Woop woop woop woop woop (translation: here's another post)

A couple more projects to go, and then we'll be on real-time posts about what I'm making right now. I know. It's fascinating.

So after I made that puppet, I decided that Operation: Drown Brother In Stupid Gifts should continue. To that end I attempted an iPhone case. I figured it'd be easiest to model it off an actual iPhone to get the dimensions right, but I don't have one, so in the end we had the following conversation:

"Can I borrow your phone?" "What for?" "It's a secret." "........"

Wisely or unwisely, he let me borrow the phone. Heh. Heh. Heh.

Hey, so I should mention quickly that my brother and I are both massive Pokemon dorks.

And that's how this abomination of nature was born.

Woop woop!

I used red, orange, and blue felt to make it, plus buttons for the eyes. Remember the Aquaman puppet had buttons for eyes as well? I love button eyes on things, they're completely adorable.

And it has a little pocket for a charger or headphones! In its little mouth! I'm still proud of that idea.

I wanted to make the case quietly, since it was a top-secret project and all, so the whole thing is hand-sewn. My first attempt at blanket stitching went... okay, I suppose. I definitely learned that I need to stitch smaller when going round a curve. Just look at those damn antennae. They're a mess.

The corners are a bit too chunky, too. Since this one, I've learned to snip the corners diagonally before turning a project right side out, in order to make sure that doesn't happen. I'm quite happy with how much I learned making this case, not gonna lie.

Check out the back, complete with little Wooper tail! Yes, that's another button holding on the tail. I thought it was pleasingly Eeyore-like.

But please, avert your eyes from the monstrosity that is that blanket stitch. I thought using black thread would give the whole thing a cool cartoony outline, and it sort of does, but it also shows up my mistakes pretty horribly.

If I made it again, I think I'd make those orange antennae sturdier. Maybe layer up two or three things of felt instead of just one. I could make them shorter as well, so that they're less liable to get caught on stuff in a bag or something. I feel like the case has ended up a bit too delicate to be really portable, and it's 90% the fault of those antennae.

My brother freaking loved it though, and that's what I was making it for, so overall I call this project a success!

I've been thinking about how to make this kind of thing with less felt. The case is neat, but it's kind of bulky. I could leave out the lining, but I don't want to lose the pocket... I wonder if a lining of thinner cotton fabric would work? I might have to give up on the tongue, but hey, it'd be for the greater good. Straight up blanket stitching the main body together (as opposed to sewing it with the right sides together and then turning it inside out) might make it naturally thinner as well. Definitely something to try.

I guess what I'm saying is: watch this space for more!