A Turtle and his Grassland

We just received these precious new mini patterns from Heather Bailey and as soon as I saw them I knew I had to make one.

I've decided to call him Carl.

I originally set out to make a girl turtle, complete with corsage, but when I finished the body and set the shell on top, I knew it was a gentleman turtle I had made. So now I'll have to make Carl a lady friend to keep him company. Then she can sport the pretty corsage on her girly tortoise shell.

As far as using Carl as a pin cushion... I just couldn't bring myself to stick him. I believe that if he could talk, he'd tell me that he much rather be a toddler's toy.

For extra kicks I whipped up this little grassland habitat so that Aelyn could set out with her new turtle friend, graze and explore. Yes, it's silly and a perhaps a bit pointless but for a 5 minute project I think it's sorta humorous and whimsical. Plus Aelyn thinks it's fun.

A few tips if you set out to make a turtle too: Cut all pieces as precisely as possible. I prefer to iron my interfacing onto the wrong side of my fabrics before cutting. This cuts down on time and eliminates any discrepancies between your fabric and interfacing pieces. Also, be certain to transfer all pattern markings, dark and precise.

As for the stuffing, a chopstick helped but for the next one I intend get one of these "Stuffing Forks" she refers to. I have a feeling it will make the job much easier.

Finally, as a famous tortoise might say... slow and steady wins the race!

To Make a Grassland

You'll need:

one 12"x 18" piece or two 12"x9" pieces of green felt

matching thread

scissors

sewing machine (you could also hand-sew)

and a dry iron

First cut the large piece of felt in half so that you have two 12x9 inch pieces.

One of these will be the base of the grass land.

From the other you will free hand cut the grass. I saved some of my larger triangular clippings to use as free standing grass blades. Cut your grass any way you like. Note: it stands best if it is no taller than 3" tall. Also for stability, try not to cut past the bottom inch.

After cutting all your grass play around with the layout. Keep in mind your grass will be about 1/4" shorter and standup relatively straight.

Once you have all your blades where you want then, flip over and pin.

Sew to base using a 1/4" seam allowance. Trim all threads.

Using a dry iron, lightly press blades upward from base.

If grass flops over, it may be too heavy. Try trimming it down and finessing it upward a bit. This should help it stand for you (the grass will naturally be a little floppy but shouldn't flop completely over).

Finally introduce your herbivore to it's new home!

Have a happy weekend.

'Til next time,

April