"Z" is for ZigZag

I can't believe it. Holy moly. It's the last project of the A to Z Challenge. I actually made it. It could be a miracle. I might do a happy dance. And then take a nap. April freaking exhausted me, you guys!

Today's project is the last of my Etsy knock-off projects. You may remember that I had ones for "V" and "W" as well.

"Z" is for ZigZag Monster. Why do I call it that? Well...number one: to be blunt, I needed a "Z" project. Number two: he's sewn almost exclusively with a zigzag stitch. I picked the zigzag because it makes the different body pieces a little more dimensional. I tend to like that effect. I did the same thing with my Wild Animal Hand Puppets.

The idea for this little guy came from Little Bit Funky's Etsy shop. I thought her little monsters were so adorable. It will be a project that I will do again. He was pretty straightforward and easy, and I just wanted to hug him when he was done. I did actually pat myself on the back for this one a couple of times. I just like cute little monsters.

Because this was an Etsy knock-off, there is no pattern. I winged it. I started off by picking out fabric from my stash. I chose some bright greens and pinks from my fat quarters, along with a cute ladybug print and some soft, white, ribbed fabric from a former men's shirt. (I chop apart any unused, old, or worn clothing items at our house. It's a handy way to get "free" fabric in my stash.)

Based on the photos from the Etsy shop, I sketched and then cut out a basic layout for my monster. I cut out two pieces for the body, one piece for the stomach, one for the face, one for the eye, an accent piece for the stomach, and an eyeball from some black felt.

I sewed a smile and an "x" eye onto the face using a triple stitch and then pinned down the pieces for the front of the monster.

I sewed pieces for his two ears and two legs by placing the two right sides of each piece together and sewing 3/4 of the way around the edges (leaving one seam open for flipping). I did contemplate making arms at one point, but for some reason opted not to. I can't really remember why.

Those pieces were flipped right side out, and stuffed, and sewn shut.

All of the face pieces were zigzag stitched onto the monster body. I then lined up the legs and ears with the body material.

Making sure that the ears and legs were tucked inside, I placed the right sides of the two body pieces together and pinned around the edges. I sewed around the perimeter, except for the piece between the two legs.

After that, I just stuffed the cute little guy with fiber fill and stitched the bottom of his body closed.

All done. And cute to squeeze.

I'm SO GLAD I participated in this year's A to Z Challenge! I had a great time, finally got some projects posted, and found the motivation to create. It was a very busy, but productive month. I will definitely be back again for next year. I learned a few things along the way that will help make next year even better. I'll be putting together my plan for next year over the upcoming months so that I have projects ready to roll next time April comes around.

Oh...and I will be opening my Etsy shop here in the next month or so. So many people have encouraged me to sell my products (or have asked to buy them) over the course of the last month. That makes me happy. And excited. It would be lovely if EPJ was able to become something bigger. That's what I've wanted from the start. I just keep moving down the pathway and going wherever this happy little blog of mine takes me.

A big thank you to all of you who have been reading, and commenting, and following during the month. I hope that you will stick around for more fun throughout the year. I know that there are a few bloggers I found during this journey that have become a part of my regular reading schedule. I'm so glad to have met you all.

You've been swell April. (But I'm kind of glad you're over. I need some sleep.)

Thanks to all of you stopping by from A-to-Z Challenge! I love new readers. Make sure to leave me a comment below (including your blog address) so that I can return the favor by visiting you.