I absolutely love doing wonderful things for my love bugs.
I am so excited for the release of Frankenweenie and I love all the merchandise
and costumes available for our pets.
The Frankenweenie pet products are very hard to get with most of it being
Exclusive to Disney and American shopping chains such as Walmart.
I've been lucky enough to find a few pieces for my little Howlers,
But it wasn't easy so I thought I might and try to make my own,
So here's a little DIY for you all....
Get creative, be inspired, great for Halloween gifts or presents.
Remember to design it with your pet in mind eg: Big, Small, squeak, no squeak,kitty or dog.
If you can't sew don't worry this is one of the best projects,
For beginners or non sewers!!
Remember the rougher the better, Sparky has return from the after life
and he needs to be stitched back together.
Also if your dog likes to tear up his or her toys only apply stuffing in some parts.
Remember sticky felt is your best friend it's great for detailing or
just use a simple black marker.
I stuck to the original movie colors and added some orange for Halloween,
But you can use whatever colors you like.
Why not even try making other characters from the movie such as
Persephone with her bride of frankenstein style hair or the physic kitty Mr Whiskers.
Whatever you decide this is great project to do with and for your pets,
Enjoy!!
You will need......Inspiration.Scissors.Wool, thread or both.Needle large.Felt in chosen colors.Sticky felt or marker pens.Squeaks.Catnip or bells.Pins.Pencil.Paper.Glue.Stuffing.Other optionsCat mintFaux furBellJust remember when making anything especially for your pets that all materialsare Non Toxic and safe to use.Disregard any broken pet toys.
Start by choosing a character.I made some paper into patterns for the head,Cut out the head and pin it together.I then decided to make face pieces and add details beforeI sew it all together.
Don't forget to look at your inspiration,I find the easiest way to create something is to study the shapes......Eg: circles for eyes, triangles for ears
Lay out all your shapes in front of you,Don't forget the backs and details.I used sticky felt for my stitches if your an amazing sewer you can sew them individually or if you can't sew and don't want to fiddle with sticky felt use your marker pens.( non toxic)
Make sure you have all your pieces pinned togetherand everything available to use squeakers etc.Most toy squeakers can be found online or some pet and craft stores.
If you don't have any luck you could always take a squeaker from an old dog toy.
Once you have all your pieces together you can begin to sew,I just use a basic stitch ( the easier the better ) I love the way it givesSparky the just put together look.
Remember to make it tight and strong, I added a squeaker in the head and body,There the only places I'll be using stuffing also, I want to make our toy last as long as it can.Please not when sewing with wool you definitely need a wool needle ora needle with a massive hole as it needs to be big enough for the thickness of the wool.If not you will split all your wool and it will take hours.
I also decided to make two of the other characters using the same steps
as above.
Mr Whiskers is designed as a cat toy so it's slightly different and a little more simpler.
I just used one piece of felt, very simply I made a pattern from paper,
remember to make it alot more smaller for your kitty's.
You can add a bell or cat mint to your toy.
I used cat mint as I feel it's a better option and safer than a bell in a handmade toy.You can find cat mint at most big garden centers, I grow my own for my kitty,Just pick cut and dry your cat mint.Once ready just sprinkle a little into the stuffing of your toy.Sew it all together and you will have one very happy kitty!!
With Persephone I found her a little harder,So I did a quick sketch and made a pattern out of paper.Exact same steps, but I use a few more materials eg: Faux Fur.
Taa Daaaaa!!The finshed products!!I love how cute these are!!
I hope your pets love them as much as mine do!!Have fun!!Happy Howlaween!!
