Meow Wolf Snaggy Plush Head

I got to work on another product development project with Meow Wolf. Snaggy is a monster mascot that Meow Wolf has used in previous years in various iterations. Emily Montoya worked on the design, and I created the pattern and samples. It's in progress of getting manufactured so look for it soon in the Meow Wolf shop. 

The eye and X are appliquéd, while the mouth/teeth are machine embroidered. It's about 12 inches wide and 14 inches tall from the base to the top of the unbroken horn. Since this is the first round sample version, it will be interesting to see how the factory version turns out. I don't work with long faux fur very often, which is a fun texture, but it just gets everywhere when you cut the pieces out. 

Jen's Wedding Dress

My friend Jen got married last month in San Francisco. At the beginning of this year, she contacted me about making her wedding outfit. She's not crazy about dresses, but she really liked the idea of a jumpsuit. She included a removable skirt element to make it feel like a wedding dress not just a white jumpsuit.

She sent me some reference images of existing design elements that she liked. Then I made a couple different sketches putting those elements together. We did some back and forth until the right design came together.

From that sketch, I made the pattern and sewed a muslin version for fitting. I sent that to Jen for the first fitting. It's wasn't totally off, but I had plenty of fixes to make. We did a skype fitting so I could see it live and Jen made marks on the muslin with safety pins. She sent me back the muslin and I used that to alter to pattern to better fit her.  I pieced together the final outfit, then she came to visit me in August so that I could a final fitting in person and complete the outfit. 

Jen loved it and it was the perfect outfit for all the dancing she did at her wedding. This was my first wedding ensemble made for another person. I had to break out all my old college pattern making textbooks to make sure I was putting it together right, but I'm really happy how it all turned out.

Meow Wolf Neon Tree bags

I made another coin purse style bag for Meow Wolf. This one inspired by the neon trees in the fish tank. They're made of black cotton canvas, with a interior lining either with black and white stripes or chevrons. It took me so long to get to this post, they're all sold out now. I'm not currently making any right now but that may change in the future. As always Meow Wolf is an amazing one of kind experience, so go check it out regardless if I have anything in the gift shop.

Hurricane Cat Chow Bag

I've been having a lot of fun with the Brother PE-770 embroidery machine I bought about a year and a half ago. I've been using the awesome SewArt image conversion software to turn any image into an embroidery file. This past Christmas I made a bootleg Simpsons bag inspired by the Hurricane Cat Chow from the Hurricane Neddy episode in season 8. It was a Christmas gift for a fellow Simpsons fan and cat owner, so it can hold some cat treats or human treats for those days when the Kwik-E-Mart is all sold out.

Halloween 2016: Twin Peaks Log Lady & Log costume

When my daughter, Suzanne was a couple months old I started thinking about costumes for Halloween. At that time she didn't crawl yet, so bundling her up as a log seemed to make sense. I'm a huge Twin Peaks fan so the dressing up as the Log Lady and her log was an exciting premise. 

By the time Halloween rolled around this year she was crawling so I realized I couldn't just wrap her in wood grain fabric, I would have to make something she could move around in.

For the Log Lady, I didn't custom make anything, I just found the items at a thrift store. I thought I would have an easier time finding her signature large red glasses because they are back in style now but I had to make do with just some big glasses.

 To make the log, I started with Simplicity pattern 5049 because that's what I had around that was close enough to Suzanne's size. The pattern is from 1972, so I took the intense flare out of the pant legs.

For the hat, I used an existing hat that fit her as a template to create the interior shape. Then I built up the exterior log shape on the outside of that.  It was a little tricky getting the log to look right, I had to add an extra piece in the center to make it look like a log. The log print fabric (Woodgrain Bark by Joel Dewberry) really makes it. I ran out of time to wearing her first crazy Halloween costume.

Weezer baby sweater

Last Fall, I made a baby sweater based on the icon that Alec drew for the Undone the Sweater song on the Weezer memories tour poster. Now it fits our daughter Suzanne and yes, she is named after the Weezer song.

I used this free pattern: Lion Jumper by Phildar

Since the =w= design is on the front I picked a pattern that opens in the back. But that was before I was a parent and learned that back closures on baby clothes are pretty dumb. Technically it could be reversible anyway, but she won't be wearing it too much longer anyway. If I made it again I would use a pattern that just has some buttons around the neckline.

Back Sweater

Front Sweater

The string is left intentionally because the song is about a sweater coming apart.

Meow Wolf Coin Purses

I made some coin purses inspired by the Eyeball dome at the Meow Wolf Art Complex. They are made out of black cotton twill and lined with different cotton prints. The eyes are machine embroidered.

Now available for sale in the Meow Wolf gift shop, they are perfect for holding all your Plotzo's Plasma Plex tokens!