Photo Tutorial - Rosie the Zombie Doll by Emily Taylor Desings

The Zombie Apocalypse continues at the Brisbane Stitches and Craft Show (20-23 March 2014). Come and visit us at Stand E15 to pick up a Rosie the Zombie Doll Pattern.

Rosie is a 97cm/ 38"tall soft toy designed by Emily Taylor. The pattern doesn't include any diagrams so we thought we'd put together a photo tutorial for everyone who has purchased the pattern to help them if they run into problems. 

*PLEASE NOTE - this is only a photo tutorial, the pattern must be purchased and is not included here. 

Designer Emily Taylor with her Rosie doll from the Riley Blake booth at the Houston Quilt Market last October.

STEP 1: Skirt

With right sides together place the SKIRT FRONT and SKIRT FRONT LINING pieces together, right sides together. Sew along the sides and bottom using a 1/4inch (6mm) seam allowance. Clip corners and turn right side out. 

Repeat for the SKIRT BACK and SKIRT BACK LINING pieces.

Fold and press the pleat on the SKIRT FRONT, each side of the pleat should be folded over approx. 1inch (2.5cm). 

Fold and sew bias tape to cover the raw edge on top of the SKIRT FRONT and SKIRT BACK.

STEP 2: Shirt

Fold and sew bias tape to cover the raw edge on top of the BLOUSE BACK and the long diagonal edge of BLOUSE FRONT A. Fold under the short curved edge of BLOUSE FRONT B and sew in place. I have used one of the decorative stitches on my sewing machine.

STEP 3: Face

Trace or freehand draw all of the face markings onto right side of the BODY FRONT piece. You can use chalk or an erasable fabric pen for this. 

Sew over the lines using either a decorative machine stitch or hand embroider. If you are going to use a sewing machine stitch I would recommend fusing interfacing or stabiliser to the wrong side of the face to give the fabric a bit more structure and help avoid the fabric puckering with the machine stitches.

Fuse the lip fabric to a piece of Vliesofix (you can also use a fabric glue pen), cut out the lip shapes and remove the backing paper from the Vliesofix and fuse the lips in place on the face. Stitch around the raw edge - I used a zigzag stitch to help minimise any fraying.

STEP 4: Hair

Place the FRONT HAIR piece on top of the FRONT BODY piece. I used 505 Basting Spray to hold it in place. Use a decorative machine or hand embroidery stitch to cover the bottom raw edge of the hair. 

Repeat for the BACK HAIR and BACK BODY pieces.

STEP 5: Clothing

Place BODICE FRONT B onto the FRONT BODY piece. Place BODICE FRONT A on top so that the raw edge of BODICE FRONT B is covered. Baste BODICE FRONT A and B into place, stitching 1/4 inch (6mm) in from each side.

Sew along the top diagonal of BODICE FRONT A 1-2mm in from the top edge of the bias binding.

Place BODICE BACK onto the BACK BODY piece and baste in place 1/4inch (6mm) in on each side.

Place SKIRT FRONT onto of the BODY FRONT piece so that the edges line up and the raw edges of the bodice pieces are covered. Baste into place 1/4inch (6mm) in from each side.

Repeat to attach the SKIRT BACK onto the BODY BACK.

STEP 6: Arms

Fold under the bottom edge of the SLEEVE pieces and stitch in place.

Place one SLEEVE on top of an ARM piece, baste in place. Repeat for the other ARM.

Fold the ARM pieces in half with right sides together and sew down the side and around the bottom curve using a 1/2inch (12mm) seam allowance. Trim back the seam allowance, clip (or pink) the curves and trim off the corner seam on an angle. Turn the ARMS right side out.

Stuff each arm firmly but leave the top inch or so free of stuffing. Baste the top opening closed.

STEP 7: Legs

Trace or freehand draw the leg markings onto right side of one of the LEG piece.  Fuse a piece of interfacing/stabiliser to the wrong side of the leg. Machine or hand embroider over the lines. 

Fold the LEG pieces in half with right sides together and sew down the side and around the bottom curve using a 1/2" seam allowance. Trim back the seam allowance, clip (or pink) the curves and trim off the corner seam on an angle.

Turn the LEGS right side out.

Stuff each leg firmly but leave the top inch or so free of stuffing. Baste the top opening closed.

