New Item Monday: Fox Nubbin!

The new Fox Nubbin is in the shop!

What's-On-My-Worktable-Wednesday: Fox Nubbin Sneak Peek!

I've been wanting to do a Fox Nubbin for awhile.  Foxes are growing on me (I think it's the orange) and they have been getting almost as popular as owls (almost!).  I've done the "Woodland Creature Series" sweater foxes, but I've been wanting to work out a quick and easy design for Fox Nubbins.  My problem was that I wasn't sure how to get the impression of that foxy pointy-snout. It ended up being so simple!  I was inspired by some fox pillows I saw on Pinterest (and this one too)...but put my own spin on it of course!

Cut a skinny heart out of white felt and then cut it in half.  Then position them so there is a "V" of the orange fleece between them and sew them on.  Add safety eyes and a safety nose and...voila`! A Fox face!  I'll be adding ears to the top and appliqueing the tail on the back.  I'm looking forward to finishing this one and then making more!  I may do some actual red foxes in addition to the orange.  I'll probably do some gray as well.  Maybe even a white Arctic Fox!

I'm planning on having these available in my Etsy shop soon in 2013!  I'll be sure to post an update when I list them!  I'll probably even end up doing some large Fox Nubbins just like I've started doing the large Owls and large Nubbins. (I plan on making more of those and listing them in the shop as well!)

New Monster Monday: Spring Edition Bunny Nubbin

Okay, this isn't a "monster", but it is new!  This weekend, I made a Spring Edition of Bunny Nubbins with ears lined with a pink/blue/cream floral-print flannel I've had laying around.  I'm loving the texture of the flannel against the fleece.  I like it much better than the fleece on fleece I was doing before.  After using the flannel, using fleece for the ear lining seems to make the ear too bulky now.  I may need to locate a solid pink flannel for the "regular" Bunny Nubbins.  Maybe I can find some pink pajama pants to upcycle?

Available in my Etsy shop.

This will be my entry for the April edition of the RNEST Monthly Challenge.  I will post again on April 5th when the voting starts!

Custom Raccoon Bride & Groom

I made this custom bride & groom raccoons set for a friend who wanted them as a wedding gift for her friends (their last name will be Coon).

Woodland Creatures Series: Hans the Hedgehog

After having a poll on my KiraArts Facebook fan page, it was obvious the masses were clamoring for my next plush in my Woodland Creature series to be a hedgehog...

So here he is! Hans the Hedgehog!

I've known that hedgehogs are right up there in popularity with owls & foxes, but I'd been putting off doing a hedgehog because I just wasn't sure how I was going to the "spikes" on his back. But I realized that I had some lovely faux fur fabric I'd gotten from the Joann's remnant bin awhile back. And it was perfect for getting that "spikey" back texture...although the fabric itself is quite silky and soft! (making Hans extra huggable!)

Hans did get sold at the craft show this weekend though. But I'll be sure to make another hedgehog to list on Etsy to give you non-locals a chance! ;)

(I also have another fox and raccoon in the hand-sewing stages right now!)

Nubbin Bunnies!

I made these Nubbin Bunnies back before Easter...

I made them in order to add to my inventory for shows (which is why they haven't been listed on Etsy) But surprisingly enough, as cute as these little guys are, no one has bought any! So I am planning on listing them in the shop soon. But for now, you can enjoy the adorableness through pictures. I couldn't decide on what mouth design to do for them... so I ended up with 3 different varieties...

Happy...

Indifferent...

and Grumpy.
Back view for the puff-ball tail!

Woodland Creatures Series: White Rabbit

Easter is coming, so of course I had to make some bunnies! First off is a white Sweater Rabbit to add to my woodland creatures series...

A fellow RNEST artist gave me a white sweater a few months ago, and it's gotten a lot of use (and I still have a lot of it left!)

Here he is at my table at UBCon. Surprisingly enough...no one bought him. Maybe if I'd given him little happy anime crescent eyes. I might make another one with those kind of eyes.

I've also been making Nubbin Bunnies. I couldn't decide which kind of mouth to embroider. I got votes for both, so I did some of each.

Commissioned Piece: Kaze-kun the Crow

I finished the crow plushie that was supposed to go with the fox that my friend Em from My Kitty Empire commissioned me to make.

Before I left, Em took some nicely staged pictures of the Fox and Crow for me with her snazzy professional-grade camera. (she's a freelance photographer and illustrator)

Em and I actually went shopping together yesterday in order to find some specific rectangular-shaped shell buttons that she wanted for the crow's eyes. After a trip to JoAnn Fabrics (where I found the buttons, but not the leopard print fleece I was looking for for another commission project...blah.) we went to Goodwill, where we both bought ourselves some comfy clothes as well as some monster-making sweaters! After thrifting, we got some food and then went back to her house to eat and chat. After we finished lunch, she gave me a tour of her wonderfully HUGE 200 year old house...with magical little passages that lead you from one room to another. It was one of those lovely old houses that just never ends!

* all photos (except for the first two) are courtesy of My Kitty Empire.

Commissioned Piece: Yukiko the Fox

A friend who saw the foxes I made for my woodland creature series commissioned me to make her a fox with anime-esque "happy crescents" for eyes...

I'm used to putting the eyes on after I sew the head up, so I couldn't hide the embroidery thread knot on the underside of the fabric like I do when I usually embroider details...but luckily, I worked it out to make the knots look like the fox has cute little eyelashes!

I liked "staging" these photos with the fabric and balls of yarn. It adds a little "granny chic" and makes it feel extra cozy to me. (the orange sweater I made the fox out of is super soft! I wish I had enough to make myself a blanket!)

* My friend just tagged me in the following picture on Facebook with this caption "Natsuko says, "Dear Yukiko, I am looking forward to having you as a companion! Kitsu-kitsu!"

She's named her already! She says Yukiko "means Child of Snow :D since she was born in winter and there's snow everywhere!"

Woodland Creatures Series: Gavin the Groundhog

In honor of Groundhog Day today, my next woodland creature is...a groundhog!

One of my Facebook fans suggested making him a little scarf and shovel (because "he's going to need it!" with the snowstorm that was moving into Western New York today). I did make a little scarf (but no shovel). I thought it would be nice to give him a little bit of color. Groundhogs are such nondescript little brown furry things.

Here's a shot of him without the scarf. (above)

"Gee...I hope Punxsutawney Phil was right! I'm ready for Spring!"

And here's a picture of all the Woodland Creatures in the series so far! (except Knox the Fox, who is in his new home in Maine).