Sunday, June 16, 2013

Matariki Blog Hop - Hottie Dog and Friends - Mini Hotwater Bottle Tutorial



Hi there and 'welcome' to anyone new to my little blog
My name's Laura, and I'm starting off week two of the 


..... Oh and ofcourse Hello again to my ole faithful readers! :)

When Juliet emailed me about this blog hop and asked me what does winter mean to you?  
I would normally think about my knitting and snuggling up infront of log fire...keeping dry from all the rain, occasional snow and freezing cold winds....
but of course the last two winters I've been enjoying a much more mild winter weather,  that's quite the opposite 
and much more like spring to me!
There's still the rain, wind and the knitting....
but this year I'm mainly thinking about the kids wardrobes, what items are missing, and making a sewing list to fill it.....followed by thinking about the outside and the long list of seeds I need to sow...
as I'd forgotten a garden in the north does not sleep!

But when asked what I project I would share, I did stumble for a while, until I remembered a project I had put off for the last couple of years.

My little girl was given a Mini Hot water bottle with a Dog cover when she was a baby....just a cheap thing, but it was the perfect size to warm her little body on cold nights, without the weight of a big Hottie.  And over the years, it got the nickname 'Hottie Dog'.

But Hottie Dog very quickly, started to split its seams, and legs worked their way loose and so on....till now, where he's now just hanging together by a few lingering threads!  
So that's where the idea of the Hottie Dog was born.


It's just taken, two years and a bit of nudging from Juliet for it finally come to fruition.

And of course what perfect timing with 
Maybe you would like to make one of these mini Hotties? 
I'm sure some little baby or toddler would love to snuggle up to one this winter



So here's what you need to make one of these: 

First download my Mini Hottie Dog Pattern here

For the material:
  • Either a couple of op-shopped woolen jerseys/cardigans, feltable or not (something suitable for a hottie cover)....or alternatively you could use fleece.....but as long as the material has some stretch the options are endless.
  • Small pieces of cotton or scrap jersey knit fabric for tummy, snout and ears.
  • Some polyester and wool stuffing for the head and snout

For embellishment: 

  • Tiny pieces of felt for eyes, nose and tongue
  • Embroidery thread, black and white for eyes
  • And coordinating thread for all fabrics.
Lets get started!
Cut out all the pattern pieces and starting with the body and head piece join them together where stated on pattern

*Also note that the snout and the tummy piece need to be cut and glued on to thin cardboard ( cereal box will be ideal )


Now its time to cut!

Start with cutting out the back pieces.
Using the rib or hemline of the woolen jersey, cut the two back pieces as shown.



If you're using fleece, cut these pieces longer to allow for a hem

Cut one front piece

Pin or trace around the legs and arms ( I use a fabric pen to trace ) 
Don't forget to cut four, pattern facing right side up, 
then flip the pattern over and cut the other four.....
so you end up with mirror images.  


To cut the ears do the same, (flip the pattern) this time cutting two from a coordinating knit or cotton fabric.  
Also this is where you can change your dog to a rabbit or bear.  For the Rabbit, make the ears narrower, and pointed, and for the Bear, just use the leg/arm as the pattern piece....just shortened.

Now cut the lining pieces for the head, out of some scrap knit or something stretchy that is thin....so that it doesn't add to much to a bulky seam

For the snout and the nose, cut around the cardboard piece, leaving a rough seam allowance. 
And using a running stitch, stitch around the edge 


Then pop the cardboard back in and pull the thread. Secure thread


Press with an iron....then pop out the cardboard, and press again.

Cut the nose, and tongue out of felt, and using the pattern as a guide.... stitch the nose in place with either blanket stitch or slip stitch.....then embroidery the mouth with six strands of embroidery cotton in your chosen colour.
Stitch tongue in place, which is optional

Now pin snout and tummy piece on to the front piece, again using the pattern as a guide.

Slip stitch or blanket stitch pieces down, leaving a small gap for stuffing in the snout.  I start at the bottom and leave the thread and needle in place once I get to the other side...so I can close this later.


Cut the eyes out of felt, and stitch in place....this is where you can change the look of your Animal Hottie, by changing the shape of the eyes, layering on white felt and adding lashes, and white flecks  (with embroidery floss) in the pupils
  Also placement changes the look too!  Have fun!!


