My crew on the lawn in front of the house. I’m always behind the camera!
We spent the last week of August on Cape Cod, staying at a beautiful home owned by a friend of ours. Situated right on the water with a big porch that invites you to just lounge and watch the boats go by, it’s a perfect spot for reading and doing some stitching.
I decided to bring along a crochet project and I knew I wanted to make a stuffed animal. Stacey Trock’s new Kepler the Lion was the perfect thing.
I love Stacey’s FreshStitches patterns because I know that as a novice crocheter I’ll get all the support I need to finish the project correctly. I love her 30 second stitch videos (I just learned how to slip stitch!). Then crochet is a wonderful hobby and the best way for kids to learn crochet is to use a kit for crochet like the Woobles, as kids just love that. Kepler is a big, huggable lion, but he’s actually really easy to make. Do you like him?
I’m so proud! I have to limit myself to only crocheting on vacation because otherwise I’ll do nothing but crochet. It’s addictive!
As I was working on this guy I noticed a few things about the way crocheted stuffed animals are designed that differs from sewn stuffed animals:
1. Building the fabric: It’s seems obvious, but when you use yarn to make something you are literally creating the fabric as you go. Melange Yarn is produced with the mixture of raw and dyed fibers. Sewn stuffed animals are made from pre-made pieces of fabrics. Sewing a stuffed animal is quicker once you’ve got the pattern in front of you.
2. Shaping: With crochet you are controlling the shape of the pieces through a series of increases and decreases. The paws are wider than the rest of the limb, the tail has a bulbous tip, the muzzle is like a cup – all of this is achieved by how many stitches are made in each row. To design a sewn stuffed animal you have to draw pattern pieces on paper that will come together like a puzzle to create a three-dimensional shape. Both processes involve imagining how something will look in 3-D.
3. The fudge factor: Because crochet is new to me I wasn’t sure how much I could fudge the instructions. I would be working on a row and then get distracted and forget how many stitches I’d made. Could I keep going and kinda guess or should I rip it out? I was reminded that if you’re new to sewing or crocheting, or anything really, it’s hard to know when you can wing it and when winging it will mean disaster later.
4. The finish: I have to say that I prefer the finished look of a sewn stuffed animal over a crocheted one. I love my Kepler dearly, but the bumpiness of the crocheted fabric isn’t my favorite. I think I will happily remain a sewn stuffed animal designer professionally and keep crochet as a hobby. It sure is fun, though!
Do you sew and crochet? If you do, Stacey and I designed an animal together. His name is Pepper and the pattern gives you full instructions to make a sewn AND crocheted Pepper, plus a hat and scarf. Pretty neat!
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Have you noticed differences between sewing and crocheting or knitting? Do they serve different roles in your creative life?
jess says
I love to knit, but I almost always sew toys. It’s difficult (not difficult, per se, but too much work) to make the fabric tight enough so that the stuffing doesn’t poke out when you stuff it firmly.
I did knit and then felt a doll for my baby last year and it came out pretty well.
http://fifthlampdown.blogspot.com/2012/09/flora_4302.html.
Knitting, as a rule, is so much more portable than sewing so it was fun to find a knitted doll that I could feel excited about.
Tanya says
Hi Abby,
I found out about your blog couple of weeks ago. I bought Mollie Makes magazine,and almost choke on a cookie while reading your profile- YOU LIVE in Wellesley,MA!!!! And I live in Middleboro, MA.:) It is so exciting to know that such a talented artist as you are live so close.Thank you for the inspiration and all the business and blogging tips, I’ve learned so much already! 🙂
I love crocheting. Started about two years ago when my daughter was born, and since then I opened my etsy shop ,began writing free patterns for my blog.
http://inkarapoozville.blogspot.com/
About 6 months ago I was going through a strange phase when I couldn’t even look at hooks and yarn. I felt stuck and didn’t have any motivation. Then I went to Joann, picked up some felt and fabric, and starting sewing stuffed animals:) I’ve made the bear, the sheep and the rabbit,two of them I listed in my etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/KarapoozCrochet?section_id=13485695
After sewing for a little while, I started crocheting again. So it has been last this ever since- I crochet, then I take a break and I sew. This way I don’t ever feel stuck! 🙂
Hope you are enjoying today’s summer-like weather!
Tanya
Bonnie Ellis says
Is there anything you can’t do? I so admire you for always growing and learning! I hope to someday learn to knit and crochet. Lovely family, looks like such a proud papa.
myra says
As much as I love to sew I’m drawn to crochet because you can do it anywhere – during my son’s soccer practice, riding as a passenger in a car, in front of the tv. And for the most part the materials required are few, some yarn and a hook.
Sewing a stuffed animal requires taking out my sewing machine, pinning and cutting out pattern pieces, etc.
I’ve taken many crochet projects on trips but can’t remember ever taking a sewing project.
Caroline B says
I’ve crocheted since I was a child as my mother taught me – she used to make amazing crochet lace doillies. I find the beauty in crocheting when you are designing a toy is that you can form it whilst making without having to have set pattern pieces first, as long as you write down your instructions as you go. It’s kind of like woolly sculpture! As you become more experienced, you know exactly how many stitches/increases etc. to use to get the shape you want. It’s fast too. It does also have the beauty of being portable and allowed on planes – no-one will accuse you of planning an attempted hijack with a crochet hook!
As to fudging, you can get away with it to a certain extent, a stitch here or there, but when legs have to be identical for instance, it’s not such a good idea. You will find as you get more experienced that you can count the rows and stitches and identify any mistakes. Using scraps of yarn as stitch markers helps.
As to the lumpiness of the texture, I agree there – it depends on the project really, sometimes fabric or smooth knitting is far more preferable.
Justine says
Your lion is fabulous! I knit and just this year learned to crochet to make Stacey’s patterns. Sewing stresses me out. I know if I did more I’d become more confident. But my pieces don’t look good– they look amateur and mis-shapen, whereas with crochet even as a beginner my pieces look just about as good as anyone’s.
Abby Glassenberg says
Knitting is something I have yet to tackle, Jess. A roommate tried to teach me in 1997, but I haven’t done it since! I’d like to try it again!
Abby Glassenberg says
Hi Tanya,
That’s so funny! Yes, I live near you! Maybe we’ll get a chance to meet sometime soon. I’m teaching a “design your own stuffed animal” class at Gather Here in Cambridge in mid-October!
Abby Glassenberg says
Oh, there are plenty of things I can’t do, Bonnie!
Abby Glassenberg says
I agree wholeheartedly, Myra! I loved feeling productive while on vacation. It made me so happy to have a portable project!
Abby Glassenberg says
I love “woolly sculpture”! I could totally get into designing crocheted things, except the math might kill me. I avoid doing math at all costs.
Abby Glassenberg says
I think there is a lot of truth to what you’re saying, Justine. With crochet if you follow the instructions you will get a good end product. There seems to be a larger margin of error in sewing somehow. I still love to sew best, but I do agree with that.
Caroline B says
Math? Was I supposed to be using math???
vernawelch says
I’ve been crocheting for about 44 years now. My mom taught me when she was pregnant with my baby brother. She thought it was something I could do since I’m disabled. I got polio when I was 8 months old and I now have post polio syndrome. I love making items for others and giving it away. I have made a baby blanket for everyone I have known who has had a baby. I sold items for 2 years after I stopped working. That was how long it took me to catch up. I’m looking for new items to do. I ran across your blog. I would love the lion pattern since I’m a member of the Lions Club. We help disabled children go to camp, we help kids and adults get glasses. Thanks for all you do.
GAIL says
really cute