Dogs are man’s best friend, or so it has been said, which could at least partially explain my enthusiastic love for them. Beyond taking care of my own flesh and blood pup, of whom I show gratuitous pictures of every now and then, I find that every other time I finish tying off a new stuffed animal and weave in the ends, I’ll turn it to face me and find the soulful eyes of yet another pooch staring back. Even when I don’t consciously decide what the end product should look like, my idle hands are known to spontaneously bringing together raw materials and randomly choose to create… More times than not, some sort of incarnation akin to a canine. Sometimes it will be a specific breed, other times a generic dog-type-figure will satisfy my inner mutt just fine. We’re all mongrels when it comes right down to it, so as long as it has two floppy ears, a wagging tail, and a big black nose, that’s good enough for me.
I guess you could say that I found buried treasure even more valuable than fido’s bone hidden in the backyard when I stumbled upon a pattern for a felt scottie – Cute enough to pluck my heartstrings like a guitar, there was no way I could pass this one up. Initially put off by the clear recommendation to hand sew the whole thing, it took a whole lot of courage to actually start making preparations to begin. Accustomed to the soothing hum of my sewing machine, manipulating fabric without it just feels wrong and insufficient. I’ve lost faith in my ability to sew lasting seams with my own hands, and with the impractical amount of time it would require to complete any serious project, I rarely even consider hand-sewing as a technique to include in my own personal repertoire. Nevertheless, without a seam allowance included, my work was cut out for me if I really wanted this sweet pup to add to my growing collection.
Before you start asking me what sort of messed-up scottie dogs I grew up with as a child, I will readily allow that my supplies of felt are greatly lacking. Sure, I use plenty of felt as little accents in crocheted creatures, but each eye takes up maybe 1 centimeter of material, maximum. When you start looking for pieces big enough to actually fashion a full animal out of… It’s slim pickings. After tearing through the disaster area formerly known as a closet for nearly a quarter of an hour, the disorganized piles of scraps and remnants only seemed more mysterious and threatening, not inviting further investigation. Reviewing my find, I was left with the choice of either fire engine red, or plum purple. In only a blink of the eye would, it was clear that purple was the only real choice here. Normalcy be damned, a dog this bizarre would unmistakably belong with me.
Slowly, tediously, each individual stitch was painstakingly sewn before moving on to the next, meticulously spaced stitch. Not perfect, not by far, but the cheerful if simple expression on this adorable scottie’s face made up for all of its inherent flaws. Simple in design, but ultimately satisfying to see it materialize without the aid of machinery, I can understand why hand-sewing could be so popular in some circles. I will still prefer the help of my trusting sewing machine, but every now and then, I will certainly return to the wondeful calm of a simple needle and thread passing silently through fabric, nothing more, nothing less.
Stuffed and embellished lovingly with a heart-shaped dog tag, my newest hound fits right in with the rest of the gang. The best thing about having so many of man’s best friends all together? I can rest assured that in the times that I’m away, they will be excellent guards of the house, and there will certainly be no cat fights.
how cute! i don’t think the purple is weird at all… i like it that way! : ) your hand-sewing looks great, too. i only hand-sew because i don’t have a sewing machine here at school. you’re right that it’s much slower, but it seems like there’s a greater sense of accomplishment upon completion.
Your blog is absolutely inspired :) I just recently stumbled on it, and this post made me laugh aloud (which is generally hard to do)! You’re a student too, which amazes me that you can balance schoolwork on top of all of your marvelous creations. Props!
He looks great! And your stitches look so even, well done! Besides purple is a great and powerful color, clearly this little guy is royalty of some sort or another.
i love your little dog!! I have this pattern and haven’t had a chance to make it up yet! I have been to busy making all my family little birds!! I love him in the royal purple! You hand work is wonderful! Keep at it!!
You make some really adorable creations. Thanks for the root beer float cupcakes recipe, too.
I’m really getting curious – you don’t seem like a student to me. Are you a high school teacher?
I love your Scottie softie, esp. the beautiful rich purple colour. Your blog is awesome. I roam through the site as often as I can, stopping here and there to enjoy the beauty of your photographs and your designs.
Wondering if it was you who visited my blog today.
No referring address.
Just a name.
:)
Thanks for the comment if you did.
I love your Scottie!
:)
I think the purple felt is a perfect color. Your Scottie dog is adorable. Perhaps, I am biased because my favorite color is purple.
your little animals are so cute and have so much personality! . . . i think it is in the glossy bead eyes (and cause they are so small and cute!)
oh she’s branched out to felt things!