Plush Toy/Teddy Trainers! - Tutorial :D

 

Hi everyone :)

 

Finally the time has come for the tutorial I made for the project I finished recently- some cuddly toy shoes!

 

On a Japanese fashion programme I watch on NHK I saw someone wearing a pair of these panda shoes:

Image from: here

 

I though they were pretty cool but I wanted a different colour and maybe a different animal on the front. However when I looked such up I could only find the panda pairs... so as usual when I can't find what I want I try making it instead :-)

 

Here are my version of the plush toy trainers:

 

 

They are quite simple to make and by making your own you can pick your colour of trainer, your animal or toy and even your style of shoe- hi tops or converse style etc.. meaning that you end up with a SUPER cool pair of trainers that definitely no one else will have! (And probably for a cheaper price- The shoes only cost me £4.50 at a discount sports shop near me and the toys were only 99p each from a card shop near me- bargain! :0)

 

 

Now if you like funky footwear here is how to make your own :D

 

...You will need:

 

• A pair of shoes (hi tops or converse are most suitable- but you could experiment if you wish :)
• Two small cuddly toys
• A stitch un-picker/stitch ripper
• Scissors
• A needle and thread (in matching colour to your toys/shoes)
• Pins
• Any extra decorations you wish

 

 Steps:

 

1. Take your toys and using the stitch un-picker, un-pick the arms

 

 

leave the stuffing inside the arms and remove any bits of remnant stitching from where you unpicked them

 

2. Take your scissors and cut round the head of your plush, about 1.5cm or so down from the  head/seam edge

 

once again leave the stuffing inside

 

3. Using your needle and thread, sew around the edge of the head and gather up to about the point shown below- not all the way closed but enough to reasonable secure the stuffing and tuck the cut edge underneath the head of the toy.

 

4. Pin the head into the centre of the trainer tongue- not to low down as you still need to be able to lace up our shoes to about two below the top on the eyelets (see pictures for reference)

 

sew all the way around the edge trying to catch the underneath of the head and just the top of the tongue so that the stitches cannot be seen (on either side)- but make sure the head is securely fastened.

 

4. next pin the arms in position either side of the head, again on the tongue and sew similarly to fasten into position.

 

Repeat  for both trainers, and viola! You are done and are ready to hit the streets:

 

You can experiment with adding extra decorations or even adding the feet or any tails from your toys too if you want, by again just pinning and sewing them in position - Have fun and be creative!- WOW people with your shoes! (I might sew the feet sticking out the back on mine, like the lions are jumping through the shoes- but I haven't quite decided yet :P)

 

I did put these little stars and lion buttons I had on though, just to complete the customised look :):

 

 

I hope you all liked the tutorial :-)

 

(If any of you do make your own I would love to see cool/cute pictures, you can send them to: iitki@hotmail.co.uk)

 

See you soon,

 

Byeeeeeeeeee XXX

Cute orange blob!

Hi everyone,



I was watching TV the other day when this advert came on:

I was captivated by its super cute-ness (and awesome dancing routine!) The advert makes me so happy :D I think he is called Zingy :0)

I watched the advert about 20 times on youtube and really wanted my own Zingy, sadly they don't sell them yet, soo I decided to make my own little guy :-)

He seemed to like it outside in the advert so I thought I would take my creation outside too, I think he liked it...

Hehehe :D

 (I promise I will put the pattern for Zingy up soon, I have just got to get it all typed up and everything)

I'm off now as Zingy said he would teach me his dance routine, lol! :P

I hope you are all having a lovely week!

See you all soon,

Bye XxXxX

Crafting Update!

Hey guys!

It has taken me longer than expected to get this post to you due to my internet being very temperamental lately :/ but I'm pleased to say, here, now, finally, is my crafty update!

I thought I would start by showing you all the stuff I made whilst I was on holiday :)

First up I made three pieces of bunting for my knitting group. If you can remember my previous post they are trying to make a really long string in celebration for the Olympics and set a world record too!

The dotty piece was the most difficult. I had to kind of make up where to put the dots as I went along because the pattern was only for a plain piece, there were pictures of dotty pieces though so that helped a bit. I brought them to the group along with some sweets I got from Cyprus and a kids knit book for people to have a look at. All the ladies are soo nice at the group, they really liked my bunting and were also very interested in my finished DAL gloves, which I wore to the group to show them now they were finished as they were the project I was working on last time :) Also whilst on holiday I managed to finish some more innocent hats and two more cross stitch kits:

I really like the way my ice cream hat design came out and I also love the hat with two colour pom-pom, I think the colours make it look kind of royal :-) So far I have made 15 hats but I am aiming for 25 by October!

The monkey cross stitch kit required me to do some french knots which were very difficult at first.  In the end I managed to get them though which I am really pleased about as now I can try more challenging kits and can use them along with other stitches to make pretty borders etc... around some of the other designs I have stitched :D

I haven't really decided what I am going to do with all my finished stitchlet kits yet, at the moment I am thinking of making some kind of wall hanging but first I am going to finish my bat and cat-under-snow kits.

That's all the stuff I made whilst I was away,  I was in the swimming pool all the other time! Now for the stuff I have made since I got back :)

Mainly I have been doing a lot of sewing lately in my ongoing attempt to broaden my crafty skills! I picked up a book from the library about how to sew your own fleecy monsters and thought I would give one a go. I decided to make this little cutie called 'Prudence':

I didn't have any fleece so I made her from a pretty patterned washcloth I picked up once in a store  (I knew if I bought it and saved it one day I would find the perfect project for it!) Prudence sleeps next to red nose day monster now in my bed with all my other cuddly toys :0)

Today I finished the pencil case I have been sewing myself ready for when I go back to school (which Is tomorrow so I just made it! Hehhe :) I am sooo happy with it! :D I was like a nervous wreck at the sewing machine, I had spent so long applique-ing the little bird so didn't want to ruin the whole thing!

