Cuddles ~~ a finish and a tutorial

Note: This post was written during a recent storm when we didn't have internet (or electricity) and sat in a Word document waiting for today.

Anytime that I am in the studio, Marley might invite herself to be a guest. Except that she doesn't know that she has guest status. She thinks she's free. To touch. To play. To ask questions. To hop on one foot if she want to. (And she often does.)  The limits are sharp objects. (Pins and scissors, basically.)
  

Marley's girl, Cuddles

I was really into my work, so after a couple of attempts to send her on her way, I let her hang out. That is the equivalent of saying, "Make yourself at home. Play. Have fun." 

At some point in time, she became very excited and insisted that I "Come see, come see." My response was much like her favorite, "Aww nuts" except I did go see. 

Playing with the scraps left on the sewing table, she has created a girl, something akin to a doll. Honestly, I think she was as surprised by the outcome as I was. I snapped a picture, and she skipped off to tell everyone else that she "made a girl." 

I appreciated the handiwork so much that I decided to turn her girl into a pillow. 

Tutorial: After cutting a 14 X 14 inch piece of purple for the background, I carefully moved the girl over, checking the photo to replace the pieces that shifted. 

It's a quick project that took perhaps an hour. I pinned each of the pieces carefully and stitched once around the tiny pieces then once around the dress. The idea was to catch each of the pieces with enough stitches to hold everything in place. At this point I added fabric hair and a nose. Once I was able to safely move the piece around, I outlined the eyes and lips with medium brown thread to give them dimension. 

I pressed everything well, and made my quilt sandwich. When pinning the sandwich down, I made sure to pin the loose pieces that could move or shift while on the machine. Then, using the Bernina with the stitch regulator, I used a flesh colored embroidery thread to quilt the doll. The thread blended into the face really well, but the darker arms and legs show the stitching. 

Quilting on the dress (four left-over Dresden pieces that Marley found in the scrap bag) is a simple loop-de-loop that follows the dots on the fabric. I wanted to make sure that the dress would stay in place, but I also wanted it to have some puffiness to it, so I didn't put many sititches on it. 

I thought she was happy with it based on her reaction, but it's when she hauled it into mass that made it official. According to Marley, "Cuddles is the name and soft is her game." She's a crazy kid. 

Don't you love it when a scrap project makes itself?