Sew Much 2 Luv

Hello Summer :)

2012-06-01T14:07:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe it's June already!

Crazy how time flies.

It seems like the older I get

the faster everything goes speeding past me!

Or maybe it's just me?

Yesterday was a beautiful 85 degrees here

so I ~~kidnapped~~ picked up 3 of my grandsons

and took them over to my daughter's house to play in the pool.

On the way home I asked them if they had any fun.

Elijah (8) - "yes"

Caleb (6) - "I did too"

Gabriel (almost 3) - "yep"

Then Elijah says "but I'm the oldest AND the biggest,

so I had the most fun of all.

Caleb had some fun too,

but not as much as me.....(pause).....

and Gabriel had the least amount of fun. :)

Love these guys!!!!

I just finished this piece called

"Summer Soapbox" by Bent Creek.

I stitched it on 28ct Buttermilk linen

over 2 threads

and I changed some of the thread colors

to what I had on hand that I liked.

This is the first of my new obsession

with seasonal pieces that I can change out.

I used some lightweight canvas gingham to edge it

and ironed on some fusible fleece to add body.

I backed it in simple muslin

and added the bow for hanging.

And we're back!

2012-05-30T16:33:00.000-07:00

I feel like it's been forever since I blogged.

I've been working on a swap package that is shipping tomorrow

that is a secret swap so I can't show you any of it yet.......

And I've been busy sewing :)

I listed 10 new sets of potholders in my shop today.

And 13 new basic hostess aprons.

Now I need to clean up the mess I've made of my sewing room....

*ugh*

Why is it always more fun to make a mess,

than to clean a mess?

Giveaway Day Winner Announced!

2012-05-26T08:00:00.003-07:00

Let me first just say how overwhelmed I am

to have received so many wonderful comments!

I wish I had 200 aprons to give away.

I had originally intended on answering every comment,

but I just couldn't keep up.

So if I didn't manage to respond to you personally,

please know that your sweet comments were SO appreciated!

You guys made me laugh out loud at times

and touched my heart other times

and sometimes both :)

I used the handy random number picker

and the winner of the butterfly apron is:

Crystal who said:

Gorgeous apron, wow! I'm a doll maker from Alberta, Canada.

I have 2 little girls who are my entire world!

Congratulations Crystal!!!!

Inventory Reduction Sale on Etsy!

2012-05-22T08:35:00.000-07:00

These guys desperately need a good home!

Just look into their eyes.......

can you feel the love?

If so,

hop on over to my Etsy shop for my

Inventory Reduction Sale!

(sounds impressive right?)

It's time to make room for some new items

and it's just sad that these cuties are wrapped in plastic

instead of being loved.

I have aprons as low as $10.00!

It there is something you've had your eye on,

most likely it's on sale today!

When these items are gone,

they're gone....

and I probably won't be making them again.

(I get bored easily)

Happy Shopping!!!

It's Giveaway Day!!!

2012-05-21T08:17:00.001-07:00

Today is Giveaway Day over at SewMama, Sew!

This is my first time participating

and I'm offering this apron that I made using

Moda's Freebird in chocolate brown

and Cosmo Cricket's Early Bird in salmon dots.

What a perfect way to say "Thank You"

to all my followers and readers!

I absolutely LOVE reading your comments

and it always brightens my day!!!

This giveway is open to everyone,

including my international readers

and you don't have to be a follower to enter

but if you are just let me know in a seperate comment

for a second chance to win!

OK....so how can you win this?

Leave a comment on this post telling me a bit about yourself

and where you are from.

(I'm always so interested to know who my readers are :)

You have until May 25th to enter

and the winner will be chosen at random.

I will post the winner on the 26th.

That's it....easy peasy!

Make sure to jump over to SewMama, Sew and

check out the hundreds of other giveaways!

You can't win if you don't enter!

Busy Saturday and a Tusal update :)

2012-05-20T16:28:00.000-07:00

There are days that I feel like I get absolutely nothing done,

and other days where I'm surprised by what I manage to accomplish.

Yesterday was a good day.

My machine was hummin'

and all was right with the world!

I used my new walking foot for the first time

and made these fun pot holders

using the free tutorial on Sew4Home.

I was dancing around in my sewing room singing

"I'm walkin on sunshine...yeah

and don't it feel good!"

It's a very good thing you couldn't hear me :)

I leave the singing in the family to my son and daughter in law!

