In case you missed this earlier post, I had wanted to make Abby something homemade for Channukah this year. Originally I had wanted to make this bear from How Joyful, however I found that it was beyond my novice skill level (this is my first DIY stuffed animal). So I went with this Molly the Monkey pattern and tutorial from MMM Crafts. Here is what Molly is supposed to look like:
I will make myself totally vulnerable here because as you can tell, my amateur status is clear 
. But I had a blast making this monkey for my daughter and finished it much more quickly than I had anticipated. This is partly due to the fact that the tutorial is really well structured with clear instructions and also because my husband was out of town for a week and I had a lot of time on my hands in the evenings with no one to talk to. The monkey is a technical mess (I hand sewed it) with many, many imperfections. I suppose you could call this my second Perfectly Imperfect post of the month. However, when Abby saw it she put her hands up, clenching and un-clenching her fists, in her I-want-that sign language. So instead of waiting to give it to her for Channukah I gave it to her as an I love you present. When I explained it was a monkey (because really, who could tell?), she cried out “Kiki!” , grabbed it and ran from the room. So now it is her Kiki and she likes to give it kisses and hugs.
In the end, even though it is painfully obvious that the monkey is homemade, if it gives my darling girl a smile this beautiful then who cares? I bought a Deep Sea Fun fat quarter bundle of cotton fabrics from Fabric Worm. If you are in the market for fabric they are having a sale right now so hop on over. I used Morning Glory batting- find it here. This is great pillow batting and Kiki is extra soft and snuggly because of it.
Now I just need to find a new project to use the rest of my fabric on. Like maybe this birdhouse from The Wonderful Joy Ahead?
Here are two other cute ideas for DIY stuffed animals: Knitwits from Martha Stewart and Regina the Rabbit from The Handmade Home. Do you have any great DIY stuffed animal ideas?
Kiki loves you! Happy Wednesday!
