Monkey Shine

Again, I wasn't about to stuff that tail! The pipe cleaner was uncooperative, so I used a thick piece of wire instead. I made the arms 3-dimensional and used a pom-pom on top of the hat instead of a felt circle.

Guitar Hero

This is a pattern I created myself for my husband. I used the Jeffrey Jump-Up pattern and made some modifications to the body. I used a clip art graphic for the guitar. Unlike Ouida, I am not good at stuffing the long, narrow pieces. Instead of stuffing, I used a couple of pipe cleaners in the neck of the guitar.

If you would like this pattern, email me at thelovedays@sprintmail.com for mailing instructions.

Preacher Paul

He may call himself Preacher Paul . . . but being a good Methodist girl, I'm calling him John Wesley, because that's exactly who he looks like. I didn't make any changes other than adding a real button to the coat in lieu of a felt circle.

Yule Man for You All

This guy is really cute . . . until you make 5 of him in a row! He got a little old pretty quick since there was no real way to vary him. This was the Christmas gift for my choir and piano boys. I added a pompom for the nose and hat ball instead of stitching a felt circle.

Katrina

Katrina was the Christmas gift for the girls who sing in my children's choir or take piano lessons from me. I made 5 of these in different colors. Pretty straightforward . . . I didn't make any changes other than stitching a dashed line across the bottom of the coat hem for a decorative accent.

Sweet Dreams

Here's my first "Audrey Angel." Audrey is my friend Rachel's little girl. I'm going to make her a different angel each year for Christmas. Isn't this one sweet? She was really quick -- I made her start-to-finish last night while I was watching TV. Here's what I did:

• I used plain white felt for the clouds and glitter felt for the wings.


• I added a real button to the pajama flap.


• I added a silver pipe cleaner halo because I thought it was hard to tell she was an angel, and not just a baby napping on a cloud.


• I made her little hand three-dimensional by stitching almost all the way around and then putting in some stuffing.

Nighty-Night!

Brother Lee Love

Isn't this little guy hilarious? He was fun to do, and pretty easy. I did learn one important thing I will remember if I make another one: I won't fringe the hair until after everything else is complete. I did it before I sewed it on and wound up losing two pieces before it was all said and done. I cut some tiny pieces and glued them in the bald spot and no one will ever know . . . except you!

Here are some changes I made and things I did:

• As usual, I made the arms three-dimensional by cutting two pieces for each and stitching and stuffing them. I then attached them at the sides when I stitched the whole body together.
  
• I put little sandals on the feet. I cut a tiny piece of dark brown felt to go across the bottom and then stitched some little straps.


• How much do you love that little rosary? I found the cross charms and brown-tone beads at my local craft store and basically just strung a little necklace using some thick carpet thread. Then I wound it around his hands, tacked it on the back with a dot of glue, and glued the hands together.