craftgrrl | so i started making stuffed animals recently . . .

hey guys, this is my first post here. i recently started making stuffies from the softies kit, which i highly recommend if you want to make things and don't have a sewing machine. i've pretty much sewn my way through the whole kit at this point.

this is the first one i made. it's really crappy, but in my defense, it's harder to sew than it looks (especially the whipped cream, which i'm pretty sure i didn't make correctly).

if i did it again i'd probably do a better job, but honestly every single thing i've made has at least one mistake in it. sigh.

ipod case! this one taught me how to correctly do a blanket stitch, which i swear i knew how to do before but had totally forgotten. as you can see from the pic, it was a learning process, haha.

this was the first thing i made that i really liked. i might make another for myself.

little fake doll dress, i guess you can use these as placeholders or party favors.

super easy to make! i'm surprised this isn't the default project with the kit (they provide materials for the aforementioned cake, even though it's harder than a lot of the other ones, since it's three dimensional).

his hat comes off!

agggh, i totally love the goofy tree.

cute little dog, i forgot to add the piece of ribbon so you can hang him.

there's another chick in the kit, oddly, also with a removable hat.

i need some new craft books or kits. can you guys recommend any? i'm mostly interested in ones about stuffed animals or other things you can hand sew, also in embroidery, ribbonwork and felting little animals. i'm not really that interested in knitting or crochet right now, or anything that would involve a sewing machine (i plan to get one later this year, but not yet). but any recommendations are welcome, as long as you remember i'm at a beginner's level and i need books that explain things really well.

i'll definitely be posting here again! have you guys seen stuffed magazine: a gallery of softies? i recently picked one up in the nyc union square barnes & noble, and it's AWESOME. so many patterns and great pictures, really good value for the price. i'm excited for the next issue!