STEP 8: Assembling your Zombie

Pin and baste the arms into position on right side of the FRONT BODY piece. 

Pin and baste the legs into position under the skirt on the right side of the bottom of the FRONT BODY piece.  

Place the BACK BODY on top of the FRONT BODY. The arms should be sandwiched in between the two pieces but fold the legs down so that they sit outside of the body.

Sew around the outside of the Zombie's body starting a the marking 1/2" up from the bottom of the body on one side and finishing at the marking on the other side.

Turn the doll right sides out. If any of the seams don't sit flat trim them back a little or clip/pink them, especially on the curves. 

Stuff your Zombie firmly with Toy stuffing, fold in the bottom 1/2inch (12mm) seam allowance.

Sew the Zombie closed with a ladder stitch.

Finish off Rosie's face by sewing mis-matched buttons onto her face.

- Ky

Photo Tutorial - Zombie Apocalypse Panel Soft Toy

The Zombie Apocalypse has started at the Brisbane Stitches and Craft Show (20-23 March 2014). Come and visit us at Stand E15 to pick up a Zombie Toy panel which will only be available at the show.

We first saw Emily Taylor's Zombie Apocalypse doll panel while looking through images of the Riley Blake Designs booth from the Houston Quilt Market at the end of October last year (2013). To say we were excited would be an understatement.

Original Photo from Riley Blake Design's blog

There are only limited written instructions included on the panel so to help our newer sewists we thought a photo tutorial was in order. Please note that all seam allowances are 1/4" (6mm) unless noted otherwise.

ZOE the ZOMBIE GIRL

Step 1 - Cutting out the pieces: All of the pattern pieces are printed on the fabric and should be cut out on the printed line. Make sure you transfer the pattern markings for the arm positions onto Zoe's body and the pattern markings for the dog's ear and underbelly positions onto the body before you cut them out.

Step 2 - Zoe's Arms: Take an arm piece and fold it in half with right sides together. Stitch down the long straight edge and around the curve leaving the top edge open (the instructions say stitch from point A to B, this is incorrect). Clip the curve, we have used pinking shears on our sample. Make sure that you don't clip too close to the stitch line otherwise the seam will be weakened and may burst when you stuff the arms. Turn the arm right side out. Repeat for the other arm.

Step 3 - Zoe's Legs: Take a leg piece and fold it in half with right sides together. Stitch down the long straight edge and around the curve, leave the top edge open. Clip the curve. Turn right side out. Repeat for the other leg.

Step 4 - Stuff Arms and Legs: Stuff the legs and arms, leaving approx. 1/2 - 1inch (about 2cm) clear at the top. Baste the tops closed to keep the stuffing in place.

Step 5 - Attaching the Arms: Using the marks you made as a guide, place the arms on the right side of one of the body pieces so that they are facing inwards. Pin or baste in place. Zoe is Zombie on one side & pre-Zombie on the other. Make sure you put the Zombie sides all in the same direction.

Step 6 - Attaching the Legs: Place Zoe's legs on the right side of the same body piece so that the top leg seam is even with the bottom of her skirt and her toes are pointing up towards her head. I placed mine approx 1/2 inch (about 1.5 cm) to either side of the middle of the bottom of the skirt. Baste in place. Zoe is Zombie on one side & pre-Zombie on the other. Make sure you put the Zombie sides all in the same direction.

Step 7 - Zoe's Body: Place the body pieces on top of each other, right sides together with the arms in-between. Fold the legs down so that they are outside of the body and out of the way. Sew around Zoe's body leaving the bottom edge open a few inches for turning and stuffing. 

Step 8 - Finishing Up: Turn Zoe's body right side out and stuff firmly. Fold in the open edges and use ladder stitch to close.

BONES the ZOMBIE DOG

Step 1 - Ears: Place one spotted ear and one black ear piece together, right sides together. Sew around the ear leaving the top edge open. Clip the seams and turn right side out. Repeat for the other ear.

Step 2 - Bones' Underbelly Part 1: Place the underbelly piece onto the left body piece, right sides together and matching points F and E. Sew around the legs from point E to point F.

Step 3 - Bones' Underbelly part 2: Fold the sewn side of the underbelly up and out of the way so that you can place the remaining half onto the right body piece, right sides together and matching points C and D. Sew around the legs from point C to point D.

