Joey age 6

Joey's drawing was very clear, it looked EXACTLY like a penguin.  It is hard to call this one a "creature" when it so clearly is a penguin! The artwork came to me clearly labeled and I couldn't resist but to make it out of fleece.  I really enjoy working with fleece.  I made the white middle part from a pattered fur.  It was really hard to keep it away from my 3 year old!  She kept asking if she could hug 'the Joey monster'.  That is what she calls each one.  She asks the child's name who made the picture and from then on, each creature is called 'the so-in-so monster'.

Joey's mom tells me that his siblings are so jealous that she had to order the twin for the baby and sent another drawing by his little sister.

I love that she also sent me this picture of Joey sleeping with his creature.

If you would like a Kid's Creature created from your child's drawing, you'll find information here.
I've got a facebook page too, if you'd share with your friends, that would be fantastic!  Thanks - 

The best part of this job

There are so many parts of this project that are so fun that it makes me giddy.  Getting to really study the artwork of kids, picking it apart and trying to see things from their perspective takes me back to my childhood. 
Going through the process of making the creature feeds my analytical side.  Figuring it all out and making decisions on how it should come to life is a rewarding challenge.
But by far, the best part of the project is seeing the kid's reactions and hearing from their parents how much they love their creatures.
Thanks to the parents for letting me share these pictures.

Rylee age 5

I just love how kids will draw the entire picture all in one color.  No deviation, just blue.
I chose a furry fabric that feels so so soft.  It was fun to work with this fabric because it is so forgiving!  The stitches just disappear in the fur.  This is great for sewing up the stuffing hole, but terrible for embroidering details like the eyelashes.  You have to look closely to even see that there are any.

The arms are slightly larger than the way that Rylee drew them, but making them that skinny was damn near impossible!  The fingers were a challenge too, but I think they turned out well in the end.

The hair has craft wire inside so that they are twirly.  I made sure to roll the ends first so that they are not sharp.

I've made 2, Rylee will get one, and the other is for sale in my etsy shop.
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Dylan age 8

I was so excited when this picture showed up in my email.  This lovely creature is the artwork of an 8 year old.  According to his mom, this cat is a Kachina doll so I can only assume that they are studying native American cultures in school.  Regardless, I was so excited about this one because of all the detail. I decided that I would embroider all those crazy black lines.  It took WAY more embroidery floss than I expected, but it was good fun.  Most everything that I sew, I do it on my machine, but it was a nice change to do so much by hand.  Plus, it gave me an opportunity to get caught up on those Law & Order SVU episodes that have been getting backed up on my DVR. 

I had fun with the fabrics as well.  I used a shiny nylon for the body, stretch polyester for red part (what is that? a bandanna?) and eyes.  Green fleece for the dots, quilter's cotton for the arms and corduroy for the bottom.  The eclectic combo and the embroidery gives him a cool feel.  Some of the embroidery was done with yarn instead of floss for the thicker lines.  I learned along the way that the shiny nylon is a poor choice for something with so many stitches so I doubled up.  There are 2 layers of the blue fabric so that there is no chance of the stuffing coming out through the stitch holes.
To be honest, I'm pretty damn proud of this little guy.

and, as usual, I made two.  Dylan has one and the other is up for sale in my etsy store (here)