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 

Matariki Blog Hop

..... 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 

Lisa's Hottie Project for the Christchurch Kids.....

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