After furiously trying to get this dress finished for the Threads Magazine Summer Inspiration Challenge, I decided I needed a small break from sewing clothing for a while.

This poor dress still isn't finished, and I was taking these pictures just before the contest's midnight deadline.  I'll blog about this one when it is actually finished and I don't have pins holding my hem up...

In the meantime, I decided to embark on another project.  My youngest sister has been asking me to make her something, anything, for a while now.  I've done things for my mom, I've sewn most of my other sister's curtains in her house, I've done things for friends and their kids, but nothing for her.

Since she is a kid at heart like me, I thought I would do something fun for her and not boring like curtains.  A few months ago I bought a random book at JoAnn's because it was on sale. I love this book!  It has all these magical creations and almost no directions on how to do any of them so it has sat on my shelf looking pretty since I bought it (how's that for a run on sentence???). 

Tilda's Studio on Amazon

  I tackled the giraffe for my sister.  I knew the directions were missing some pertinent info so I thought about doing a tutorial for the giraffe.  The directions are basically "cut your fabric and sew".  For the new sewist (is sewist a word?  Blogger says no but I'm sticking with it), this would be like me going to a mechanic to learn how to change the battery in my car and all I get is "open the hood and switch 'em out".  It would end in an explosion.  Probably.  I started taking pictures as I went but then got so involved in it that I sort of forgot to continue taking them.  So if anyone out there wants a tutorial on making the giraffe, let me know and I'll post what I have.  It will get you through the giraffe itself but not the dress.  But if you can figure out the giraffe, you can figure out a two piece dress, right?

Overall, she went together fairly quickly.  Just don't count my do overs in that time and and I could say she was created in a few hours.  I also used fabric that I already had, so I didn't have to buy a thing!

I couldn't think of a name for her, so I'll just let my sister name her.  I'm quite infatuated with her and might have to make another.  Or the elephant.  Or one of the angels.  Or the cockatoo...

Isn't she adorable?!?!  I love her!  I hope my sister does as well!