Luckily it also fits everything in it :0) The pattern was from a book my mum and dad got me for Christmas called 'Fast Fabric Gifts'.

I also finished this big bow headband today which I may or may not wear for my first day, I like it LOTS but it is very, very, BIG! and I don't want to be told to take it off because the people sat behind me can't see the board, lol :D

And finally the last thing in my crafty update, this random Hello Kitty necklace I made from the top of a broken HK Pez and some bits and pieces I had lying around:

I think it's quite funky! :0) I will be wearing it to school sometime when I find an outfit it goes well with. That's the positive side of now being in 6th form, you can wear whatever you like :)

Well that's it for my (huge!!!!, sorry :) crafting update, See you soon

BYYYYYEEEEEEEE XXXXXX

P.s don't forget to enter the holiday giveaway! There is only three days left so don't miss out :D

Bye :0)

Takochu! (+ free knitted Takochu pattern)

Hi,

Aren't these just amazingly cute! *o*

Image from: http://weheartit.com/tag/takochus

They are mini octopus toys called Takochu (made by Pine), they even stack on top of each other! I first found out about these on Berrysprite, she has posted about them on her blog a few times and since I saw them I have been kind of hooked :)

They are quite difficult to get hold of though as they are veeeerrrrrrryyyyyy expensive usually and the only place you can really get them for a good price is Kawaii Shop Japan, problem is they sell out very quickly! And then you have to wait for them to restock. I think they have some in stock now though so get down there quickly if you want to get your hands on some like I do! Im ordering some in a couple of weeks :)

Berrysprite put up a free crochet pattern so that people can crochet their own Takochu: http://berrysprite.blogspot.com/2010/07/amigurumi-small-takochu-tutorial.html

I thought the pattern was great when I found out about it but then I got thinking,what about those who can't get hold of the real thing or crochet? 

So I sat down a wrote a pattern for a knitted Takochu style octopus!!! :0) And I'm putting it up for free so there is no one who now can't have a Takochu if they so want one!

Here is the Knit style Takochu octopus:

(hhehehhe, in the background is my fish Razor :) He loves his new friend!!!)

And here is how to make one!:

You will need:

• Small amounts of DK yarn In any two colours you wish (1 colour for body and tentacles and 1 for the Takochu's mouth)
• A pair of 3.25mm needles
• A small amount of stuffing
• A darning needle
• A small length of black yarn for embroidering eyes or beads/toy safety eyes
• And a pair or scissors

Head/Body (make 1):

Cast on 6sts in main colour (6sts)

Row 1: Kfb into each st (12sts)

Row 2: P across row

Row 3: *K1, Kfb* repeat from * to * across (18sts)

Row 4: P across row

Row 5: *K2, Kfb* repeat from * to * across (24sts)

Row 6: P across row

Row 7: *K3, Kfb* repeat form * to * across (30sts)

Row 8: P across row

Row 9: *K4, Kfb* repeat from * to * across (36sts)

Row 10: P across row

Row 11: *K4, k2tog* repeat from * to * across (30sts)

Row 12: P across row

Row 13: *K3, K2tog* repeat from * to * across (24sts)
Row 14: P across row
Row 15: *K2, K2tog* repeat from * to * across (18sts)
Row 16: P across row
Row 17: *K1, K2tog* repeat form * to * across (12sts)
Row 18: P across row
Row 19: K2tog 6 times (6sts)

Thread yarn through remaining stitches, draw up and fasten off.

Tentacles:

To make the tentacles you have to knit four separate tentacle parts (leaving each piece when finished on the same needle) then knit across all four tentacles to join them together:

Tentacle pieces (make 4) (cast on to same needle each time so all four pieces end up on same needle when done):

Cast on 5sts using main colour
Row 1: K across row
Row 2: P across row
Row 3: Kfb, k3, Kfb (7sts)
Row 4: P across row
Row 5: K across row
Row 6: P across row
Leave sts on needle and make next one

Once you have completed all four tentacle pieces work the following rows across all of them:

Row 7: K2tog across (14sts)
Row 8: P2tog across (7sts)

Thread yarn through remaining sts, draw up and fasten off. (You should have something resembling a flower)

Mouth (Make 1):

Cast on 14sts using 2nd colour
Cast off in K


Making up:

Take the head/body piece, carefully sew down the seam (with right side facing inwards) stopping before reaching the bottom. Turn the piece, Stuff then continue seaming. When you reach the cast one edge/bottom (which will actually be the top of the head) thread yarn through 6 cast on sts and draw up to seal in stuffing and create a sphere shape.

Darn in any loose ends on the tentacles and sew the centre of the flower shape (tentacle piece) to the centre of the bottom of the sphere. making sure the right side of the tentacles in facing upwards.

Then take the mouth piece and oversew one end to another to create a small circle. Sew this to the front of the Takochu. Embroider on some eyes using black yarn etc... (use picture as a guide). Finally you can curl up your Takochu's tentacles a bit and shape your Takochu as you want and add any other decorations then you are finished! (you can also spray your Takochu with hairspray if you wish then leave to dry to hold all the tentacles in place or you can just leave it)

Woo hoo!

Once you've made one I guarantee you won't be able to stop :0)

I couldn't!

I hope you like the pattern :) See you soon,

Byeeeee xxx

Abbreviations:

st(s) = Stitch(es)

Kfb = Knit into the front and back of the stitch (a type of increase)

K = Knit

P = Purl

K2tog = Knit two stitches together

P2tog = Purl two stitches together

(P.s Please don't sell items from this pattern without letting me know or linking to my blog first, thanks :)