Tilda's Monkeys

"Tilda is a craft brand founded by Norwegian designer Tone Finnanger in 1999, best known for its "whimsical and naive characters in the form of animals and dolls ..." 

That is the description given for the characters and other decorative items designed by Tone Finnanger and I honestly couldn't improve on it, so I won't. She has written many books devoted to her designs and I've recently purchased several of them.  I've moved away from clothing just for a bit in order to do some gift giving to some to the little ones in my life.  

It was hard to choose where to begin with these little pieces of magic, but since I have always loved monkeys, I will start there.  I've done two monkeys, one for a great nephew, and one for a granddaughter (more about that later).  

First up...

This handsome young man is made of a beautiful wool silk that my mother purchased many years ago and that still resides in my stash.  His face is velvet and his ears are suede.  He has a nice warm wool scarf as well.  He is a bit thinner than he should be as I was initially confused by the limited directions.  I traced off the pattern and cut it out.  Actually you trace out the pattern on fabric and stitch on the lines you traced and then cut it out.  As I said, directions are a bit skimpy in my opinion.  But, he is charming.

It calls for the arms and legs to be sewn on, but I opted for grommets instead which I like.  However, please do hammer them in tightly as they will unsnap if you don't.

The second monkey is for little Eva.  Eva is our granddaughter, born in March, and one of the reasons I have not been blogging much.  I am completely smitten!  Photo of Eva will follow.  I did not use grommets for Eva because of her young age.  I also used fabric eyes and the fabric is from the wonderful Kafe Fassett!  And, the tutu is sewn from one of her mother's tutus when she took ballet lessons as a little girl!!

And, here is Miss Eva....

Slan

Louise Cutting Light and Shadow

This is from Louise Cutting’s Light and Shadow pattern.  It’s done up in a grey patterned rayon.  It is very easy to sew and, for me, is flattering as it skims the hips without being too oversized.  I like the neckline, both front and back.  It has some nice detail with the neck facing top-stitched down.  It’s very hard to see unless you blow up the pics and look very closely, but the neckline and the hem are done with a twin needle for a little extra punch.

The scarf is a simple infinity scarf made up from some vintage obi silk picked up on Ebay. I’m sure I’ll make this up again, with some variation.  Good go-to top for jeans.

When A Store Bought Gift Just Won't Do

Pillows for the great nephews.  These are done on duck cloth with ticking for the cording and back.  They are machine embroidered and some are appliqued as well.  Zipper in back for ease of washing.

I must say they didn't go over great -- think they wanted toys!!  Oh well, some day they may appreciate them!

Oh, How Easter Has Changed