While She Naps Chick + Egg Inside Out Toy Pattern Review

I was looking around the While She Naps pdf pattern soft toy shop the other day and my son immediately zeroed in on this little Chick and Egg Inside Out Toy.  Of all the other adorable toys pictured, he could not stop talking about this one.  I'm so glad I bought it and made it!  It really is the cutest thing ever.  Plus it would make a great addition to Easter baskets!

I liked that this pattern was very  straight-forward.  I've sewn a couple of dolls before and they were a little fiddly.  I thought this toy would also be fiddly because of the inside out feature, but I went for it anyways.  Well, it wasn't fiddly!  It came together pretty quickly actually.

This little guy starts as an egg as chickens tend to do...

...and then we can help him hatch...

...and we're greeted by a sweet baby chick!

His happy face is so simple but very cheerful.

His little fluffy hair is pretty cute too.

I think my favorite part might be these adorable little chicken feet.

Simple, tiny wings with just enough detail to make them stand out.

The only thing I struggled with was due to user error.  I haven't really sewn a lot with fleece, and when my (almost dried out) disappearing ink marker wouldn't mark on the fabric, I erroneously used a highlighter.  Big mistake, because it doesn't soak into the fleece.  My shears, sewing machine, and fingers were covered in neon pink ink.  It's a wonder I didn't get it all over the white egg fabric.  This is not the pattern's fault, as it clearly states that I could have used chalk.  It was my fault, but I'm telling you so you don't make my silly mistake.

As usual, here are some of my notes:

FABRIC
I used the cheap microfleece from Jo-Ann, regularly priced at $5.99/yd.  If you only want to make one or two, check the remnants section first.  I purchased a quarter yard each of white, yellow, and orange.  Now I have enough fleece to make half a dozen or more.  That's really great considering my fabric cost less than $5.

PATTERN
The pattern is priced at $9 for an instant PDF download.  It consists of 9 pages with full color photos to walk you through the steps.  I only printed the last 2 pages with the pattern pieces and consulted the pattern steps from my PDF reader on my laptop.  I received a discount code from a previous purchase (one of Abby's e-books) that I used towards this purchase.

SELLING TOYS
Abby generously allows toys to be sold from her pattern, provided you follow her guidelines, which she lists conveniently on the pattern.  This is wonderful considering how many toys you can make from the yardage purchased and the fact that it only took me about 30 minutes to sew after cutting the pattern pieces.

I definitely recommend this Chick & Egg Inside Out Toy Pattern.  My son loves playing with it and takes it to bed with him.  He's really into toys that he can transform and manipulate, so this has been a huge hit.  He also likes to use it like a puppet.

Now that I've made this one, I am really itching to make another.  I might make a few others for his friends because I think they'd make the perfect little Easter gift.  Abby also offers a Caterpillar and Butterfly Inside Out Toy that is great for spring, as well as teaching about metamorphosis (one of my son's favorite words!).  I really like these animal neck pillows for an upcoming road trip and this octopus would make a great gift for someone I know.


Do you like to sew toys?  Do the kids like to play with them as much as mine does?  Tell me about your favorite soft toy pattern in the comments!

Sweet Rudolph Doll

I have had a lot going on lately, and I am pretty overwhelmed.  Some of it has to do with sewing deadlines, some of it related to getting Stitcherie up and running, and some is just regular life stuff.  Sometimes I just need to sew for fun, even when I have a zillion other things on my list of things I have committed to do.  It is my hobby after all, even though I am sort of trying to make a job out of it.

That's where this guy comes in.  Meet Rudolph!  He was sewn up using this pattern by Sarah at Dolls and Daydreams.  Isn't he the sweetest thing?  I was browsing the patterns during the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale, and when I saw him, I had to have him.  

Look at that sweet little tail!  The details in this pattern are spot on.  The bits of felt I used are from Maureen Cracknell's shop.  It is so much nicer than the craft store stuff.  

He makes a darling little Christmas decoration for the house...

...but this guy really took to him.  As soon as I was done sewing on the last holly berry, my little one claimed Rudolph as his own and slept with him, abandoning his two other loved stuffies for the night.  And it wasn't so bad to be woken up at 5 AM to him standing next to my bed saying "Momma, I love him because you made him for me."   Heart.  Melt.  This is why I sew.

Ruldolph is the first doll I've ever made, but he won't be the last.  I think I might be hooked!  I have another Dolls and Daydreams pattern that I plan to formally review, now that I know what I'm doing in the doll making department, so stay tuned!