Softie: Ries the Raccoon

This little guy has been my most ambitious softie to date! Inspired by my vino-loving uncle, this raccoon was hand-stitched using brown corduroy and a wine barrel printed calico. The abstract look of the wine barrels is subtle yet still discernable. It conveys the wine theme in a masculine manner yet does not overwhelm the imagination and detract from the whimsy of this playful raccoon. Safety-lock animal eyes and nose were used for that curious expression he seems to be making! I'm thrilled with the way the rings on the tail turned out. He's holding a cork from one of the random bottles of wine I've been known to enjoy on occasion.

It is well to remember that there are five reasons for drinking: the arrival of a friend; one's present or future thirst; the excellence of the wine; or any other reason.

- Latin Proverb

Anyone who knows me will recognize the similarities between his name "Ries" and the name of my favorite variety of wine, Riesling. I simply fell in love with its lush flavor while studying abroad in Germany. I was fortunate enough to participate in an internship at Pieper Vineyard while there in the spring of 2005. I've included some personal photos of this unique experience.

Softie: Pointy Kitty and Squiggles the Kitty

Thanks to Hillary Lang at Wee Wonderfuls, I was able to make a charming gift for my goddaughter. Following her pattern for the Pointy Kitty, I used a bright and colorful pink calico fabric in a spring theme, with purple felt as accents. Lime green daisy-shaped buttons by La Mode made for whimsical cat eyes and complemented the accent colors of the calico fabric. A scrap of cream felt was used as a nose and embroidery floss in the same color to attach it.

As a variation to the Pointy Kitty pattern, I changed the shape of the accent felt pieces on my second creation. Using a scalloped edge instead of the triangular pointy one, I named this one Squiggles the Kitty (right). For Squiggles, a corduroy fabric (my fav!) in a patchwork theme of pinks, greens, browns, and yellows, made for an ideal choice, while magenta felt made up the scalloped patches on its head and torso. To thematically match Pointy Kitty, I used bright pink daisy-shaped La Mode buttons for the eyes and used a scrap of leftover purple felt for the nose.

Overall, this project proved successful and made for a great gift. I do however need to work on techniques for attaching the head of this frolicing feline. I haven't quite figured out a really clean and sightly way to do that yet. But practice makes perfect!

Ms. Lang's pattern can be found by following this link: Pointy Kitty