Sew the arms, legs and ears, using a 1/4" seam allowance.
  Turn the right side out.

With front piece right side up, and using pattern as guide,
pin arms and legs in place.  
I place the arms so they will be shorter than the legs.


  Baste these with  sewing machine, with the seam allowance..... I know it seems a step you can skip.... 
but you'll thank me later if you do it...
as you'll be sewing through many more layers to come.


Pin back top piece and sew with a 1cm seam allowance.

 TIP!  Use a ballpoint needle to make it easier, and this could be a good time to get out your walking foot if you have one....if not don't worry....I got by without mine!

One at a time, pin and sew lining in place on either side of the head.  This will encase the stuffing.


Now pin and sew the back bottom piece.  Once you have finished, have a look and if you have any wonky seams, now is a good time to sew around one more time to fix them.


Don't be confused by the photo, it was taken before I sewed it together


Trim seams. 
TIP! I trim the out seams lower the the middle seams....this reduces the bulk of the seam, and helps it sit better.
it's a couture technique I learnt recently

Turn right side out and admire!
You're nearly there!!!


Now it time to stuff the snout.....not to much! Then using the needle and thread you left in place....sew the hole closed.

Now stuff the head.... again don't overstuff....I have to re-do my Rabbit..
Using a thread that matches the body, back stitch the linings to the wrong side of the front, and top back piece respectively in a circular shape. Just try to catch the fabric so that it doesn't show too much on the right side.


Now the ears. Turn the seam allowance inside, and attach to the head.  Again like the eyes, you change the whole look, by placing the ears at different places
 I use the ladder stitch to attach them, and stitch around twice...as no doubt, this is the likely part a little child will carry the hottie around with!

  
For the Bear ears, I stitched them closed first, then gathered the base of the ear before attaching to the head.

And thats it!!!Congratulations for getting to the end of this looooong tutorial! 


They're pretty cute, and with the padded head....they're great to snuggle without feeling the hard neck of the hottie!


And around here, they already have a fan! 


But she can't have them all! 
So Mr Bear and Miss Rabbit will be flying their way to Christchurch where they'll keep some other kidlets warm :)

And if you want to send some too.....please do....
  see more info here



17 comments:

Juliet @ Tartankiwi said...Best Blogger Tips

Wow Laura, these are gorgeous! Such a great wee tutorial. Thank you for joining in!

clare said...Best Blogger Tips

These are gorgeous! On the 'to do' list - thanks! x

Leanne M said...Best Blogger Tips

So cute! I love them! Thanks for the tutorial.

Fay said...Best Blogger Tips

Love them! Thanks for the tutorial.

Rachelle said...Best Blogger Tips

So sweet! I wish I could get to my sewing machine at the moment, but I think it'll be at least 2 more weeks yet.

Leonie said...Best Blogger Tips

Awww cuteness!! they are adorable! Great tut - thanks for sharing! - onto my to-do list it goes! You clever thing you!

Miriam said...Best Blogger Tips

they look gorgeous Laura! So lovely

Dee said...Best Blogger Tips

these are really beautiful, Laura!

Dee

Catching the Magic said...Best Blogger Tips

You are so, so clever and these are adorable! You have very lucky children to have such a crafty, creative, clever Mamma! x

Max said...Best Blogger Tips

Theyre gorgeous laura! Good on you for putting up a free tutorial, i predict it will be very popular x

Notchka said...Best Blogger Tips

Yup. You are clever. Like I said ;P

nz green buttons said...Best Blogger Tips

Laura these are amazing! So clever and such a great tutorial!

BigLittle said...Best Blogger Tips

So cute. So clever. Just adorable- thanks for sharing your tutorial, Im sure these will be incredibly popular with the kids.. You are amazing. Xx

Suzie said...Best Blogger Tips

These are just adorable.

Pearlin J said...Best Blogger Tips

thanks for the tutee! soo adorable!!!

Razzle Dazzle Quilter said...Best Blogger Tips

Fantastic project. great tutorial.Well done you!

Linda

Taelia88 said...Best Blogger Tips

Wonderful tutorial! I loved the outcome! So cute!
Great post!! I included it in my post Βόλτα στη Γειτονιά!!! ...while sewing!! :)
Have a great weekend!!

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