Whale Plush

As I am getting older my friends are settling down and getting married. A few even started a family. But this year in particular has had a baby session. Everyone is "a pop'in". I love making unique homemade gifts for friends and family's baby showers. Many times I use Pinterest for inspiration but this year has been challenging with all of the baby's being born all around the same time. My cousin is having a baby girl and they live near the ocean, so I thought it would be perfect to create a whale plush. This time I decided to go with a pattern I found online instead of creating my own. I found a very cute pattern online by Googlie Momma (http://googiemomma.blogspot.co.il/2013/03/a-whale-of-awhale-free-pattern.html).

When I began I figured it would take me a few hours and volia. Boy was I wrong.

I started by printing out the pattern and cutting it out. Then I traced the pattern on to the fabric with a white chalk pencil, which by the way took for ever because I wanted to make sure it was dark enough to see. I pieced the right sides together, pinned and tried to sewed. The white chalk was barely visible with the light from my sewing machine shinning on it. So now I need to re-chalk the outline. I should have not been lazy and searched for where I miss placed my yellow Clover Chaco Liner Chalk Wheel. (available at quilting stores or amazon- http://www.amazon.com/Clover-Chaco-Liner-Chalk-Wheel/dp/B00BELY1F4)

I found it after a quick search and remembered why I love how quick and easy it is to use. After I sewed the flippers together I realized I had not flipped the fin pattern over and made two left flippers. Ugh. -_- At this point it felt like one of those nights where no matter how hard I tried to do things right it would just back fire, but I decided to push through. That was a mistake. I then realized as I am trying to pin the tail together it was not fitting right. Sometimes I can not follow the simplest of instructions. I cut where I was suppose to fold and folded where I was suppose to cut. Luckily I had enough fabric to finish the project but I cut it close due to all of my errors. At this point I had only gotten to the third step with the fins attached and the large body piece sewn. I spent more time than I would like to admit and went to bed.

The next morning was more successful but not with out its challenges. After using the seam ripper 5 or more times I successful sewed the whale together and before stuffing it, I added the eyes which I was inspired by an other Pinterest picture I had found.(http://s11.photobucket.com/user/TokyoBunnie/media/Blog_3/il_fullxfull-1-1.jpg.html)

Then I stuffed the whale and sewed it shut. Done! Finished my whale.

I have to say for all of these issues I had I really loved how the whale turned out. It is very adorable. The pattern was basic and easy to follow. As it goes for my issues that was user error.

(I just had my chiropractor tell me that I need to be in the present and to stop think of what is to come and that I would stop tripping and running in to things. Which made me laugh because it relates to my whole life and especially my challenges with this pattern.)  

Just don't forget to flip the pattern over for the fins so you get a right and left fin.