Squidly: It has not escaped me that he has too few arms. I know, okay, I know. Just, uh, pretend. I could, in theory, untie each arm, split it into two, and braid them up again. But I like the thicker, more substantial look that they have now. So he’s a fantasy squid. Let’s not get bogged down in the details here, people.
Speaking of details:
Materials
Unknown remnant fabric – ribbed, elastic, perhaps a cotton/spandex mix?
Wool felt – for body spots and suckers on tentacles
Yarn – mixed types for arm braids and edge detailing
Buttons – repurposed for eyes
Polyester fiberfill
Face close-up: The edge details were whip stitched into place with a little bump of yarn between each stitch. It was really annoying to get all the arms and tentacles (plus the fins at the top) tucked into the body before stitching it all up. My sewing machine did not love going over those braids.
Tentacle close-up: I’m still learning to needle felt, but these simple spots are easy enough. The elastic in the base fabric put up a fight though; it’s not an ideal material to felt on. These were felted on the outside, whereas the body spots were felted on the inside to give them a softer look.
He’s not perfect, but he’s also the sixth plush I’ve ever made, so I’m pretty happy. He’s soft and cuddly (I only lightly stuffed him, to get that flat squid-type body and that hug-worthy floppiness) and has an adorable expression. I’ve discovered that it does not pay to make plush too small. It makes it much harder for me, even if the hand-sewn sections are smaller as well, and they don’t turn out as lovable. I’m thinking jumbo plush are in my future. Kraken plush, anyone?
JOYCE SULLY :: Why Not Wonder 