Here's looking at you...
Mar. 27th, 2009 11:32 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bunsen_hA little while ago, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
cadhla posted about a sewing pattern. I went and looked.
And said to myself, "I can do that. In fact, I've got a few ideas..."
Sewing happened.
I did make a few changes from the original instructions. The "sucker" side of the arms/tentacles is made from a dimple microchenille fabric, instead of the suggested polka-dotted whatever. This fabric has an actual bumpy texture which is very effective for the purpose, as well as having a very nice feel in general. The main fabric is a warm fleece, which fabric stores are selling at clearance prices at this time of year.
The eyes were satin-stitched by machine, instead of whip-stitched by hand, and were applied to the head fabric piece before the squid was assembled. I had to make the pupils of the eyes a bit smaller than in the original pattern -- even with low thread tension, the whites of the eyes were warping when they were only slightly larger than the pupils. This might have been avoidable if I'd stitched the pupils to the larger piece of white fabric and then cut the white circles out. I was reasonably confident that I could position the eyes correctly.
Instead of leaving the bottom oval as the last piece to attach, I machine-stitched it and the arms/tentacles to the piece with the eyes, leaving the short straight seam between the ends of the rectangular eye piece open to stuff the body through.
I tried putting small (3/8") rare-earth magnets along the arms/tentacles. I'd hoped that they'd be strong enough to let the squid cling upside-down to door frames and other ferrous-metal things like shelving. Unfortunately, they weren't quite strong enough; the thickness of the fabric is enough to seriously weaken the pull, and the squid does have some weight to it. And the tentacles were clinging to each other, and of course presenting a hazard for things like credit cards. I ended up making a small opening in the seam of each arm/tentacle, removing the magnets, and stitching up the opening. (The magnets were fairly easy to move around from outside by dragging them with other magnets.)
I haven't decided on a name yet. Bo Squiddley?
(And a "thank you!" to Emily for creating the pattern and making it available!)
cadhla posted about a sewing pattern. I went and looked.And said to myself, "I can do that. In fact, I've got a few ideas..."
Sewing happened.
I did make a few changes from the original instructions. The "sucker" side of the arms/tentacles is made from a dimple microchenille fabric, instead of the suggested polka-dotted whatever. This fabric has an actual bumpy texture which is very effective for the purpose, as well as having a very nice feel in general. The main fabric is a warm fleece, which fabric stores are selling at clearance prices at this time of year.
The eyes were satin-stitched by machine, instead of whip-stitched by hand, and were applied to the head fabric piece before the squid was assembled. I had to make the pupils of the eyes a bit smaller than in the original pattern -- even with low thread tension, the whites of the eyes were warping when they were only slightly larger than the pupils. This might have been avoidable if I'd stitched the pupils to the larger piece of white fabric and then cut the white circles out. I was reasonably confident that I could position the eyes correctly.
Instead of leaving the bottom oval as the last piece to attach, I machine-stitched it and the arms/tentacles to the piece with the eyes, leaving the short straight seam between the ends of the rectangular eye piece open to stuff the body through.
I tried putting small (3/8") rare-earth magnets along the arms/tentacles. I'd hoped that they'd be strong enough to let the squid cling upside-down to door frames and other ferrous-metal things like shelving. Unfortunately, they weren't quite strong enough; the thickness of the fabric is enough to seriously weaken the pull, and the squid does have some weight to it. And the tentacles were clinging to each other, and of course presenting a hazard for things like credit cards. I ended up making a small opening in the seam of each arm/tentacle, removing the magnets, and stitching up the opening. (The magnets were fairly easy to move around from outside by dragging them with other magnets.)
I haven't decided on a name yet. Bo Squiddley?
(And a "thank you!" to Emily for creating the pattern and making it available!)
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
I see you have a new pet?
Date: 2009-03-27 06:46 pm (UTC)Re: I see you have a new pet?
Date: 2009-03-27 07:36 pm (UTC)I do have an extra set of sucker-side arm pieces cut for future use, though. Given the shapes and the grain of the fabric, it was very little more work to do a complete extra set than to just cut one, and wasted much less fabric. (Assuming that I wouldn't have had any other use for that dimple chenille, of course.)
no subject
Date: 2009-03-27 07:01 pm (UTC)We should take him them (him/her? I'm uncertain on your squid's gender) to FKO with us so that we can drive in the carpool lanes.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-27 07:43 pm (UTC)Depending on the presumed level of anatomical correctness, the squid would probably be female. If it were male, one of the tentacles would be differentiated.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-27 07:59 pm (UTC)Very impressive. I'd love to see it clinging.
Has anyone made any Cthulhu jokes yet?
no subject
Date: 2009-03-27 10:35 pm (UTC)I haven't encountered any Cthulhu jokes about my squid yet, but I've only just finished the thing and haven't shown it to anyone apart from this LJ post. I have mentioned it to a few people as a work in progress.
this is Emily G
Date: 2009-03-27 10:34 pm (UTC)emily.guendelsberger@gmail.com
Re: this is Emily G
Date: 2009-03-27 10:51 pm (UTC)And thanks again for posting the pattern!
no subject
Date: 2009-04-03 08:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-18 03:19 pm (UTC)