...finishing The Bunny

After about a week of fiddling with my folders and pictures, and all of that, plus some help from my hubby, I was able to reinstall iPhoto, and everything seems to be back to normal. I think I understand a bit more what I did, and how not to do it again - or at least how to fix it if it does happen again!

I have also finished all but one of my knitting UFO's! I sent off the ruffles scarf to Donna today, - I did forget to take a finished picture of it - I'm getting worse at that, so a partial will have to do.

I also finished the sweater for my niece, and it is on it's way! Hopefully it will fit - at least for a little while. It looked so small as I packed it up. I rearranged the buttons, so the small green one is on the inside of the right collar. That way you can leave both sides down and see the cute button, and I don't think it'll ever be buttoned all the way up.

I've found another great pattern I want to knit for her - some cute Ugg-style boots, and I'm going to try to get them done before my brother comes into town for a wedding in Feb.

The new job seems to be going well. I like the people I'm working with, it's a pretty relaxed atmosphere, and although it's not what I thought I'd be doing, it has potential. So, for now, I'm learning as much as I can and I'll see where it takes me. Sometimes I think you just have to take what you're handed and make the best of it. Plus it's going to leave me some time to do other things that I've been thinking a lot about. I've been wanting to 'give back' and 'share my talents' and was trying to figure out the best way. I think I've found an organization that I'd like to connect with to hopefully volunteer to teach knitting or crocheting lessons, or something of the like. I don't have all the details yet, but first comes the idea, then it's just a matter of putting it into motion eh?

Last week, I got to talk to my friends in Chicago via skype. It's so cool. It's a live video chat over the computer. I used it before to talk to Mike when he was here and I was in Charleston, and to my friends in NZ. My Chicago pals didn't have a camera, but since I did, they put me up on a chair and all gathered around for a picture - it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! I was able to show them what I was working on and we visited some great sites and talked - it was almost like being there!

And now, back to the saga of The Bunny...

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When I finished writing about my dilemma, I started packing up all the pieces of fabric that I had pieced together so far, and all the other things I might need if I was going to attempt to do anything with this mess that I had. As I did, I tried to sort out what exactly I had, and what more I would need to do.

I had one 12" X 12" square that was big enough for a small baby quilt.

I had a handful of strips that fit about 1/2 of the pattern pieces for the bunny, if put together ...just so.

I had two templates, one bunny and one bear pre-cut and marked.

I came up with a third option. If I took the body parts of the bear, and re-scaled the bunny, I would only need 2 more 'strips' of fabric (about 2 x 8 squares long) to have enough to make the animal! I went to be completely exhausted, but feeling much better about the project.

In Louisville, my MIL was sick so she was only able to offer her wise advice (make the quilt instead) and the use of her sewing machine. I took only half of what she offered, and set up camp in her sewing room. I even used the floor to feel more at home.

I found that it really helps to have the right tools. Once I sat down at her machine - everything went so much quicker! With a push of a button, the machine backstitched on itself! I could zig-zag any edge that was coming unraveled, and the material just flowed through almost by itself. I almost cried with relief.

I used my dad's old shirt for the inside of the ears, even managing to catch the logo on the tip:

For the pads of the feet and hands, I used an old cloth napkin that was just the right color.

Here are all the pieces before they were stuffed. In these shots, it really looks more like a bear than a bunny. I ended up having to do some modifications by hand on the body to make it look right, and Mike helped me scale down the head.

I embroidered the nose, and added some whiskers and safety eyes. Here's the head all put together. I love the way the ears tilt out just a bit.

I finished all the machine sewing the day before I left for San Francisco, stuffed as much as I could and packed a needle and some thread.

When I got to San Fran, I had a couple of days before Carlo and his family showed up, and I sewed my little fingers to the bone sewing up the openings for stuffing. It wasn't the best hand-sewing job ever, but I got better every limb.

Once I had all the pieces sewn up, I realized that the bear body had a weird shape for the little bunny head. It looked a little, well, how to say this... hunchbacked - and hunched-fronted. So I ended up having to do some 're-constructive surgery' on the body and sew it up again. All was well, and it was finished and packed for Christmas morning:


That's me, Gabriella's dad (aka my brother Carlo) and The Bunny.

Now, only 2 more to go for Alex and Stefan ... hmm.. maybe I should just knit them something instead eh?

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Lions and tigers and bears! Oh my!

The heading should actually read.. Bunnies or bears or giraffe's? Oh my!

My brother and sister-in-law are having a baby in August, and I am torn between what I really want to make them. (They don't read this blog, so I'm ok) My struggle is between what animal, and how it should be made - sewn or crocheted.

It began with an idea, long before they were pregnant or even married, back when my mother passed away in '02. Going through her closet, there were so many of her dresses and scarves and things that I just couldn't part with, but at the same time, didn't have any idea what to do with them. I donated many of them, gave others away to my mother-in-law and friends and family members, but there were still those certain pieces that, to me, were just the essence of my mother. Pieces that if I closed my eyes and pictured my mother, that's what I saw her wearing. So I took the clothing, and not knowing what I was going to do with them, packed them all into a box, or two, and stored them away.

Finally, I had a wonderful revelation - I would make baby quilts! Four of them, one for each brother, and one for myself, for when each of us had children. It would be for our first-borns. I had only gotten married in the year following my mother's death, so this seem do-able, as my older brothers married the next year, and the year after that, leaving me pleanty of time to make these blankets.

There was only one small problem... I'm not a quilter. The fact that I made a quilt, years ago, as a teenager, gave me the confidence to pick it up - given a bit of time and dedication. But as we all know, life happens, and I never got around to it, and the boxes of fabric followed me from Louisville, to Chicago and finally here to Homewood. I have accepted the fact that there is no way I will ever make one baby quilt, much less four, despite all my great intentions, and redesigned my idea into a patchwork teddy bear, or bunny perhaps. In the meantime, I learned to knit, became a better crocheter and found the world of Amigurumi. And after making a few softies for my friends children, I knew, that in a pinch, I could crochet a softie that I would also deem worthy of giving to my first niece or nephew. Hence my struggle begins...

I desperately want to make a patchwork softie out of my mother's fabric to give to the first of the Tamburro babies. So I've been looking for patchwork bunny or bear patterns that I like and not finding many. Then a friend suggested I just make a patchwork squares or patchwork strips of "fabric" and then trace a design out of that, and I love this idea! So I then asked my brother how they were decorating the nursery, to give me a better idea of bear or rabbit, since they're not finding out boy or girl. He tells me green and yellows and ... giraffes. A giraffe! What a great idea! I could crochet a giraffe pretty easily, and even make up the pattern on my own! Hrm.. what to do.

I went to Flickr to give me some ideas, and in my searches, I found my absolute favorite giraffe - (All her softies are gorgeous). I love the simplicity of it, and the fabric is awesome, but I don't have a pattern for it, and I'm also questioning my skills because I want this to be just perfect. I have a teddy bear pattern that I like, but I'm just not in love with it. Then the idea of a crochet giraffe seems easy and doable, especially in the time I have remaining, but that's taking away from the whole fabric idea. *sigh*
Bunnies or bears or giraffes? Oh my!