I am a lover of many different crafts. Crocheting is my longest standing medium, followed by polymer clay. Along the way, however, I’ve dabbled with other forms of creating such as sewing, watercolor, needlefelting, resin, and decoden, so I thought I’d share a different side of my creation process today with something new to the blog: plushies.
Recently, I decided to spoil myself with a purchase from Spoonflower. If you haven’t heard of Spoonflower, it’s a shop that creates custom-printed fabric and wallpaper based on designers who upload their content. It’s kind of like Zazzle but specifically for for fabric (and wallpaper).
This purchase consisted of two preprinted patterns for adorable plushies designed by Choly Knight. This is a blog I’ve been subscribed to for two years now because I’m continuously fascinated by the adorable projects and the helpful information.
While I’ve made a few plushies before, it is definitely still an area I could improve in, so I had never been brave enough to go out, buy the minky fabric, and try to find a place to reliably trace out patterns {adequate table space is hard to come by in my apartment}. The other set back was the beautiful facial details on these plushies (applique is a body of water I haven’t dared to tread).
However, when an email arrived in my inbox in April for an axolotl pattern, all inhibitions flew out the window, particularly because this was another set of patterns Choly had published as a printed pattern on Spoonflower. What did this mean?
I could buy a fat quarter of fabric that included the pattern traced out (with the seam allowance included!!!) with facial features already printed. All I had to do was cut and sew. There were no more excuses.
I found the axolotl pattern very easy to follow. There were lots of photos showing what needed to be done accompanying the text step-by-step instructions. When there was a term or process I was unfamiliar with, there was a helpful little bubble that explained what was recommended.
The only issue I realize I had (and even then, it’s a minor one) is that I didn’t blend my bottom dart on the head well enough so there’s still a point where the mouth is. It’s just something I will need more practice doing!
Overall, this was a super fun project, and I can’t wait to do more! Please visit Choly for beautiful patterns, plushies, and amazing project instructions! There are more projects besides plushies, so if those aren’t your thing, there are patterns for items like bags, clutches, and apparel! Choly’s main website is cholyknight.com, and you can also find links to other social media there.