Sea Turtle
I can’t believe it’s been a week since I last posted. The time just got away from me. The last few days I’ve been working on that dress. I’ve been sewing so much that I’m actually sick of looking at my sewing machine. I didn’t think such a thing was possible! 
And before that I was distracted hand sewing this little sea turtle as a surprise for Olinda’s birthday.
I was working on him Friday night in the closet. Isabelle was sleeping and not sleeping very well. So I sat in there, close by, in the closet where there was light. Sewing away while Isabelle woke up too many times looking for me. I’d get up, get her back to sleep, and then sew some more. I had to finish him that night because on Saturday we went out to see Olinda. We met her at the Aloha festival in San Francisco where Isabelle got a little bird.
It’s not a real bird. It’s fake and it sings and moves and I’m such a sucker. I just wanted to show it to Isabelle but she liked it so much I got it for her. She has more than enough toys and I knew she wouldn’t play with it for long but I still bought it because…I AM a sucker.
And of course she’s not playing with it anymore. She played with it that whole first day, constantly asking where it was but by the next day she was done. It sings REALLY loud and Isabelle says, “no noise! Quiet bird!!” and wants me to turn it off.
Oh wait. What was I talking about? Oh yes, the sea turtle. At the festival they had a whole bunch of sea turtle toys. They made my sea turtle look all misshapen and mutated. I should have made his front arms bigger and his shell rounder and his head not so big and and and…oh well. I should have made a test one before Friday night. Then I would have had time to work all that out.
Even though he’s a little mutant, Olinda seems to like him and Isabelle does too. She’s been asking me, “where’s turtle? Make turtle? Winda giva me my turtle? Winda giva me birthday?” So I guess my little miss will be getting a turtle…because I’m a sucker. But I think I’ll machine sew a turtle for Isabelle. Probably a lot faster than hand stitching the entire thing again. How long do you think she’ll play with it?
August 6th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
So cute, where did you get the pattern?
My 2 year old son just keeps saying NEMO NEMO!!
Too funny!
August 6th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
I LOVE the sea turtle you made it me - it’s sooooo cute! It’s not muted at all! He’s sitting right on my bed
Tell BellBelle I love her and squish her for me
August 7th, 2008 at 3:13 am
I just made him up in my head. That’s why he’s a big mutant freak!
Ha ha ha!!
August 7th, 2008 at 5:33 am
I love the sea turtle! Too cute. And, yes, kids and toys … well, at least you’ll have great stuff to take to Goodwill.
August 7th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
So absolutely darling!
http://www.homelyanimal.blogspot.com
August 7th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Maybe, but he’s a sweet mutant freak filled with loooooove!
August 7th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
He’s so adorable! You did a great job! My own little monkey can’t stop saying, “ooooh! wowee!”
August 7th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
The blog “heading” has a pic. of your daughter riding a turtle like this one. Is that where you got this idea?
Too cute!!!!
Rane
August 7th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
Yep Rane, you’re absolutely right. That’s where my new header idea came from. I forgot to mention it.
August 7th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
Ooooooooooooooooooooh, I just loooooooooooove your sea turtle! How cute is he?!!! How big is he? I love his big head. He is just perfect. I wouldn’t change a thing!
August 7th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
He’s this big. Bwaa ha ha!!
No just kidding. He’s not that big. Like ummmm….sits in the palm of your hand with his legs and head hanging out over the sides. Yeah that big I think.
August 8th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Oh, I love it!
My boss’s daughter is here with me at work and she keeps asking me “can you buy it?”. I keep telling her, “no, it was a present for someone else”, but now she keeps asking me “why? Why can’t you buy it? It’s so cute! Why can’t you buy it?”. Maybe I should get back to work before she gets me in trouble. Ha!
August 8th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
I love this little turtle. I think that the misshapen ones will be loved the most - that’s what I tell myself anyway.
I made a funny looking turtle a little while ago for my son. My daughter wants one, my nephew wants one… I’m hoping that they’ll get neater each time, but probably not.
You can see it here (http://petalplum.blogspot.com/2008/07/red-turtle.html), if you’re interested. I made it up as I went along, perhaps I should have planned it more!
I can’t wait to see your next one.
August 8th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
Do you have an etsy?
August 8th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
No I don’t have an etsy.
August 10th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Lumpy, mutant, handmade toys are so wonderful when the kids are little. I used to make jointed dolls for my daughter when she was small and give them as birthday gifts to her friends, too. Only her friends would look at the soft cotton dolls with hand sewn clothes and frown… until their mothers snatched the dolls from their hands and said “did you MAKE this? I love it!” and the birthday girl would go back to playing with her new Barbies or whatever.
Now that hand made plushies are all the rage, they’re loved by all ages. That’s some positive progress for you.