sock-cat Archives - Page 5 of 7 - Ruffing’s Artist Dolls and Toys

Posted on April 23, 2011August 1, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing — 4 Comments

New Fleece Hug Me Kitten

I finished a new fleece Hug Me Kitten handmade stuffed animal cat. She (or he) is cream-colored with a magenta heart and cornflower blue eyes.

She bears a bit of resemblance to Josephine, and even had her funny smile.

She has a tail that sticks straight out in back.

I love the back view.

She comes with a hang tag that can be personalized with a name or “For + a recipient’s name”. I plan to make more, in different colors. I will be posting my new handmade stuffed animal toys in our Ruffing’s shop.

We had a surprise yesterday. Mama duck left her nest and came to visit us in the pouring rain, with eleven ducklings! She greeted me with a big quack when I came outside. She is taking such good care of them.

They were tired from their long walk up the hill from the pond, and all piled together for nap while she watched over them.

Babies get tired. They stayed like this for a long time, foraged some more, and then made their way back to the pond.

This baby gets tired too. She’s discovered windowsills and loves napping in them when she is not busy helping me or running around with her friends. She came from a local cat rescue, and tomorrow, for Easter, I’m going to have a special Alley Cat Angel sock doll. The proceeds of this first angel will go to that rescue, and then I will made some more, with a portion of each sale going to a local cat rescue. So, I hope you’ll come back to see tomorrow.

Posted on February 17, 2011August 5, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing

A sock kitten and a sleepy slug

This is Feral Cheryl‘s sock brother, Cody II. They came from the same cotton tweed family. Cody II left for Arizona this week.

Cody II is named after the real cat companion of a very nice lady who collects sock monkeys. She couldn’t imagine her life without her beloved kitty, and so she thought it was only fitting that her sock monkeys should have a kitty companion too. I think that is an excellent idea. I’m sure Cody II is going to have great fun with his new sock monkey friends.

Cody II also had many Hug Me Slug friends. I had a rush of custom orders for Valentine’s Day, including two Hug Me Slugs for the sons of a friend from way back in high school. She sent me this fantastic photo, taken at bedtime. Slugs need rest too. This one looks very cozy, all nestled in with his new friend. I love this photo.

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

I am still cleaning up from the Valentine’s Day rush, and still eating chocolate. I love this quilted fabric-covered candy box. I am saving that.

I got some wonderful presents. Above is an original, hand-painted pillow by Sandy Mastroni. I love her kitties especially. The pillow is beautiful, and the extras that came with it are adorable. How cute is that hang tag? And the bookmark too.

I also received “Francis Violet” designed and made by Sarah from Bit of Whimsy Dolls. She is the sweetest cat-girl. I got a couple of patterns too, so I can make her a dress and maybe a sister or brother. It is so nice to have handmade work by other artists and craftspeople, and see all the love they put into what they do. I hope everyone will think to try a handmade gift when the time for gift-giving comes around. There is something really special about giving and owning something unique, made by people who are invested in what they are doing. It’s inspiring.

Posted on January 12, 2011January 11, 2020 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Hug Me Toad and Cat stuffed animal sock toys and machine appliquéd Hug Me Slug decorative throw pillows

This is Mary the Hug Me Toad. Mary had to wait a little while before taking the trip to her new home, due to the ice storm we had the other day. This morning, the roads were clear, and Mary happily hopped into her box and left for Kentucky.

Mary had a couple of new friends to play with in my workroom, while we waited for the ice to melt. This turquoise Hug Me Sock Kitten has an orchid fleece heart. I love her sweet face.

I had quite a time trying to photograph her and the rest of the sock animals this morning. The wind was blowing and it was so cold outside. Icicles were dripping on us, and on my camera. I even had to blow dry a Hug Me Toad, when she got a drop of icicle water on her head! I think we were all glad to get back inside.

This dark pink Hug Me Toad with white polka dots is one of triplets I made earlier. Her sisters have already been adopted. I actually have lots and lots of socks waiting to grow up to be Hug Me Toys, but I just happened to like this pattern and made three in a row. I tend to be that way.

I will be sure to add some new sock animals in different colors and patterns to my menagerie soon.

I’ve also had these two decorative Hug Me Slug accent pillows for a while. The are made with cotton fabrics sewn by machine appliqué.

Posted on January 11, 2011January 11, 2020 by Elizabeth Ruffing — 4 Comments

Feral Cheryl, TNR Demo Cat

Feral Cheryl is a sock kitten with a job to do. She’s the brainchild of my friend Marie, who commissioned me to find a sock kitten with the courage to help show people how to TNR, which stands for Trap Neuter and Return. It’s really Trap Vaccinate Spay/Neuter and Return, sometimes called TVNR. Cheryl isn’t afraid of traps. She’s not afraid of anything.

Feral Cheryl will be joining the Alley Cats and Angels’ TNR task force, for the TNR 101 workshops Princess Marie is leading. Cheryl will fearlessly enter the safety traps they use to capture real-life feral kitties, so that this knowledge can be passed on to others, and other feral cats can be saved from the cycle of over population. It’s a serious job.

Cheryl is fully prepared. Marie thought it would be a good idea if Feral Cheryl were to show her fierceness a little, just so people would be reminded not to hug a feral cat. So, Cheryl obliged and displayed her teeth and claws.

Cheryl also told me she wanted a tattoo. So, I did my first tattoo! It says “Tom”, some guy Cheryl knows, I guess.

I even did a little digital editing on her hang tag, so the picture would share her left ear crop. For anyone who might not be familiar with the ear crop, it’s a way to identify cats in feral colonies who have already been spayed and neutered. It lets rescue groups know to re-release a feral cat who has already received his or her trip to the veterinarian.

If you’d like to learn more about Alley Cats and Angels and their TNR program, please visit their web site by clicking here. They also have lots of friendly cats and kittens who are up for adoption. They are a great group of people and kitties.

In other news, this is our deck today. A sheet of ice. We will have to wait for it to melt before any toys are delivered to the Post Office or anywhere else. I’m sure Cheryl will keep them all entertained while they wait.