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Posted on November 15, 2011July 30, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Yellow Alley Cat Angel Sock Kitten and Fleece Bunnies

I photographed and posted a new Alley Cat Angel Sock Kitten today. This one is yellow with an animal print, kind of like a leopard, only yellow on yellow, with a red fleece heart. She (or he) has soft stuffed fleece wings, and comes with a hang tag that can be personalized. Ten dollars from the adoption of this sock kitten will go to a local cat rescue, Alley Cats and Angels of NC.

I will be posting my new handmade stuffed animal toys in our Ruffing’s shop.

I have been sewing away, trying to make a variety of animals.

I also finished some new fleece Hug Me Bunnies.

And I picked out a limited number of colors for custom bunnies.

Posted on November 8, 2011July 30, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing — 2 Comments

Hug Me Slug handmade stuffed animal toy shop update

I finished a new group of Hug Me Slug handmade stuffed animals. One already went on his way to a baby shower. I will be posting my new handmade stuffed animals in our Ruffing’s shop.

I’ve been getting organized. I even pressed and put away the big pile of quilting cottons that was taking over my ironing board.

I also narrowed down my colors for custom Hug Me Slugs. I’m putting a limited number of listings up for custom slugs in November, and I will probably hold off on taking custom orders past the first of December so I can get everything out on time without feeling frantic. I will see how it goes.

These first two sets are the colors I chose for the 9-inch custom Hug Me Slugs.

These second two sets are the colors I chose for 12-inch custom Hug Me Slugs. I still have many more colors than these, but I am going to try to make them into ready-made toys to increase the selection I have.

I often wish I could make more than I do, and make everything more quickly than I do. There is just no rushing these, when sewing so much by hand. I like the handmade look, and I like to make things well. So, I am going to use my time as wisely as I can, and concentrate on doing a nice work.

The kittens came out to run around the house today. They had lots of fun. We’re still settling them into bed in the laundry room at night. We lure them in with Fancy Feast and baby food. They’ll be ready to pop back out the laundry-room door in the morning. I’ll have to get some photos of them exploring and playing.

Posted on November 3, 2011July 30, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Hug Me Slug and Hug Me Kitten handmade keepsake ornaments

I realized yesterday that I forgot to show you the ornaments I made. I had wanted to try this for some time now. I took fleece and embroidered these by hand, with a blanket stitch.

The Hug Me Slug front is all fleece, and the Hug Me Kitten is fleece on quilting cotton.

They are the size of a CD, 4 3/4 inches across, and circular. I reinforced them with thick stabilizer in the middle, and stitched them closed, all by hand.

I added some gold yarn to make them easy to hang. They could go on a Christmas tree, or on a wall, or even in an office cubicle.

These they come with personalized hang tags.

I will be posting my new handmade creations in our Ruffing’s shop.

I made a decision today that gave me a great deal of relief. I decided to focus on making ready-made toys for the holiday season, and not focus on custom toys. People tend to order all at once, during the first two weeks of December, and I can never predict what anyone would like. So, I end up feeling unable to prepare, which makes me feel anxious. I don’t like to let anyone down, and I can never guess what anyone will want. Plus, sometimes I get orders for a dozen or so custom toys at once, and I just can’t do them as quickly as they might be needed.

This way, I can make whatever suits my fancy, still have personalized hang tags for the toys, and hopefully have more for people to choose from. And I won’t feel like I don’t know which way to go. Already I feel so much less stress than I have been feeling.

I’m sure I will do some custom toys, when asked, but I’m going to be switching out most of my custom listings with ready-made listings. I want to be able to feel organized when December comes around, and I don’t want people to have to wait when I’m sure they will be anxious to have their gifts ready for giving as soon as possible.

This is one of my custom 12-inch Hug Me Slugs that went to his new home recently. I am looking forward to making and putting up some more new toys soon.

The kittens have been enjoying trying out new lounging places, and they have both discovered that they love napping on beds. Fuzzy blankets and bathrobes are good too.

Posted on November 2, 2011July 30, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing

November is here and my toy workshop is in full swing

This is a small peek into my workroom today, and these are a small number of the Hug Me Slugs and other art toys, waiting for me. This is the time of year when I get very nervous and try very hard to get as much as I can get done, done.

Piles of fleece are cascading from the tops of shelves and other piles of fleece.

I’ve prewashed yards and yards of fabric.

Scraps are organized by color so I can find them for hand-sewn hearts. In between, I tweak my patterns, and try some new things too. This is a new character, my Hug Me Bug. I have to draw his picture for his hang tag.

I received these fantastic photos of my beautiful Hug Me Toad collector, Emily. Emily drew this great family portrait of her Hug Me Toads, all with their names above their heads. I just loved seeing these, and I love that all the Hug Me Toads have their own slippers to nap in.

Emily’s PJ’s and her slippers are perfect too. Those Hug Me Toads are in good company!

I love Emily’s portrait. Look how she got all the details. I just love it. Thank you Emily! Say hello to Davey, Mary, Chloe, and company for me! 🙂

The kittens are now out into the bedroom adjoining the laundry room, during the day. They were excited to discover carpeting, and they love galloping around. They are just finishing up some medicine for Giardia, which they probably got from drinking yucky water when they lived outdoors.

Soon they can go mingle with the other kitties. Phoebe and Bertie both went to the vet and had their vaccines. Phoebe got her blood test and doesn’t have either leukemia or FIV. They didn’t like their vet visit at all, but they seemed to forget all about it in no time, once they were back home.

Phoebe (below) is looking contented now. She doesn’t look like a scared kitten anymore, most of the time. She still doesn’t like to be petted, but she looks happy to see us, and likes to watch us. Bertie (above) is friendly and sociable. She isn’t keen on being picked up, but she loves to sit in my mom’s lap.

They are wonderful at playing together. They will each take one end of this string and pull on it. They’ve been having lots of fun, trying out new things, like sitting on the bed. They’ll get spayed and microchipped later this month. They’ll get their second booster shot then. Soon they will be running all over the house.

Josephine has been waiting for the kittens to come out and play. She has plans, I’m sure, to show them her own games. Josephine has always been an enthusiastic computer-helper, and now she has discovered she likes to help me with my crafts projects too. In addition to stealing ballpoint pens, she now attempts to steal the sports tape I use to protect my fingers when I sew. I won’t let her have it, no matter how cute she is.