Crafty Corner: Giraffe-tastic!

Another 'dharmajane' stuffed animal friend has been born! I have ventured out into the world of stuffed animal making in the past and felt it was time to have another go. With my friends R & R having a baby this past week, it seemed like the perfect opportunity!

Up to this point I have made an elephant:

And an owl:

For some reason, the desire to craft a giraffe was burning strong in my heart. So that's what I did. Fabric, ribbon, thread:

A cardboard pattern drawn and cut out...I like to freestyle my stuffed animal plans- it keeps life fresh and exciting:

Pattern traced and cut- leaving a seam allowance all around:

Spots and feet cut and pinned in place:

And sewn:

Then came the puzzle of placing the ribbon tail and mane pieces. I totally botched this same skill when making the elephant so told myself to really think hard about how to lay it out. I pictured it in my head for a good 5 minutes and decided upon this and sewed it up:

WRONG! Ahhhh, I did it again. Rip out all seams and repeat. Tail pieces must go in between the fabric pieces and then sewn in place...not on the outside! Come on, self. Get in the game. Fixed:

I resewed it and then left a few inches on one side open so I could reverse the fabric right side in (the opening would be sewn up at the end after stuffing). I used a long wooden stick to help get the corners and such out where they belonged:

Time to stuff, close up the opening (just with a needle and thread), add some ears, eyes and a little embroidered name to the butt (Cabbage Patch Style...who's with me???):

Hoping this little buddy will bring many years of delight to Baby A!