Patchwork Mouse

Sew Hip Issue 20

This mouse and I had a destiny. I knew I would make her from the moment I spotted her on the back cover of Sew Hip Issue 19. I also knew from one look at her spindly legs that she would be a huge pain...

When issue 20 arrived, mousey was indeed my favourite project. I started with the cheerful matter of fabric choices. I had fallen for the Little Fawn Fabric bundle featured in Sew Hip from Fabric Rehab and I used the pink fabric  with white spots fabric for the arms, legs and outer ears. I also ordered a plain pink Kona cotton to use for the face, body and base. I used up some leftover Tweet Tweet by Keiki from Seamstar for the chin, tummy and inner ears.

As usual, I cut the pattern out and stuck it to onto cardboard to make templates. I was impressed that you got, for example, both sides of the leg in the pattern, but it did make the number of pieces seem daunting.

Once I started cutting out the fabric, I made the whole thing in one session with a lot of sweating and very little breathing. Issues anticipated and encountered included: (1) fabric starting to fray as you handled it; (2) trouble turning spindly limbs the right way out; (3) spacial difficulties in positioning limbs the right way round (one leg facing the wrong way!); (4) problems sandwiching the limbs neatly; and (5) inexact matching up of parts. I machine sewed most of it, sacrificing some accuracy for more robust stitching.

So where are the bodies buried?

Mousey has adorable bows front and back to hide dodgy stitching between her ears. A felt heart motif at least partially disguises an inexplicable bit of extra stitching on her side and the stitching up the back could be neater. I also had to trim the odd seam that wasn't sandwiched inside quite correctly.

On the plus side, I do like my mouse's face. I  used safety eyes (my embroidery could be better) and I think it gives less pinched look to the features. I also did a little crochet chain tail as I've been practising for my knitting. As the project suggested, I used plastic pellets in the bottom, which helps mousey sit very nicely on the shelf.

So, thanks to Jo Carter for the, ahem, challenge. I do smile whenever I see mousey no matter how imperfact she is...

Melx