getting ready

Great news! I will be participating in Bazaar Bizarre again this year. Woohoo! So exciting! I've already starting cutting minis and puppets, and next week I am diving into full-production mode. It is going to be amazing this year! Hope you all have a fabulous weekend, folks.

the battern is now available

I have been meaning to do this for far too long. Finally, the batty pattern is available! Now you, too, can whip yourself up a little batty friend. Also, I have decided that going forward, my bigcartel shop will be my pattern shop. Why? Because I have a few more patterns in the works to be released in the next few weeks, including some brand-spanking new designs. Just in time for all your holiday crafting!

I am also putting up a bunch of patterns on etsy, just to cover that end. I'm planning to do a shop update there some time next week which will include more minis and a few bats.

One last thing, which squicks me out a little, but I feel that it needs to be mentioned. The patterns I am putting up are for your enjoyment and entertainment. You can make as many as you would like. However, I ask that the patterns not be redistributed or resold or that anyone sell the pieces produced from these patterns as their own. I hate bringing up the copyright stuff, but sometimes it needs to be said because people just might not be aware of the rules.

Anyhootle, hope you folks like the patterns, and happy sewing to you all!

the twitter twatter of little tweets

I now have a public twitter account for the blog & the shop. I won't be tweeting about what I made for dinner or who I hung out with during the day or sharing the minutia of my existence with you all, but I will be talking about my latest projects, chatting about both the process and the end-result and letting you know about shop updates and promotional stuff. I won't be as conversational as I was in my personal (now self-deleted) twitter, but the truth is that I was having a hard time dealing with that kind of exchange. That's the trouble I have always had with those types of social platforms, like twitter, facebook, and blogging; it's bad enough I feel shunned and reviled in real life, I don't need these feelings reinforced on the internet. Hopefully, this will not only reinvigorate me and get me to focus on creating again, but it will also snap me out of the miasma of sadness I've been experiencing lately. When there's less worrying about people and things that ultimately don't matter, there's more time and energy to invest in making beautiful things and feeling like myself again. So I'm gonna get to it. And if you'd like to keep up with updates and stuff, feel free to follow my soto softies twitter.

all the minis

The shop has been updated with a small batch of mini-critters. There are mini-zaubermausi and mini-leafhoppers waiting to hop on out of the shop and into your arms.

Also, note to self: Always recharge the camera battery the night before you're going to do a shoot. Always. That way you don't lose precious daylight, waste a ton of time, and keep the good people waiting. Derf! Thanks for your patience, folks. Hugs to you all!

tomorrow - only a day away

Ooops! I've been running a little late and have only half of what I would like to have finished ready, so I'm thinking the best thing to do is to postpone the update until tomorrow 3PM EST. Same bat time, same bat channel. Sorry about the folks; hope you understand.

Sally the snail, seen above, will be part of tomorrow's update.

so turn around, stick it out!

I often get asked how do I get the mieces & co. to stand on their own. First, you have to fiddle with their legs a bit. Gently press down on the tips of their feet, and push the legs apart a tiny bit, slowly, so as to balance the weight of the body. This means that they will lean forward slightly. As I told Matt & Stacie the other day, they should look like they're farting. Yeah, I know. Keepin' it clASSy, as always. But seriously, just be patient with it and move in tiny increments, and you can get them to stand on their own. They do stand perfectly when propped against an object, but should you want it to stand freely, well, now you know. And knowing is half the battle, as they say.

snail tails

Funny thing about sewing these tails. The first time I tried to make one, I hated the process. Maybe it was because I kept stabbing my fingers with the needle, or because my thread kept getting tangled because I used too long a length of it, or even because the tail itself kept unfurling and flapping about in a frustrating fashion as I tried to pin it down. I finally have it down, though. Finally. First, I make sure not to stuff the tail itself too tightly so that it's easier to turn, and I turn the tail as I sew so that it's easier on my hands than trying to hold down a twisted form for however long it takes me. I use a shorter length of hand-quilting thread. I use smaller stitches. And I sing as I sew. Now that I have gotten into the rhythm of it, I find the process to be very zen, and I am extremely pleased with the resulting tail/shell. It's a form that works well on top of the snail softie.

Mary had a little lamb

And now, so can you!

The shop update has been completed. Sorry about the delay, folks. My computer has been a bit off lately, and processing the photos took way longer than it normally does. Everything is up now, I am happy to report. Also, there's going to be another update next Monday which will include a couple of pieces not finished in time for today's update, as well as a bunch of mini-critters. So please do drop by!

Hope your week is off to a wonderful start!

love those mieces to pieces

Just two of the little guys that will be included in Monday's shop update.

Lambikins: OMG! You guys! Have any of you seen the scarves? Where are they?

Mouse #1: Um, what scarves?

Lambikins: You know, the scarves we're supposed to wear for our photoshoot tomorrow? Duh!

Mouse #2: Photoshoot? What photoshoot? There's a photoshoot?

Lambikins: Yes! Didn't you get the memo? Dude, you gotta get with the program.

Mouse #3: Yeah, well, scarves are so 2008. Totally passé. Even the hipsters are finally retiring them. Didn't you get the memo?

Lambikins: Yeah, well... well... um, well, we're still wearing them for the shoot. It's a very important shoot. It's for the mondo shop update, this coming Monday, August 24, at 3PM EST. So tomorrow's photoshoot - be there or be square, my cheese-loving little friends. And bring your scarves!