Anyone with a love of canines will appreciate today's post. Both of these cute little guys were inspired by Japanese Mascot patterns that can be found all over the web and in Japanese books sold on Ebay and Etsy. A while back I fell into the very dangerous habit of purchasing fabric that struck a cord with me but that I didn't necessarily have a use for at the time. The lime and teal hues of these fabrics shout 1970's nostalgia, but there fun and quirky in a modern way. Meet "Bubbles" and "Frankie", two lovable canine companions whose vintage charm is worse than their bite!Recognize those daisy button eyes on "Bubbles"? They are the same La Mode buttons I used on Pointy Kitty and Squiggles the Kitty. I love the versatility of their shape and the lime green color has been surprisingly versatile as well. This chubby canine was a holiday gift for my aunt. I wanted to experiment with stuffing techniques, so his head uses the bamboo Nature-fil I can't stop raving about, and his body is filled with rice. The rice gives "Bubbles" a bean-bag quality and he can be sculpted to sit in a variety of poses.
Where "Bubbles" the Dog is chubby and stout, "Frankie" the Wiener Dog is long and lean. The lime, teal, and mustard yellow of Frankie's fabric wouldn't work on just any pup. But Frankie's fresh attitude and linear profile really work the vintage color combination. Like "Ries" the Raccoon, I used safety-lock animal eyes and nose to create his face. And to add to the whimsy, I made Frankie a teal collar and used a sterling silver puppy paw charm as a dog tag.When you're going to the dogs, you have to go all the way!