If you read this blog often, you know that I tend to

get on a roll making one project

and before you know it I've made 49 more.

So of course I had to make 3 more taggie blankies too!

I also whipped up 6 coasters as a little anniversary giftie

for my son and his bride.

They've been married 12 years today!

Awesomesauce, right?

I used this free tutorial from Sew4Home.

They are totally FTS (fun to sew)

and I"ll be making more for myself!

And last but not least,

it's time to post my Tusal (Totally Useless Stitch Along)

and show my ORT jar (Old Ratty Threads)

Hope you had a chance to be crafty this weekend too!

Spring 2012 Bloggers Quilt Festival

2012-05-18T08:53:00.000-07:00

Today is opening day of Spring 2012 Bloggers Quilt Festival!

If you've never heard of it,

swing on over to Amy's Creative Side

and check out all the details

and drool over all the amazing quilts!!!

I've only been quilting for about a year now

and I'm loving every minute of it!

I've decided to enter my "Tia Helena's" quilt into the competition.

This quilt really began 41 years ago

when my grandparents

were visiting us from Germany.

My "Oma" was an avid stitcher,

both cross stitch and embroidery.

She taught me to stitch that summer.

Fast forward to 2011 when I was looking

through my craft supplies in the garage

and came across these 3 partially completed

Hummel embroideries.

These were the pieces I was working on

with my "Oma" that summer.

I was planning on stitching them to represent

my 3 cousins, Maika, Norma and Sonny.

A few years ago, my cousin Sonny was killed

in a car accident on the Autobahn at age 39.

He left behind his wife and 2 teenage children.

I felt immediately compelled to finish these

pieces and incorporate them into a quilt for my aunt.

(We affectionately call her Tia Helena)

So this is what I came up with.

I used colorful fabrics by Robert Kaufman

to really make the embroideries pop :)

And I really wanted it to be bright and happy!

I hand quilted it using Perle cotton size 8.

My mother just left to Germany on vacation

3 weeks ago and hand delivered it to her sister.

It makes my heart happy to know

that this handwork that was started

by her own mother and finished by her niece

is finally in it's rightful home with her :)

I think that's what I love most about any kind of handwork

is that the love and care that goes into every stitch

will be cherished long after we are gone :)

I have my 2 little granddaughters that were just

born last year and I'm hoping that one day

they will sit with me in the backyard

on a sunny afternoon

and discover a love for handwork

from their Nana....

just like I did :)

Maika

Norma

Sonny

Patchwork Taggie Baby Blankie Tutorial

2012-05-17T14:27:00.000-07:00

I'll admit that I have an ever growing stash

of girly flannel remnants.

I just keep buying them every time

I see them in the remnant bins.

I can't really explain why I love them so......

But today I'm actually going to use some of them!

See....I knew they'd come in handy someday :)

What you'll need:

1 - empty baby wipes packet

1 - 9 1/2" square of Minky

9 - 3 1/2" squares of flannel

Assorted ribbons cut into 4" pieces

(the amount of ribbon will depend on the width you choose

and your own preference as to how many you want)

When choosing ribbons,

think about texture for your baby.

You don't want anything too stiff.

Sew together rows of 3 of your 3 1/2" squares,

using a 1/4" seam allowance.

Press the seams:

row 1 to the left,

row 2 to the right,

row 3 to the left.

Now you will sew your rows together.

Because your seams are pressed to opposite sides

you can "butt" them up against each other

to give you nice intersections.

I pin the intersections so they don't move.

Now you have a 9 1/2" square.

Position your ribbons where you like them.

Fold them over and pin in place.

Using a 1/4" seam, stitch the ribbons in place,

pulling the pins as you go.

Place the Minky square over the flannel patchwork

with right sides together.

The empty baby wipes package

will be placed on top of the Minky square.

Now flip your stack of fabric over so that the flannel patchwork

is now on top and the Minky

and baby wipes package are on the bottom.

Stitch again just inside the stitching

line from when you attached the ribbons.

This will insure that you catch all the ribbons again.

Sew all the way around leaving

a 3" opening on one side for turning.

Trim off the extra baby wipes package.

Turn right side out through your opening.

Slip stitch the opening closed.

Top stitch at 1/4" all the way around.

I like to attach those absolutely fabulous

rings to one corner so you can attach it to the stroller

or highchair to keep your sweet baby from dropping

her cute taggie blankie on the ground 517 times.

