it! Maybe I'll let my mom talk me into doing it with her again. ;)

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  9. What a fun and unusual stuffie for a child. Her friends will all be jealous. I cringe at using all those fuzzy soft fabrics, but they are the best for the doll. Well done and a fun take on this theme.

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    1. I definitely kept my lint roller and a vacuum handy while I was cutting and sewing! Thank you :D

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  10. Such an amazing fun stuffie. Love him

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    1. Thank you! Mr. Merman loves you back! ;)

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  11. He is cute as anything! I never think about mermen. =)

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    1. I didn't really either until I got the pattern! Eventually there may be a whole village.

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  12. Love the Merman and stickers! Great work and thanks so much on sharing!

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    1. Thank you!!! If he didn't know before, he definitely does now! =D

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  14. What a cute merman! He looks fantastic!

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  15. Wow!!! Awesome! I love the merman and it looks like somebody else does too. Great project!

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  16. Adorable!!! Love all the pictures too! So perfect for Salt and Sand.

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  17. Oh my gosh, what a fun post. I love your lil mermaid!

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  18. how fun! and I spied the Baby shark! I can't get that song out of my head!!

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  19. A fun project. Thank you for sharing.

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  20. That is so cute! You did a beautiful job on him too.

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  21. He is so cute. You didn't fall far from the sewing talent tree. Great job and so glad you were able to join us for this hop.

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  22. Mr Merman is just adorable! I love all of the ways he's enjoying the beach!

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  23. Love Mr Merman and the stickers are fun, not to mention the cute daughter and granddaughter.

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  24. How cute is Mr Merman... and your granddaughter!! xx

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So happy you stopped by for a visit! Thank you!