A New Friend for Kittie

It started with this Sulky 12 wt Blendables thread, number 713-4119. I have owned it for over a year and had not used it. I find this color combination a difficult one to use, my opinion and I am sticking to it. Over the past year I have tried at least 3 projects that I thought would be able to use it but, up until now  the thread has proved to be an unacceptable choice. Rather than toss it in with all of the threads, It has been out front and center on one of my sewing shelves, In my face, sort of speak, so that I would think of something to do with it. It has taken over a year, but one day a couple months ago it hit me.

 

French Kittie has a Friend!     

French Kittie

 For those of you who have not met French Kittie, let me introduce you to him.

French Kittie, this is everyone. Everyone this is French Kittie.

 

You know, I think he likes y'all.

 

Here is a profile picture. He is very handsome don't you think?

 

 He is my sewing companion and holds my seam ripper. He is always perched on my machine next to the bobbin winder of my Bernina. Since I have made him, frustration seldom hits when I need to rip something out. All I need to do is look into that little cute smiling face and I smile back.

 

French Kittie is truly international. He is constructed using Japanese fabrics I bought in Luxembourg and he was made in France. Once a year there is a craft market in town called Creativa. It was there I found the little trinkets that I could use around kitties neck. It is the Eiffel Tower that gives him his name, "French" Kittie.

 

French Kittie used to be part of a litter of kitties, but they have all been given away and found homes. Here are some of them on the way to the United States to be adopted. They were part of a Christmas ornament exchange.

Most reside now in the United States, but one, the prototype tom cat, lives in Luxembourg and three have taken up residence in Germany.

Oops,  Take heart and know that you are nothing until you have ignored by a cat!

French Kittie has been lonely as of late. He has seen a partial prototype of something in the sewing room for several months now on the sewing table. I don't need another holder of a seam ripper, that would just make French Kittie jealous. I could use a holder for my all important red memory stick that is right now temporarily misplaced. It will turn up...I hope.
 

This morning I finished French Kittie's new friend. Since I am original with names, may I introduce Panda.

Since I have domesticated Panda, he too has a collar. Panda has a little red bell around his neck that has little Chinese letters. Loosely translated I think it says "Yankee go home" but I am not sure, My Chinese language skills are not that strong.

Panda is made of vintage white linen and whatever type of black linen I could find around the house.

I used four different Sulky products to make him.

 

His eyes, nose and mouth are hand sewn using Sulky 12wt black cotton (713-1005) and the pads around his eyes were made gray by using a black Iron-on transfer pen. Around his eyes are darker than this picture shows. I love using the transfer pen to either shade things or to mark a pattern. The color is permanent so once on it stays. The 4th product, not shown was a tearaway stabilizer. I needed that to make sure the area did not pucker.

What about the black and white Blendables you ask? Pandas are black in front and black and white in the rear. Let me have Panda turn around for you.

He's a little slow. Ahh there he goes...

I found better stitches to use, but I had this piece ready to go and it is the prototype after all. I think that the pin stitch works best. The piece is zigzag with a pin stitch at the bottom.  After I made the piece I figured out that there was a better stitch choice. Since the piece was ready to go, I just used it knowing I would be making him again. Here is the stitch sample using the pin stitch in both directions covered by a zigzag.

A much better choice. So, as soon as I proof the pattern I will change his stitch. In the meantime, I have to let him sit for a while to see if I think his legs are too long or that I don't like is tail or maybe he is too fat or thin. I will also look at him and the way he stands. Is his face cute enough? Are the ears in the correct location and are they big enough. Time will tell me. 

In the meantime, there is some bonding happening. They like each other and it shows.

Enough, I have to go now, I am supposed to be making a scarf.