Step 4 - Bone's Body: Pin or baste the ears to the top of one of the body pieces using the ear placement markings. Sew around the top of Bones' body from points C/E to D/F catching the ears in between. Make sure you leave an opening for turning, I left open the section between the two yellow pins on his back.

Step 5 - Finishing Up: Clip around the curves and turn Bones right side out. Stuff with Toy stuffing and close up the opening using a ladder stitch.

Congratulations you have finished your Zombie Doll and Dog !!

For those of you who like to pin here is a pretty Pinterest image for you :)

My Name's Steven...

Steven Seagull...

LOL that joke is not getting old at all :D and I've been making it all week since I made this little guy on Monday.

Specs

Steven is approximately 23cm (9") tall when sitting. He is quite firmly stuffed with polyester toy fill and weighs 210g. Cloud chose the fabric for him and his main body is a Tula Pink design from her Salt Water range. We think that the colours are very reminiscent of a hot summers day at the beach eating fish and chips. The yellow on his beak and feet was quite difficult to photograph, it is less orange and more golden in reality.

Give me a chip

Difficulty

I made Steven up in around 2hrs and would rate him at a basic - intermediate difficulty level. I am rating him a little higher than most Funky Friends Factory toys as there are foot pads and a gusset. These two items can be a little tricky for newer sewists.

Tip

Rather than clipping seams I like to use pinking shears. The pinked edge helps the seam sit flatter once it is turned out and also shouldn't fray as much. 

Any seams that are going to be under strain once the toy has been turned right sides out should only have minimal or no clipping if you can get away with it. For example the back, sides, under the beak and opening where the toy is turned out through, otherwise they may start to tear if you like to stuff your toys quite firmly.

If you would like to recreate Steven you will need the following:

• Pattern: Sandy Seagull Toy Pattern by Funky Friends Factory
• Main Fabric: Salt Water Sea Debris Seaweed by Free Spirit
• Wing Fabric: Out To Sea - Anchors Away Grey by Michael Miller
• Wing Tip Fabric: Premium Solid Black by Northcott
• Leg and Beak Fabric: Premium Solid Daffodil by Northcott
• Safety Eyes: I used 12mm but you can use any size you like

If you have made a Funky Friends Factory seagull? We'd love to see pictures on our Facebook page.

- Ky

Funky Flamingo Fabric Friday

UPDATE: This competition is now closed and the winner was Anne Cah.

It's competition time, and you can win $50 worth of fabric and patterns with Voodoo Rabbit and Funky Friends Factory! 

We are so excited that Pauline has finally finished her Fleur the Flamingo sewing pattern because we have been begging her to design a flamingo toy pattern all year :) While I was picking fabrics to make a shop sample we ended up having an argument over which fabrics to use. In the end I made up 3 Flamingos and we are settling the argument by running a ... 

CHOOSE THE CUTEST FLAMINGO COMPETITION!!!

Let us know which Flamingo you think is the cutest - to be in the running to win a $25 fabric voucher from Voodoo Rabbit and a $25 Funky Friends Factory pattern voucher. 

Without further ado, here are the contestants.

The first bird down the catwalk is Geekly Chic:

Geekly is wearing Geekly Chic Glasses Hot Pink by Riley Blake and finished off with Premium Solid Magenta by Northcott for her legs and Premium Solid Black by Northcott for her wings and nose.

The next beautiful bird is Rivoli Bubble:

Rivoli is wearing Rivoli Bubble Onyx by Alexander Henry and finished off with Premium Solid Rose by Northcott for her legs and Premium Solid Black by Northcott for her wings and beak.

This leggy lovely is Rose Pink:

Rose is wearing Premium Solid Rose by Northcott and finished off with Outfoxed Stripe Pink by Andover for her legs Rivoli Bubble Onyx by Alexander Henry for her wings and Premium Solid Black by Northcott for her beak.

And last but not least is Pauline's Pretty Preener:

She is wearing Premium Solid Bubblegum by Northcott and is finished off with fabrics from Pauline's stash for her legs and wings and Premium Solid Black by Northcott for her beak.

 

How do I enter I hear you ask?

