Another Farm Play Set

I just finished the farm play set that I needed to get done in January.  It is for a little one that is turning one at the end of the month.

This shows the entire set.

This is the little cow.  Because I only had a little bit of white felt and I didn't want to wait until I could go buy more, I decided to make the cow black with white for the side of the head and the spot.  I usually make the cow white with black.  I also chose to use gray for the nose, horns, and feet because black cows are usually darker in these areas.

The chick is knitted instead of being made from material.  I decided to add her to the collection because I like her so much.  She is one of the cuter animals that I knit from this pattern collection.  Anyway, every farm needs a chicken or two.

I was quite pleased with the little pig.  I had so many problems with the snout the last time I made it.  This time, it was the ears that don't look quite the  same, but that is okay.  Many pigs don't have matching ears and I think it gives it character.

This is actually the second lamb I made for the set.  I chose the wrong material the first time, and when I stuffed it, it started to tear.  I went back and doubled the material, but after getting the face on, I realized that it had a big hole in the hip on one side.  It simply was not durable enough for a baby to play with.  This material was tricky because it peeled off the backing that it was on.  Once sewed in place, it seems to stay intact.  Hope it stays that way.  It is so soft and fluffy.

This little duck always comes out pretty much the same.  I made this one out of the same soft fleece that I made my last one out of.  I forgot to put stuffing in the feet, but I think they are actually better without the stuffing.  Duck feet are pretty flat.

I made this horse just like the last one because I liked it so much.  It is made of felt and is a very simple pattern to make.

This shows the cow pouch without the animals in side.  This is supposed to be a pillow, but I like to put a zipper in the bottom and leave it empty so the animals can be stored inside when not being played with.  I also changed the pattern a little bit for this cow.  The pattern calls for straight legs, but we all know that cows do not have straight legs.  I added a little knees to this one and I think she looks a little better.

Every farm needs a farmer.  Since this play set is for a little girl, I decided to make a farmer girl.  I also chose to knit her instead of making her from material like I did my other farmers that I have made to go with this play set.

This shows the cow with everything stuffed inside.  I was much more successful with getting everything in this cow, including the extra animal (the chick) and the farmer girl.  What happened with my last set is that I read the pattern wrong for the cow's body.  I thought I had to only make one body part and fold it in half.  That is why it was so long and skinny.  This cow has plenty of storage space to house all her little farm animals, including her farmer girl.

The little girl I made this play set for is too old to actually have a mat to play on, so I did not make a mat.  Instead, I opted to make a small crib sized quilt.  I just used the left over material I had from the mat that I made before and just zigzagged it onto the quilt through all thicknesses.  This way, the quilt stays in place and I didn't have to tie it.  I used a fancy stitch around the edge that doesn't really show up that well.  The front is cotton with the flannel print that has farm animals, barns, tractors, etc. on it added to make it a farm themed quilt.  The back is a pretty dark mint green flannel that shows the stitching that was added to the front.  I don't know if the person buying the set will want the quilt, but if not, I will just give it to my new little grand baby that is on the way. By making it with the off white front and the green back, it can go for either a girl or a boy. That works for me, because I don't know what we will be getting this time.  Hoping for another boy, but we will see.

Now that I have this play set made, I need to get onto the fox themed play set that needs to be done for February.  As I was finishing up on the doll tonight, my son stopped by and asked me how much I charge for a play set because he has a friend who is expecting a baby soon, plus his girl friend's sister is also having a baby.  He is interested in a couple of play sets.  I guess I am in for some more work ahead.  Doesn't matter, because I do like to make toys.