3 Reasons Why Toy-making Means More Shopping

I'm officially going through a softie making-phase. I thought I could stop at two Heather Hippos after finding that pattern on Craftsy. Except then I entered my Momo Hippo into the Funky Friends Factory's "Make My Monday" Contest, and to my surprise (and honor!) I won. And so I was forced to choose a favorite from all of Pauline's creations -- which was impossible. In the end I chose Raff the Giraffe as my prize, and bought Wodger the Wombat. And then I went shopping. In a big way.  Turns out quilting and toy-making aren't as compatible as I thought, here's why:

1. Quilting cottons are fun for toys, but fuzzy fabrics are *more* fun! Witness project fuzzy stash acquisition,  just a week in the making: It's all corduroy, minky, and one bit of linen. Not pictured? Some seriously awesome pink and green faux-fur. For the record, there are two half yards of Chicopee corduroy in there, and they.are.divine. I don't see these going into a quilt, um, ever.

2. Batting is not the same as stuffing. At one point I told myself that toy-making would be a good way to use up all those cotton batting scraps. That would work, and probably even work well. Except cutting up all those scraps into itty-bitty bits would take time, and I'm a sucker for instant gratification. So I stuffed with cotton stuffing. And then tried poly-fil. And now there is some sheep's wool stuffing on order. Going forward I plan to stuff minky with polyfil, but I really feel cotton/corduroy toys benefit from natural fillers like wool and cotton.

3. I only quilt with Aurifil cotton thread, but I think I prefer polyester for softie making. So now I need build a second thread collection. Awesome.

Other strange consequences?

1. I will go to great lengths to procure *wool* felt. Real wool felt is my new candy. Any acrylic felt left in my craft bin has been relegated to toddler-fodder.

2. I will never look at a pair of hemostats the same way. I almost asked my doctor for a pair yesterday (they were headed for the trash!), but decided against it at the last minute.

And for all this craziness, I decided to reward myself with a toy. Because I'm 10. And, less selfishly, so Henrietta can have a little wombat friend for tea time. So excited about this one!

   

It's a good thing I have the best and most supportive husband ever!