Monsters! Meet the Oddballs!

People! I think these are my favorites of the whole Monster Horde collection. I really do!

It all started with this fox I made from a pattern designed by Cynthia Treen. (You can get the pattern here.)

It popped up in one of my feeds and I had to make it. You know the feeling, right?

After I finished him I still had a hankering to stitch up some felt. I do love the feel of stitching through wool felt - and the portability of handsewing. So I started sketching. And this is what resulted.

His name is Byron. He's covered with French knots - which are So Much Fun! Seriously. I stitched him up while my daughter was at her homeschool coop group. Every kid had to pet him and every kid smiled when they felt those bumpy bumps. It was totally worth the hours spent. Here he is from the back.

I've seen him a million times, but I still squeal a little bit when I see those stumpy legs. Did I mention that he stands up without any help? That took a few tries, let me tell you. :-)

I loved Byron right away, but I thought he needed. . . something. A heart! A bumpy little heart!

Then I had an idea. This monster needed a tutu! No - I needed another monster. A little girl monster who always wears her tutu! And so Mimi was born. She has no bumps and she's still adorable. See? You can make them with or without. :-)

Mimi is bald, so like many bald baby girls she wears a bow on her head. Hers is pinned on with a safety pin (ow!) so you could also make it into a bow tie if you wanted to. Would Byron look pretty dapper in a bow tie? Yes. Yes, he would. Bow ties are cool. :-)

I thought I was done. Then one morning in the bath it came to me. A monster with a teddy bear! A teeny tiny teddy bear. And bunny slippers! Itty bitty pink bunny slippers! And so Floyd was born.

Want a closer look at his bunny slippers?

You can put them on and take them off, of course. After I put on his slippers and tucked his bear into the crook of his arm (did I mention the arms have pipecleaners in them so you can pose them?) he still needed. . . something. A blankie! Everybody needs a special blankie! I was going to embroider a fancy pattern on it, but the more I pondered, the more I thought it really just needed a simple blanket stitch around the edge. (Video coming soon! Either 3/12 or 3/19. I'll teach you how to do it without any knots.) And so Floyd got his blankie to snuggle with his teddy bear.

And now I present the pattern to you. You can make them! And I can't wait to see what you make! Of course, the pattern includes instructions for all the accessories too. You can't make Floyd without his bunny slippers or Mimi without her tutu. You just can't!

A couple of tips. . .

There's a video showing some great new products for working with felt here. I like using The Magical Embroidery Stuff if I'm doing all the French knots, and the printable freezer paper when I'm making an Oddball without the bumps. Then I just use a Sulky iron-on transfer pen to transfer the face for embroidery.

And here's a post that answers a bunch of frequently asked questions about working with felt.

You can now buy wool felt in my shop. Woo hoo! Get it here. The shop description for the Oddballs pattern tells you what colors I used for everything I showed here.

Never stitched with felt before and want to get started? Comment on this post to enter for a chance to win a packet of Oddball-making supplies (sorry - US shipping only). You'll get a few sheets of felt, and few sheets of Magical Embroidery Stuff and Printable Freezer Paper, some plastic pellets, and a Sulky iron-on transfer pen. I'd love to know which of the Oddballs is your favorite!

So - you have to do four things.

1. Comment on the post to enter the drawing for the supply pack. Who's your favorite Oddball?

Update - And the winner is. . . Adiarra! Don't be sad if you didn't win - there are still two more days of giveaways! Just keep reading and commenting. :-)

2. Buy the Oddballs pattern. It's right here.

3. If you want to buy all the new Monster patterns in one fell swoop, use discount code MONSTERHORDE for $5 off the bundle. That's more than 10% off! Remember to put the patterns in your cart before you enter the discount code or the fairies won't recongnize it.

4. Have a fabulous day!

Best,
Wendi