As my Making Zen May 2026 activities slow down, I thought I’d do a quick roundup, and add in a few other little things I’ve made.
This is The Stitcher’s Pocket Companion by Giovanna Zara and I used scraps of denim with some fabric I had gel plate printed at Fibres West with Linda Stokes, for the pockets. The button is from the 1940s and was in my Mum’s stash.
I made these embellished mermaids also by Giovanna Zara and they were so much fun. I used scraps from the pockets above for the bodies and tails and added sequins and embroidery. The wings are made from some spangled netting and I found some coloured brads so the tails can be moved about. These would make fun Christmas decorations.
I made Pigleta, the guardian angel of needles, which was a class conducted by Trixi Symonds of SewASoftie.com. I thought I might make this into a sewing project for my soon to be five year old granddaughter so made one that was safe for her little sister to play with – in other words, it doesn’t have the needle magnet, or indeed any needles! The kit version will have all the cutout pieces with holes (hopefully lined up) for stitching. I thought I would sew the face but the rest is fairly easy. I have a plastic needle and some thread she can use. I thought it might be a fun rainy day activity.
I converted the pattern to an SVG file so I could make it on my Cricut, but failed to anchor the body properly and one of the ears got an extra cut where it slipped. She now has a row of leaves growing up her ear as a mend.
This is such a cute pattern and lovely to put together. Trixi suggested some stuffing beads which are basically plastic. I don’t own any and I didn’t want to buy them, so I used some rice that my husband has used for blind baking pastry bases, to fill the body. I’ve never had a problem with weevils with oven baked rice. The head of Pigleta is stuffed with soft wool. I need to sort out the sewing kit so this one can be given to E.
My friend Suzanne gave me a scarf knitting kit she had bought for her granddaughter but never used. It contained the instructions, wool for the scarf, and the head, paws and tail already knitted and stuffed, ready to be sewn on. All I had to do was knit the scarf and sew on the bits.
I so love this and have scoured the internet and op shops for another one, but they are not showing themselves to me. I shall probably look for years!. Anyway, this has been delivered to Miss E, although Miss G has been spotted dancing in front of the mirror wearing it!
After I began writing this post I did another online search and found this pattern: Sirdar Dog Scarf Knitting Pattern Leaflet 4573H/S, which I managed to find as a PDF by hunting around. Now I’ve lost the link, sorry! I’m hoping I can make this from my wool stash. The white wool is fluffy, so that might test my stash limits.
When Miss E got the scarf, Miss G got a Rumi K-Pop Demon Hunters wig and dragon braid. Here is a reminder of how Rumi’s hair looks:
and here is my version. I crocheted a beanie and then learned to do a dragon braid, which I’m not sure I’ve heard of before. In a way it’s easier than plaiting.
Rumi has a bright yellow end to her braid so I found a piece of yellow satin blanket binding and tied it on. There’s a lot of wool in this braid, so if it’s too heavy I might be redoing it.
Now the Rumi demon hunter outfit is complete for bookweek in August. Nice to be ahead of the game!