All you need to do is to choose which stuffed toy flamingo is your favourite and let us know in the comments below. For a second chance pop over to the Funky Friends Factory blog and leave a comment there as well.

***** The winner will be drawn on Friday 13th December 

so don't forget to check back to see if it is your lucky day!!! *****

Good luck everyone - may the best Flamingo win!

- Ky

Funky Friends Factory's Igor(ina) Iguana Pattern Test Drive

I fell in love with Igor the Iguana when I saw him on Pauline's stand at the Brisbane Craft and Quilt Fair so I knew that I had to make one of my very own. I also knew that I wanted to use one of the Ocean Ponies prints from Tula Pink's Salt Water range. The texture is just perfect for a lizard don't you think? I used the coral colour-way as I couldn't find a contrast fabric that matched the aqua or seaweed as well as I would like. 

Without further ado I'd like to introduce Igorina Iguana! Igorina loves to sit and soak up our beautiful Queensland sun.

At 52cm long I think the iguana must be one of the biggest Funky Friends (except the snake of course).  She is very firmly stuffed with polyester toyfill and weighs approximately 260g, making her quite a handful to carry. I think that once she has finished her tenure as the Voodoo Rabbit showroom sample she will be coming home with me :)

Difficulty

Igorina can be sewn up in an afternoon without too much trouble. I would rate her at a basic difficulty level, there is nothing too fiddly or tricky to deal with and there are minimal pieces to sew together.

To recreate my Igorina you will need the following:

• Pattern - Igor Iguana Toy Pattern by Funky Friends Factory
• 0.35m x110cm -  Salt Water Ocean Ponies Coral by Free Spirit
• FQ - Outfoxed Stripe Pink by Andover
• 10 x 25cm - Magenta coloured felt
• 2 x 9mm safety eyes
• 7.5cm x 5mm - Elastic

Original Igor from the Pattern Cover

Have you made up the Igor Iguana pattern? We'd love to see pictures on our Facebook page.

- Ky

Fabric Friday - Special Guest Pauline from Funky Friends Factory

Please welcome today's Fabric Friday guest blogger, soft toy designer Pauline from Funky Friends Factory.

Hey hey hey! 

I'm a crafty guest blogger today! How exciting... I get to choose the fabrics for the Voodoo Rabbit FABRIC FRIDAY.

I love visiting the Voodoo Rabbit fabric shop as I get to see all the new fabrics as they come in, which is cool because I already have LOTS of Voodoo Rabbit's fabrics as there are just so many cool fabrics for making my Funky Friends!

So when I got given "MY BRIEF" - choose 6 fabrics for the Fabric Friday - I picked 6 of my favourites that I have used for my toys....

Ky took one look and I knew she wasn't impressed?

What??? They have to ALL go together?

:(

Mmmmmmmm?

OK, we reached a compromise, and I chose co-ordinating fabrics for 3 Funky Friends! :)

This is my Ollie Owl selection, the Funky Owls Cream by Timeless Treasures is so cute for Ollie's tummy and the colours are amazing, I had a hard time limiting myself to only 2 co-ordinating fabrics. (Kylie managed to restrain me!) I chose Premium Solid Tomato by Northcott for his feet and Victorian Dream Steampunk Cogs Blue by Quilting Treasures for my owls Face, Wings and Tail. Toot Toot, too CUTE!

This is my Kawaii Kuties Bunny selection. It was hard to choose JUST ONE kawaii fabric as Voodoo Rabbit has such a cool selection. Woodland Friends - Tea Party Deer Cream by Cosmo Textiles Co has sweet bunnies on it so I co-ordinated it with Premium Solid Bubblegum by Northcott for a girly bunny. 

And finally I got to choose some fabrics for my NEWEST Funky baby.... Igor Iguana. I used Salt Water Ocean Ponies Seaweed by Free Spirit for his body and Premium Solid Jungle by Northcott for his Legs and Beard. I think some lime yellow felt would make this combo really POP!!!

Aaaaaaaaaaaah!

Do, I HAVE to stop????

:(

OK< we reached a compromise - I get to do this again ONE day!!

Thanks Kylie, I had fun playing with your gorgeous fabrics..... now I 'm off to design my next Funky Toy.. Mmmmmmm what yummy Voodoo Rabbit fabric can I use for a _____?

Cheers,

Pauline