The empty baby wipes package inside makes that

magical noise that seems to keep babies happy :)

(When you wash this

I wouldn't use the dryer

because of the baby wipes packaging,

just air dry.)

There you have it!

Another easy peasy project!

Happy Day and Happy Mail!

2012-05-16T13:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a Happy Day indeed!

Our little princess Sofie turned 1 year old!

(although I'm not really sure how that is possible

because I haven't aged a bit since she was born :)

We spent a wonderful day at Disneyland

to celebrate with her Mommy, brothers,

Auntie, cousins and Nana (of course)

She's going to have a fabulous birthday party

coming up in the next few weeks.

And as for the Happy Mail.....

I received this super fun and colorful mug rug

from my swap partner "Cass the Coolest"

all the way from Australia!

Thanks so much Cass! I love it!!!

And if that wasn't enough,

today I received some beautiful linens

that I ordered from Crazy Annie's Stitchin.

She was having an awesome sale

so I got these at 35% off!

( I strive to never pay full price for anything!)

Also my wonderful hubby bought me

a walking foot for my sewing machine for Mother's Day

and it arrived today too!

I can't wait to play with it!

Last but not least,

this is a fun summer sampler by Bent Creek

that I am currently stitching.

I'm using buttermilk linen instead of the

dirty linen they used.

I purchased all 4 seasons of the "soapbox" designs.

I'm hoping they will all be cute when they're done :)

Happy Monday!

2012-05-14T10:40:00.000-07:00

I had such a lovely weekend with my family :)

I hope you all did too!

I finished the mug rug for my swap partner

and it's on it's way to Australia now.

I hope she likes it!

I also finished up a fun little cross stitch pillow.

"Support our Troops" by Erica Michaels

Stitched on 28ct linen over 2 threads.

I found this backing fabric out in the garage

along with some other patriotic fabrics

that I used a lot

when I was making raggedy ann dolls years ago.

This is the needle book I stitched for my Mom.

I know she'll love the Delft tile look :)

I found this needlebook kit on ebay.

It made me laugh to think

that this pattern was designed in Scotland

and it's a classic Delft tile pattern from Holland

being stitched by a woman born in Holland

who now lives in California

and it's being mailed to a woman in Germany

who married a man from Holland

that now lives in California

but is on vacation in Germany where she was born.

Makes perfect sense right?

Quilt top finished :)

2012-05-11T08:26:00.000-07:00

I finished piecing the quilt top for my "Pure" quilt.

I'm using the Family Room Quilt pattern on page 87

of Sweetwater's Simple Home book.

I love these fabrics!

They just look so cozy :)

I've also finished a cross stitch piece for the swap I joined

but we are not allowed to show anything on our blogs

until our partner has received it.

And I'm finishing up a mug rug for another swap

but I'm going to keep that a secret as well.

I want my partner to be surprised :)

Have a lovely weekend everyone!!!

Work in Progress Wednesday :)

2012-05-09T16:27:00.000-07:00

I have the center of my "Pure" quilt pieced together.

I love these fabrics!

The girls at Sweetwater did such a great job

mixing masculine and feminine prints in this collection!

I'm happy with the way it's turning out so far.

Although the more quilts I make,

the more I realize that I don't really enjoy

making the same blocks over and over.

I must have a very short attention span :)

My next quilt will have to be another sampler

just for fun.

Tomorrow I have to run to M & L

to buy the fabric for the sashing and borders

so I can finish this quilt top.

Here are a few of the little squares that I plan to use

for the backside of the quilt.

And yesterday I received the Silent Cinema fabrics that I ordered.

(Man I love to get fun packages in the mail!!!!)

When I ordered these fabrics,
I thought the print was smaller.

Now that I see them in person I think

I'll pick different fabrics for the dress

and use these for some fun

summer weight jammies instead :)

I'd like you meet Arthur :)

2012-05-04T16:32:00.000-07:00

"Arthur" by ?

Stitched on 28ct Lugana over 1 thread

I found this freebie chart while blog hopping

and now the blog is gone.

I'm sorry I can't give credit to the designer,

I don't know who it is

and the copy I downloaded doesn't have that info either.

And here is my the real Arthur :)

He's so helpful.

He likes to hold down my warm freshly washed towels

so they don't fall off of the dryer.

Isn't he thoughtful?

