Meet Rei

This kitty has been appropriately named Rei, which is Japanese for "gratitude" since Rei is a gift for a special friend and will be a sign of my gratitude. Rei was using the techniques I learned in the class I took with Katie Kendrick. I printed my painted cat face (posted previously) onto fabric and then the whacky little cat doll came to life! Rei is made completely of vintage kimono fabrics from Katie. Aren't they just to die for? You think they are gorgeous to look at, you should feel them! I'm posting not only the front of Rei, but her back since she has a little tag on her back and to show you my own method for doing the back of the dolls. Because of their necks, they are a pain in the you know what to try to turn for stuffing. So, I came up with my own easier way to do them making the turning really easy. The back is actually a base of TWO pieces of muslin. The back is in halves with a 1 inch overlap in the center. I pieces each side individually and then stitched them together a few inches on the top and bottom leaving a larger space in the center open. This is the turning hold. Once the front and back pieces are stitched together, you just turn the whole thing right facing through the hole and then hand stitch the hole closed after stuffing. It worked like a charm! I plan to do all my dolls this way from now on! Anyway, I'm in love with this cat and will have a hard time giving her away! I need to make one for myself!

I know I haven't posted much lately but will catch up maybe later today or tomorrow.