Thursday, April 16, 2015

N is for Ninja Turtle


I was almost afraid that I wasn't going to have a project for today's letter in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, but I pulled through.

N decided to be a bear. Okay...actually, it decided to be a turtle -- a ninja turtle to be exact. I had been working on two other projects for today, but when it came down to it I just wasn't feeling either one of them. They were boring and/or driving me crazy. So at the last minute, I decided to switch gears.

I went to lunch yesterday with my friend Erin and her three kids. While we were eating, her son started chatting with me about LEGOs and Batman and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It didn't really click at that point in time, but it must have stuck in my brain because when I got home from work and sat down to get moving on my original N project and found myself uninspired, I suddenly realized that ninja starts with N.

Since I made this project from start to finish after work on Wednesday, light was limited and I was in a hurry. So...I apologize for the iffiness of these photos. Flash was a must so a few of them look a little bright.


I have an enormous stash of felt hanging around, so I started creating a pattern for myself and cutting out pieces.

I texted my sister-in-law to find out which ninja turtle is my nephew's favorite. She informed me that he doesn't have one, but that he really likes the color red. Obviously, I had to make Rafael. I cut out the head and face pieces, a front and back body, a belly, a shell, arms, legs, and a little tail.


I layered and stitched my pieces to their respective parts with a zigzag stitch.


I then connected the head and face to the body and belly...


...and the back side of the head to the body with the shell.


I pieced together my appendages, stuffed them, and sewed them shut. Arms were attached to the front piece.


Legs and tail were attached to the back piece.


I then put the two pieces together with right sides facing in, pinned them with appendages tucked to the inside, and stitched around the edge -- leaving the bottom area between the legs open so I could flip everything inside out.

After that, I stuffed the bejeezus out of the poor guy and stitched his base closed. I also stitched down the rest of his little mask to the back of his head so it looks like it has been tied.


I'd like to say easy peasy, but under the circumstances it really wasn't. The actual skills weren't hard, but I was definitely feeling the time crunch.

It took me about 5 hours start to finish, including developing my pattern. There was just an awful lot of stitching to do and quite a few times that I needed to change thread colors. But...I got a project completed for the day and now my nephew gets a new toy.


Miss any of my A to Z posts so far this year? Find them below...

1. A is for Anna (Easy Anna Cape)
2. B is for Bath (Appliqued Bath Mat)
3. C is for Child (Children's Growth Ruler)
4. D is for Denim (Denim Bib)
5. E is for Etch (Etched Casserole Dishes)
6. F is for Felt (Felt Hopscotch Mat)
7. G is for Good Night ("Good Night" Envelope Pillows)
8. H is for Hood (Easy Hooded Towel)
9. I is for Insulated (Insulated Beverage Cozies)
10. J is for Jumper (Embroidered Spring Jumper)
11. K is for Know (Know When to Hold 'Em/Fold 'Em Laundry Sign)
12. L is for Loveseat (Envelope Loveseat Pillows)
13. M is for Mittens (Fleece Baby Mittens)

Are you visiting from A to Z? 

Be sure to leave me a comment (including your blog link) so I can come over and return the favor!

I will see you tomorrow for letter O...which already has a project done and pictures taken, thank goodness...

12 comments:

  1. That is so cute. Only five hours and I say only because I look at a project like that and think, give me a week. :)
    Tasha
    Tasha's Thinkings | Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! Sometimes they take me much longer than they should. I got pretty lucky with this one considering I finished it at nearly the last moment and really had no backup plan.

      Delete
  2. Replies
    1. Thanks David! Add this to the things I should make for my Etsy shop... ;)

      Delete
  3. He's CUTE! I want to prop him against my computer. :)

    -Chrys Fey
    Tremp’s Troops - A to Z Co-co-host
    Write with Fey

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! He's just about the right size for that Chrys. He sits about 1 foot tall.

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  4. This would be a great gift for anyone who loves the ninja turtles.

    Sean at His and Her Hobbies

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My husband came up to see me making him and asked me if I had the other three done. He about lost an eye... :)

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  5. Very cute for a quick project. Your nephew will love it. I know how much time it takes to come up with a pattern and then all about sewing little pieces together. You did good. Have you ever thought about making some of this stuff ahead of time and scheduling your blog posts? It would make things easier and you wouldn't feel the crunch.

    Sunni
    http://sunni-survivinglife.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Sunni! I actually had the majority of the projects made ahead of time this year...huge help. I wound up with about 7 letters that needed completion. The plan was to do them during spring break, but somehow I found other things to do with my time. Seems to always be the case around here... :)

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  6. Oh I so want to make this now for Munchkin! If only I had the sewing skills hahaha! You did a great job, it is familiar yet totally unique.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm just glad it came out recognizable! That's always the first hurdle. Sometimes my own sewing skills can be quite questionable. Thanks for visiting, Ang!

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