Another crafter you should know

I have to take a break from my regular postings to share something cool with you all.

Plushplex is an artist of plush. I accidentally came across their blog concerning Pinnopea, which look to me like they belong in a Studio Ghibli world. They have other adorable things, like Glum Ninjas, but last night I came across Pastry Monsters. So clever. So detailed. So unbelievably cute.

So if you've never heard of them, go check them out on Etsy or on their blog.

Kawaii Pocket Pigs!

You may have noticed from previous blogs that Kawaii Pocket Pig has been in the making for some time. Well, get ready for an overload of cuteness, because they're here.
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Pocket Pig has, as you might expect, a pocket in his/her back, just like a piggy bank. When I was little, I had a polar teddy bear with a hidden pocket under her arm. Don't ask me to explain why, but I found it delightful to hide my plastic bracelets and boardwalk tokens with her. There's just something about having a secret place to store treasures that makes childhood more exciting.
And so Pocket Pig was conceived.

The treasures!

I've recently discovered that these little piglets are extremely sociable. They'll strike up an enthusiastic conversation with any of your other plushies, pets, roommates, or anyone else who wanders by. In fact (and I think this is adorable), 1st Pig could not wait for his sibling to be completely stitched together. Unfortunately, I couldn't finish 2nd Pig last night, but promised I'd complete him/her in the morning.
This morning, when I opened the studio door, I saw a cheerful 1st Pig talking excitedly to their not-yet-born sibling:

They do the cutest things. <3

(Available on Etsy)

Frogs of the Rainbow

Long-Leggity Froggies are finally up on Etsy!

 

 They were all so eager to have their pictures taken in their brand new bow ties.

They should be up on The Toy Cove's website in one or two days.

Owl Picnic

The owls have been so cooped up these last few days, that when the sun finally came out, I took them out on a picnic.
They were so excited I could hardly keep them from flapping out of their basket.

They all wore their sun bonnets.

Once we picked out a spot, they became very curious about lunch.

And so the cream-colored barn owls had their first day out.

Patchwork Owls are made from Eco-Fi felt, and constructed from all US-made materials. The cream-colored owls are shown here, but the blue, brown, and pink owls will pop up soon.

They'll all be available on the website in a few weeks. If you can't wait that long to take one of these little darlings home, email me [contact {at} thetoycove.com] and I'll be happy to set up a private listing for you on Etsy.

Sewing Machine Repairs

Sorry for the delay; the sewing machine was broken.

A bit of backstory:
I bought my current machine about nine or ten months ago, used, from someone on Craigslist. It was very inexpensive, but it was exactly what I wanted--an older model Singer (most modern machines, even the Singer brand, are cheap pieces of plastic, and definitely wouldn't stand up to the constant usage I'd put them through).

I've been quite satisfied with it so far, having very few problems...

Until now.

One of the gears, which I later learned had already been on its last leg, died completely, leaving me totally stuck. I'd never had to have  sewing machine repaired before (it was too challenging of a repair for me to attempt on my own with a show less than three weeks away). So I googled, and found a shop.

Thankfully, the repair person was sympathetic, and fixed it very quickly. So now it's back home where it belongs. :)

Kawaii Pocket Pig welcomes back his mother sewing machine.

While the machine was still at the shop, I used the spare time to cut out about a billion more frog bodies (well, at least another 18).

Mountains of frog pieces! Mountains!

Expect an owl update on Friday. :)

Of care tags and unsewn owls.

Several months ago, I came across an Etsy listing for care tags by JennifersJewels. I bought a sample quantity (60 tags), and as soon as I got them in the mail, I knew I'd be ordering more. The quality of these tags is really impressive, especially given the reasonable price.
And I swear no one paid me to write this. I just really love these tags. If you're a soft toy maker (or a clothing designer), you should check them out.

Tonight, after sewing lots of frog eyes, I pinned tags on the owl pattern pieces.
There's nothing left to do now but to feed them through the sewing machine and watch as more and more soft owls begin to roost in the studio.

I can't wait to show you the finished product.

For now, Prototype Owl looks at her future friends longingly...

Long-Leggity Froggie

I'm pleased to present one of The Toy Cove's most cheerful critters: the long-leggity frog. :)

Like most of my plushies, he's made from eco-fi felt (US-made fabric constructed from recycled plastic bottles), and he proudly wears the "All new, US-made materials" tag. The eyes and mouth are hand sewn (and believe me, it isn't easy to find US-made thread these days) for maximum cuteness.

He's got many more brothers and sisters on the way. For the moment, they're still in tadpole form, if you know what I mean. ;)

They'll all be available soon through The Toy Cove on Etsy.