Cool-Colored Sweater Monster Siblings

Sorry I haven't been around lately (craft shows, summer, life...blah, blah, blah). Here are some new sweater monsters! (they're from the same sweater...so they're siblings!)

Ingrid the Sweater Monster

"Ingrid is a huggable monster made out of the arm of a striped sweater with a scheme of cool colors. Despite her one-eyed, monster-like appearance, Ingrid likes to think of herself as a prim and proper lady. One of her favorite pastimes is attending tea parties and practicing her British accent."

Iggy the Sweater Monster

"While his sister Ingrid is a prim and proper lady, Iggy is a little troublemaker and loves making mischief. His favorite pastimes are sabotaging his sister's tea parties and hiding people's socks. That favorite pair of socks you can't find?...Iggy probably hid them! Just look at that smile! You KNOW he did it!"

Iggy is actually my entry in my local Etsy team's Monthly Challenge. Pop over and vote in the poll on the upper-right corner of the page if you can spare a moment! (You don't have to register or anything! Just go and click!)

As always, there are more pictures at my blog.

Barnum the Stripey Sweater Monster

This month's theme for my local street team's Monthly Challenge was Carnivals and State Fairs. (the theme was chosen at my suggestion after spotting it on the list of trending topics on Etsy's Merchendising Desk post for June). This is my entry, Barnum the Stripey Sweater Monster. (you can see more pics of him at my blog)

I originally didn't start making Barnum with this month's challenge in mind. I had the body made with the limbs and ears attached, and had him set aside for hand-sewing the eye and heart on, and stitching up the stuffing opening. It wasn't until after I knew about the challenge that I decided he was a good candidate for a Carnival-themed monster, and I added the hat, moustache, and bow tie (because...you know... bow ties are cool!).

*Voting for the challenge ends on Tuesday, July 5th, so please take a minute to check out all the entries on the RNEST (Rochester NY Etsy Street Team) Blog and vote for your favorite! (there will be a poll in the top-right corner of the blog.) I won't guilt you into voting for me if you like something else!...but it would be nice if you liked mine best! ;)

Squarc the Sweater Gremlin

Here is my newest creation...Squarc the Sweater Gremlin...

More pictures at my blog.

Woodland Creatures Series: Mika the Raccoon

Here's the second in my new Woodland Creatures series....Mika the Raccoon.

You can read more and see more pictures on my blog.

Foxy Moxy

Meet my newest creation, Foxy Moxy ("Moxy" for short). I saw a fox doll in my new "Sew Me, Love Me" book and decided I wanted to try my hand at making a fox...


You can read more and see more pictures at my blog.

Troublesome Multicolored Sweater Monster

I sewed up this sweater monster yesterday. Very few monsters have given me the trouble this one did though. He made me break not one, not two, but THREE sewing machine needles.

To be fair, it's not really the monster's fault. It was my fault for trying to sew through too many layers (and not learning my lesson when the first needle broke!). The body has 3 layers (since this monster has a pocket mouth), and the ears (which are what I was attempting to sew on) are 2 layers of sweater fabric, and 2 layers of batting. So that makes seven layers total. Plus the multicolored sweater fabric is pretty thick. No wonder my poor needles broke! My hubby was kind enough to pick up some more needles on his way home from work...and he included a package of "heavy duty" needles in addition to regular sewing machine needles.

But even with as much trouble as it was creating him (birth is always painful right?) I love the way he turned out. He's pretty big (the body is over 15 inches tall), and I love how his limbs kind of flop around. He strikes me as the kind of toy a kid will love to cuddle with and drag around everywhere.

Fun with Paisley

Thanks to a thrift store maven and fellow plush artist, Christiana Ward, I got this wild tutti frutti paisley cashmere sweater. It just begged to be made into a calico cat.