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!

Link|Love: Fresh Finds for March

It's the last Friday of March, so I thought I'd round up a bunch of little linky things I like.

This Create Caffeinate Repeat tee is pretty cool.

The LEGO ninjas were fun to build and play with.

My phone screen might not be cracked (again!) if I had this pretty phone case on it.

I want to read A Fireproof Home for the Bride.

This chickpea and butternut squash curry is so so yummy.

FROZEN 2!!!

Coveting this wooden map puzzle.

This rocket ship activity was my son's favorite this month.

I want one of these handmade wooden arrow signs for my gallery wall.

This Black Rose tea looks delicious.

Words to live by:

source: Thyme Is Honey

Turkey and Kale Soup Recipe

This turkey and kale soup is so filling and delicious.  I was eating it for like the fortieth time today and realized that I needed to share it with my friends here.

Serve it with some crusty bread, and it makes an impressively simple entree.  It also freezes great and reheats amazingly with a little extra water on the stove top.

Turkey and Kale Soup

adapted from Peasant Bean Stew, The Fresh 20

Ingedients

Olive oil
1 pound ground turkey
1 medium sized onion, diced
3 medium carrots, peeled and dicecd
4 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
4 cups of chicken broth (I use low sodium)
2 cups of water
1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning
salt and pepper
4-6 giant handfuls of kale, washed and trimmed of thick stems
1 can great northern beans, drained and rinsed (I use low sodium)
2 cups of diced potato (I used a large russet baking style potato)
Parmesan cheese for garnish (optional)

1. Heat olive oil n a large pot over medium heat.  Add ground turkey and brown until cooked through, crumbling with a wooden spoon.
2. Add the onions, carrots, and garlic.  Stir it up and cooked for a couple of minutes.
3. Add the remaining ingredients, except cheese, and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through (but not mushy).
4. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and serve.

Yum!  Hurry and make it before it gets too warm out for soup.  You won't be disappointed.