Arthur came to live with us when he was only 6 weeks old.

He's 13 now and as you can see

he's still every bit as energetic as a kitten!

And now that I've been stitching for a few days

it's time to get back to my quilting :)

I'll be cutting the pieces for a new quilt tonight

out of these fat quarters.

The fabric is "Pure" by Sweetwater for Moda.

It seems only fitting to use a Sweetwater pattern as well.

Can't wait to get started!!!

Is it yummy?

2012-05-02T09:34:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed that when I get on a roll,

I tend to make 315 of the same things

before I get bored and move on to the next "thing".

Clearly I'm on the "finish your cross stitch projects" roll :)

When my hubby came home last night he loved the

little "Bee Line" pillow.

He said "you should keep that one".

That made me laugh.

I guess he knows me too well.....

I tend to give away most of what I make :)

"Bee Line" by Sam Sarah Designs

Stitched on 18ct Aida

Of course I changed the thread colors :)

"Little Maids" Characters 23 DMC

Stitched on 28ct Lugana over 2 threads

Yes....I changed the colors :)

So a while back, this little guy (my youngest grandson)

was visiting me and was watching me intently as I stitched.

"Nana.....what are you doing?"

"I'm doing cross stitch.

It's like coloring a picture,

but I use thread instead of crayons."

He kept watching me and as I put the ends of the floss

in my mouth to thread the needle he asked....

"is it yummy?"

What is a TUSAL?

2012-04-30T12:19:00.000-07:00

That's exactly what I asked myself when I kept seeing TUSAL

and ORT showing up on stitching blogs.

So I followed the Internet rabbit trail to Daffycat's fun blog :)

Apparently she has a "Totally Useless Stitch A Long" going on

and you can join in at any time!

I love the idea and totally LOVE the name of it!

And every new moon

(don't worry......she has a list of dates)

you post a picture on your blog

of your "Old Ratty Threads" or ORT's in a jar.

This kind of stitch along is right up my alley!

Hop on over to Daffycat's blog

and join us for what she calls the Totally Useless Endeavor!

Today I wanted to show you 2 little finishes I did

this morning.

I added a tiny flower button to the little birdie

stitchery because the stitched flower wasn't really showing up.

I like the way it turned out :)

I added some large rick rack to my flag stitchery.

It's the first of my Patriotic pieces.

I have some more patterns picked out and ready to join

this guy pretty soon.

I just finished stitching Lizzy Kate's "Time for God".

I changed the thread colors to better match my home.

I stitched it on hand dyed pale blue 32ct linen over 2 threads.

And last but not least,

(and since I joined in after the last new moon)

I'm going to show you my ORT jar anyways :)

Heatin up the kitchen with some cute pot holders!

2012-04-28T15:21:00.001-07:00

Can you believe that Mother's Day is only 15 days away?

My Mom in in Germany this year but I'll be sending her

a package to open over there.

I'm working on a needle case for her

and I'll throw in some artwork from

the great-grandchildren and some photographs too.

She'll be super excited to run around

and show everyone what she got.

Believe me, my Mom would still be over joyed

if I made her a macaroni necklace!

Seriously.....she's my biggest fan

and thinks everything I do is golden :)

I'll admit...I feel that way about my kids too!

My Mom told me once, that the only way

to really thank your parents for all they do for you

is to be a good parent to your own children.

I try my best to live up to that.

So with Mother's Day coming up pretty quick,

I decided to add some new pot holders

to my etsy shop.

If you need a fun gift for Mom

that is under $20.00,

check them out!

They'll ship Priority Mail

so you'll get them in plenty of time :)

A bit of Hot Cross goodness :)

2012-04-26T13:20:00.000-07:00

I finally finished the Hot Cross quilt from the

Schnibbles Times Two book by Carrie Nelson!

So many cute patterns that I still plan to make :)

I've definitely had to embrace the imperfection

of my quilting skills and just enjoy the ride!

I know I said that I wouldn't be machine quilting

any more quilts, but this one actually wasn't that bad.

And I'm such a lucky girl that my buddy Amy

just happened to have some of the Hideaway fabric

that she wasn't planning on using and she gave it to me!

Thanks Amy!!!!

It worked out perfectly for the backing!

I just added a few of the leftover layer cake squares

to make a color blocked backing.

All the colorful gingham prints is what really made me fall in love

with Hideaway by Moda.

