Sheldon the Dinosaur Plush DIY

For about a year now, my friends and I have adored the Sheldon the Dinosaur comic by Amburgered. Sheldon is a tiny dinosaur who thinks that he is a turtle, and uses an acorn for a shell. Whenever I know one of my very close friends, Abi, is feeling down, I make a point of finding a recent Sheldon comic and sending it to her to cheer her up.

I decided that, because of this love Abi and I share for Sheldon, I ought to make Abi a little Sheldon of her own.

If you want to make your own, here's how to do it:

1. Download the pattern here.
2. Sew your four leg pieces to the leg holes on the inside body.
3. Sew the dart at the back of the inside body.
4. Sew the two outside body pieces to either side of the inside body piece.
5. Sew around the neck and head area and at the back, bottom area, making sure to leave a space for turning and stuffing.
6. Turn the body right-side out. Put the safety eyes in on the face and stuff. Close your stuffing hole.
7. Cut out your upper shell pattern.
8. Hand-stitch your shell (right sides together) as close to the edge as possible. Add in a small scrap of felt in the centre of the shell as the acorn stalk.
9. Stitch the upper shell to the shell base and stuff it.
10. Paint small Xs onto the shell.
11. Stitch the complete shell to the back of the body.
12. Take your own little Sheldon on adventures with you! 

I'd love to know if you also read the Sheldon comics, or see if you make a Sheldon of your own, so please leave your comments below!

Thanks for reading!

LDP x

Live Slow, Die Whenever

For ages now, I've wanted a fox scarf. No, not a fox stole; there's something painfully morbid about having a dead animal wrapped around your throat. A fox scarf. I remember seeing the Lazy Oaf fox scarf a few years back (though it doesn't seem to be available any more) and absolutely setting my heart on it, loving the way it managed to be cute while still being slightly macabre. I remember it being out of my budget (everything is out of my budget) and reminding myself to make one in the future.

Fox scarves! Fox scarves everywhere!

1. Donna Wilson
2. Boondock Studios
3. BeeLicious Crafts
4. Lazy Oaf
5. Eugenia Kim
6. Prudent Baby (This one's a DIY!)

Although I do still want to make a fox scarf at some point or another, I decided to add a twist to this style. So, since we've established that my sloth obsession is no secret, I might as well carry on flaunting it, right? So much for "The first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem".

What you'll need to make your own sloth scarf:

• Fur fabric
• Felt
• Safety eyes and nose
• Paint 

Steps:

1. Cut one long strip of your fluffy fabric , about 32-35 cm wide. I made mine as long as I could, using the entire length of the fabric. Make it shorter or wider to your own liking. Cut out a piece of fluffy fabric the size you want the head to be. Repeat this shape on another piece of fluffy fabric, then cut out a piece of felt for the face.
2. Paint the face using acrylic and fabric paints.
3. Ensure that the safety eyes and nose fit appropriately on the sloth's face.
   
   
4.  Sew the two fluffy head pieces together, then turn right-side-out.
5.  Place the head where you want it to be on the scarf.
6.  Sew the face and head onto the scarf, and add the safety eyes and nose. Sew down the length of the scarf and close the ends, sewing foot shapes at each end. Leave a section in the middle open to turn it right-side-out, then turn and close.

Aaaaaaand you're done! Wear your scarf on any lazy day you choose. 

I actually wore this scarf to my first exam on Wednesday, because the exam hall we write in is freezing. He kept my neck super cosy while I concentrated on Linguistics. 

I also posted this scarf with one of my outfits on Chictopia, which you can see here. 

In other news, I am this week's featured member on my favourite website, Cut Out + Keep! Click here to read the interview. 

Thanks so much for reading!

LDP x