Finally, the Farm Play Mat Set

After great lengths, I finally got the play set pictures downloaded.  It wasn't easy, but I finally got it.  I wish I understood technology like I do my crafting.  I guess I will just stick to crafting and take what little I can manage with technology.  I thought things were supposed to get easier, but it is hard to teach an old dog new tricks.  Well, here are the results of my latest project completion.

This is the mat which I designed by cutting out the animals and their sounds from farm print material.  I then appliquéd them to the mat and zigzagged the edges.  I made a mud hole for the pig which is hard to see in the mud in the picture and a duck pond out of a piece of blue tarp to add texture to the mat.  The tree also has a corduroy  trunk with leaf patterned material for the top. The barn is made from different textured material like felt and ribbed material. The fence is made of felt. There was also some apple trees, a tiny tractor, and tiny windmill on the farm print material.  I cut them out and added them to the top of the mat to look as though they were far away.  I used computer print material to add the words, Baby Farm, chug for the tractor, whirr for the windmill, and yum for the apple trees.

This is the mat with the matching animal toys.  The pig is sitting on top of the chicken because it is the only print animal that I added to the mat, but did not have a pattern to make a matching toy.  

This shot shows the cow that I knitted which has a zipper in the bottom of the belly so that all the toys can be stuffed into her for easy storage.  However, the farmer is too big to fit into the cow so he cannot be stored inside. He can be kept along side her to keep an eye on her.  The cow is ridiculously long, but needs to be that way to hold all the toys inside her.

I guess you could call this little toy the baby cow, matching the storage cow in color only.  It is made of felt.

I simply adore this little duck.  It is extremely hard to sew all those tiny parts, in particular, the legs and feet. It is made from a very soft fleece.

I hope my little lamb holds up.  It is made from a textured batting that looks to me very much like wool.

I cannot believe how much trouble I had with this little pig.  My pattern I got online copied way too small so I had to try to enlarge it on my own.  I didn't always get the same increase for all parts, some were too big and some were still too small.  The hardest part was the snout.  I couldn't get the strip that goes from the front legs up and around the nose and continues up along the top of the body and back as far as the tail to sew in the way it was supposed to work.  I ended up having to hand sew and pinch and maneuver the pieces until they resembled a nose.  Once I got it done and stuffed,  the left front leg would not sit down on the surface, so it appeared to be walking with one foot up and all others grounded.  He is made out of a textured material that also was hard to sew because it frayed too much. 

My farmer doll has a flannel shirt, jean material pants, felt boots, hands, and face, and fake fur for the hair which I hot glued into place and shaped like hair.  The hands may be on upside down, but this way, he is "all thumbs up."

My horse pattern was from a simple pattern that only requires sewing around the horse shaped body and did not require the detailed stitching of the cow, duck, lamb, and pig.  He is made of felt, with yarn mane and tail.

This shows the storage cow all stuffed with the toys and being attended by the farmer doll. 

I am so happy to have the toys all made.  Now I can concentrate on different things.  There is still so much to do before the Holiday Festival and Christmas.  I hope I can get everything done.

Halloween and Play Mats Finished

I have finished the Halloween costumes for this year.  I have also finished the last play mat set, but I can't blog it yet because I am having trouble getting my pictures to download from my phone to the computer.  I don't understand because sometimes they automatically transfer, and sometimes they do not.  Sometimes I can download them and sometimes it won't let me download them.  So I will show the costumes and will show the play set when I get the pictures.

Cat Woman is for Portia, but she can't be here, so Lexi is styling it for her.

Joey is showing off his Flash costume.

Lexi is flying high as Wonder Woman.

My neighbor, Julia, is being Rody of the Avengers for Ellis since he can not be here to show it.

I am happy to have the costumes done.  I will blog the play set later.  Now I will work on some plastic canvas Christmas ornaments and decorations.  I need to get so much done before Dec. 2nd.

Another Play Mat Finished

I have finished the second of the three play mat sets I am making for the festival.  I am nearly finished with the third, but still need to finish knitting the cow that holds all the set when not being used.  I am nearly half way done with it.  All the toys have been sewn on the machine.  Here is the jungle mat set.

This is the set of toys hanging from the arches.  I was able to buy the panel with an elephant already on it, so I just used it and put some batting and a back on it. This play mat can also be used as a mobile by tying the arches to the corners of a crib.  My neighbor used her set almost exclusively as a mobile instead of a floor mat play set.

These are the toys in the set.  From L. to R.: Georgia the Giraffe, Wally the Wart Hog, Tommy the Tiger, Molly the Monkey, and Zula the Zebra. The toys have bells in their feet to make them have a soft jiggle when knocked around from the arches.

It is Halloween costume time again, so I have started making them for four of my grandchildren.  I cannot find patterns for the characters they have chosen, so I have had to go online to get pictures and I have to make my own costume designs.  This is very difficult for me, but I do like to try to duplicate the look of the character they have requested.  I need to get the first two done by next week so they can be taken to Maine with their father.  He will be down next week and can take them back with him.  I still have another week to finish the other two since they live right here.  I need to have them done by the 28th.  I always feel the crunch.  I know these costumes could be purchased for less, but the kids like for me to make them, so I do.  It is fun and I look forward to doing it each year.