I also love all the fun prints.

Just look at these little houses in the Alps!

It's hard to see but there are tiny people on there too!

Makes me think of Germany and my family there :)

And how adorable are these teenie tiny deer?

I mean seriously????

Now it's time for a bit of cross stitchin!

My new friend "Betty" :)

2012-04-23T14:32:00.000-07:00

Today I made a very much needed new wallet for myself.

I used the "Betty" wallet pattern from the book

"Bags - the Modern Classics" by Sue Kim.

Awesome book!

So many cute bags of all sizes!

All the pattern pieces are full sized so you

don't need to enlarge them.

I only wish the patterns didn't overlap

so you could cut them out without having

to use tracing paper.

The pattern was FTS (fun to sew) and went

together in less than 2 hours start to finish.

I added the little cross stitch piece by Sue Hillis designs

that I just finished stitching.

I used a clear button on the front because

I didn't want to take away from the cute cross stitch.

I realized that I didn't take a photo of the backside...

it's done is black canvas.

I stayed true to the pattern except

that I added medium weight fusible interfacing

on the pockets for some extra "body".

I also added an additional shorter

pocket (the gingham) for my coupons :)

And lastly I added the elastic

for my pen.

I don't know about you,

but I always need my pen!

So here's it is all filled up :)

I can't wait to take Betty shopping ......

I do have some JoAnn's coupons in there.....

hmmmmmm

OK....so I changed my mind :)

2012-04-20T09:56:00.002-07:00

A while back I told my hubby that I was done with swaps.

And I meant it........

but I changed my mind :)

It's a woman's prerogative...right?

You may have noticed the Mug Rug Swap button

on the right hand of my blog.

I signed up last week and I have my partner info.

She's from Australia!

I'm super excited to get started!!!

I also signed up for

"My Favorite Things" Exchange over at

Stitched with Love.

This one is a cross stitch swap!

Super excited about that one too.

Not sure yet who my partner will be

but I'm hoping for someone in Europe.

How fun will it be to receive packages with

stitched goodness from overseas?

As you can see from the first photo,

I'm almost done with my flag stitchery,

but I ran out of floss (I hate it when that happens!)

And I couldn't just sit idle while the hubby watches TV

so I began stitching this Sue Hillis design.

What are you all working on?

Any fun swaps in your future?

Inspiration is out there!

2012-04-18T16:03:00.000-07:00

First off, I just need to say a big "Thank You"

to Al Gore for inventing the Internet! (wink wink)

I don't know what I'd do without it!!!

I mean, I find so much inspiration

from so many wonderful bloggers!

This particular table runner was inspired

by Faye over at Carolina Stitcher :)

If you love cross stitch you HAVE to check our her blog!

I love that she used a finished cross stitch piece

and made a table runner out of it!

I was stuck in the

"either make a pillow or have it framed" rut.

So I took my 3 finished pumpkin stitcheries

and looked through my fabric stash

and found these wonderful prints

from Robert Kaufman called "Nutmeg".

They matched perfectly!

The only problem I had is that they are 3 different sizes.

So I gave a 1/4" here and there

and made them look like they belong together.....

sort of :)

Since the fabric prints are so wonderfully busy already

I just did a simple "stitch in the ditch" machine quilting.

I bought this fabric to make myself a Thanksgiving apron

and luckily I still have enough left to do just that!

Win - Win!

I'm back in the saddle!

2012-04-16T15:55:00.000-07:00

Seems like forever since I sat down

at my machine to sew.......

Sometimes after I finish a big project

(like my aunt's quilt)

I feel like I need a break from sewing.

Luckily I have my cross stitch

and embroidery to keep me busy :)

Today I made these 2 little peasant dresses

for Sofie and Evie.

They are pretty quick to make,

about an hour each.

And I learned a new technique today.

I've never used elastic thread

in my bobbin to gather before.

I don't love the process...

but I do love the look!

I used SweetBaby3 "Ferry Top" pattern

that I bought on etsy.

It's awesome that you get sizes 3m to 5 yrs!

Can't wait to see my little beauties

in their new summer dresses!

Am I the only one??????

2012-04-13T10:24:00.000-07:00

I've come to the shocking realization

that I don't have as much fun finishing a project

as I do working on the project.

I wonder why that is?

I also enjoy (probably too much)

shopping for supplies for different projects.

