Tutorials

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Wednesday Craft Group - Kangaroo Tutorial

Kangaroos this week... I made this big grey one who looks so huge next to the original (now safely on her way to the US).
I promised you all the pattern for this project ~ you can find it here, sorry it is a bit scribbly and there is no scale on it but i don't think it matters too much ~ remember tho the smaller you make it the more fiddly it is.

~Now how to put it together~

The Joey and the mother are made in basically the same way, start with the Joey because you will need to put it in the pouch and sew it in (to make sure it fits) before you finish the adult.

Start with your two front sections and sew (I blanket stitched) the centre seam from neck to tail - top to bottom.
(this is me sewing in the car while i wait for the big girl to finish her piano lesson)


Join in the first main body section starting at the base of the tail. Turn your front panel centre seam stitching to the inside (so you won't see the stitching, just a seam). sew up around the legs and arms toward the neck. When you reach the neck join in the second main body piece and sticth through all three layers and then sew back down toward the tail.
From the base of the tail, sew along the length and keep going up and round its back ~ remember to leave a decent opening for stuffing.
Come back to where you left off at the neck and sew up the face until you reach halfway round the nose; join in the head panel (point to the back, rounded end to the nose) sew one side then come back and sew around the other - stitch a little way down the back but leave your stuffing opening.
I stuffed some fleece into about the first inch of the tail section to give it a nice full shape then i filled the rest of the tail and the feet with riversand - poke it about a bit with a chopstick or some other long pointy thing to pack it in well. then check it stands...

(notice the change of outfit? now i am sitting in the car waiting for my big girl to finish zumba)
when you are happy stuff the legs really firmy with fleece and keep on stuffing not quite so firmly into the belly then really firmly again for the head and neck - don't sew your opening closed just yet.

Get your pouch section and Joey and try them on for size (day three...now in the bathroom supervising bath time). Happy with where it will all sit? start stiching the pouch on; stop about halfway, pop the Joey in and finish yor stitching with him sitting inside ~ this ensures that the Joey will fit nicely and you can get it in and out easily.

Adjust stuffing if you need to and then sew up your back section.

Add your ears and eyes and bouce off down the road! (finished! and just in time for craft too).

Said the kind Kangaroo, Oh what shall I do?
If I had a cradle I'd rock it,
But my baby is small, So I think afterall,
I'll carry her round in my pocket.

16 comments:

Chamberman said...

Thank you so much for sharing this. Katie

Anonymous said...

lovely to come across your blog! I love some of the craft work that you do, those kangaroos are especially gorgeous :)

Bending Birches said...

wow!!! these are incredible! LOVE!

Melissa Luxmoore said...

super cute! love the joey!

Amber Greene said...

Hi Shannon
LOVE your blog! Very cute. I especially LOVE your toadstool chairs and tables set. They are gorgeous! Well done! I tried to look up the link for the candle gnomes but it wasnt right. I'd love to post it on my blog if you are happy for me to do that. Can you email the link to me again please? amber.greene@hotmail.com

Thank you! I love it! I'm just sorry I havent visited sooner! Time just gets away, doesnt it!

Baa-Me Kniits said...

Very nice....I love the little rhyme as well :-) What did you use for the eyes?

S said...

Baa-Me knits, I used little seed beads for the joey and slightly bigger ones for his mum :)

crazyQstitcher said...

A very Good pattern. The ones I have found don't look much like roos.
Thanks for sharing.
It's on my short list of To Do's

Love the poem

S said...

Thank you crazyQ... i quite like the little poem too..now i have read it again it is playing over and over in my head. I think it is from the Australian Breastfeeding Associations little song book..

S said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Joan said...

Would love to try making the kangaroo & joey, but where is the pattern? Please repost the pattern T Y ♥

S said...

Joan, if you hover over, and then click the word 'here' in the second paragraph of text it is a hyperlink which will take you to the pattern on scrib.

Anonymous said...

The pattern for this little Kangaroo is available on Scribd....BUT....
Scribd wants $$$ to download. Is the pattern available directly from you?

S said...

Hmmm, scrib WAS free when I put it up. Yes I can email you the pattern rhythmrhymeblog@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

I'm trying to make the little kangaroo, he's so lovely with the mother. But the pattern doesn't go very well to download, can you sharing it to me. Nancy

S said...

Hi Nancy, If you email me at rhythmrhymeblog@gmail.com I can email it to you.