I can spend hours online

making wish lists for patterns, fabrics, etc.

It would probably take the rest of my life

just to do all the patterns I already own.

What's up with that?

Right now I have 13 completed

cross stitch projects

and 4 quilt tops just waiting to

be sandwiched and hand quilted.

Anyone else have this problem

or just me?

"Garden Welcome" by Imaginating

"Laughter" by Mosey "N Me

"Bee Line" by Sam Sarah Design Studio

"Happily Ever After" by Glory Bee

"Barns & Quilts" by Jeremiah Junction (Cross Country Stitching Magazine June 2005)

"Cleaning the House" by Lizzie Kate

"English Tea Box" by Jeremiah Junction (Cross Country Stitching Magazine June 2005)

"Blessings Abound" by Bent Creek

"The Pumpkin Flower Sampler" by Bent Creek

"Gather a Harvest of Love" by Lizzie Kate

"Waiting for Santa" snowman by Bent Creek

"Snowman in the Window" by Designs for the Needle

"And the Stockings Were Hung" by Just Cross Stitch Magazine Dec.2001

It only took 40 years to finish!

2012-04-10T19:31:00.001-07:00

It's amazing to think that these 3 little pieces of linen

that started this whole quilt

were in a box with my embroidery floss for over 40 years.

My Oma Luise was here in California visiting us

and taught me to embroider on them.

To find out more about the story of this quilt

you can read about it here and here.

For now let me just say

that I am soooooo happy it is done

in time for my Mom to take it to Germany

with her next week!

The 3 embroideries represent

my cousins, Maika, Norma and Sonny :)

I hope my aunt feels all the love

that went into this

and the fact that my Oma (her mother)

actually stitched a part of this makes it so much more special!

You may be wondering why my German aunt

is called Tia Helene?????

well that's because my hunky Cuban hubby called her that

when we visited them 16 years ago in Germany

and she loved it and it stuck :)

Latin men.....they have a way about them!

Pretty much anything said in spanish

sounds romantic!!!

SQUIRREL !

2012-04-09T08:33:00.001-07:00

Has anyone seen the movie "Up"?

I crack up when the dogs are talking and then suddenly

mid sentence they say "squirrel"!

It's like they can't keep their focus on what they were doing

because a squirrel runs by.

That's how I feel with sewing and stitching.

I'll be working on a project and then I'll stumble across

something beautiful that catches my attention

and before you know it I'm spending hours

on the internet trying to find the pattern

or the shop that carries the pattern I need

to make whatever beautiful thing I've just seen.

And the whole time

I have other projects to finish!

Case in point -

I found these 3 awesome blogs:

Miss T - Stitching World

Tillymint's Desk

Steekjes & Kruisjes

Talk about eye candy!

Between reading the blogs

and trying to find the patterns

I spent HOURS online!

Why are there SO many fantastic stitchery

and cross stitch designers in Europe?

I finally found the french cross stitch magazine

that I wanted, but they went out of business

and all the back issues were purchased

by a Japanese company.

It would cost 24.00 per issue to get them

and I want them all......all 71 issues! Ha :)

So in the meantime I was happy

to find some great free patterns

in the "freebies" section at Steekjes & Kruisjes blog.

Her blog is written in Dutch and English.

I had to make this cute little bird with the cherries!

You can find the free pattern HERE.

But just like the dogs in the movie....

I am currently working on a flag pattern

and was distracted :)

The next photo shows how my mind actually works :)

I really need to learn to finish one project

before starting a new one!

There has got to be a 12 step program

of some kind to help me.......

Hello Agent P

2012-04-07T14:57:00.001-07:00

I finished making the 4 Perry the Platypus (Agent P)

for my 4 grandsons just in time for Easter :)

Other than searing my flesh (repeatedly) with the hot glue gun,

this was a fun little project :)

*ouch*

According to the pattern directions

the entire project is glued together

but I want these little guys to last longer than a day

so I used wool felt and stitched them together instead.

I only used the glue gun

to attach the pipe cleaners

and glue the hats on.

If you are planning on making a Perry of your own

I would suggest that you attatch the eyes and beaks

before you assemble the body.

It's so much easier to work with that way.

I can never understand why patterns

have you add the details after stuffing.

I also added heavy duty interfacing

to the tail to help Perry stand up.

I ended up tacking the tale to the body

with a few stitches as well

or the poor guy just kept falling over.