sewing projects

Hip! Hip! Hippo!?

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This stack of books came home with me from the library over the weekend. It actually pushed me over my borrowing limit. (we love the library around here…) But hidden inside one of these books was a pattern for her:
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I definitely couldn’t make hippos for a living…I’m very slow. But you can see she’s well-loved. She was snatched from my lap several times before I even had the chance to get those eyes tacked on, hence the wobbly-eye look.
So go to your local library and search those dusty shelves.  Somewhere between ‘making dolls’ and ‘fancy embroidery’ you’ll find a wealth of old patterns waiting to be discovered.
 

Img_3123

This stack of books came home with me from the library over the weekend. It actually pushed me over my borrowing limit. (we love the library around here…) But hidden inside one of these books was a pattern for her:
Img_3185

Img_3183_1

Img_3188

I definitely couldn’t make hippos for a living…I’m very slow. But you can see she’s well-loved. She was snatched from my lap several times before I even had the chance to get those eyes tacked on, hence the wobbly-eye look.
So go to your local library and search those dusty shelves.  Somewhere between ‘making dolls’ and ‘fancy embroidery’ you’ll find a wealth of old patterns waiting to be discovered.
 

24 comments on “Hip! Hip! Hippo!?”

  1. oh how cute!! and..a great idea about the good ol local library. i hate to admit it, but i don’t think i even HAVE a library card! ugh!**put library visit on list of things to do!**loves!

  2. i love your hip hip hippo!!! so much soo soso much. your work is better than you think. at first i thought she was huge but then when i saw her in child’s arms. i was like “SMALL and TINY!!!” how wonderful 🙂

  3. adorable! she (?) looks so sweet, and there’s nothing like a well-loved piece of work! i have that anne dyer book, it’s a good one. my local library used to have a huge annual book sale — i miss it so much but i treasure what i got in those days! vintage craft books are just fabulous.

  4. How completely cute!!!!! I really really love the fabric she’s made of, and you did an awesome job. I may have a new obsession of going to look for old pattern books now. Who cares if you’re slow, that just means you’re taking extra care, obviously.

  5. Oh my goodness. Do you remember which book she was in? I’d love to see if my library has it. I have a little friend who is ga-ga over hippos; could you email me?

    You did a *great* job, by the way!

  6. Those books look amazing!

    I’ve researched my library but couldn’t find many toy making books. 🙁 I’ll have to ask the librarian for help next time.

    I can’t blame your little one for snatching that hippo before it was quite ready. It’s totally adorable!

  7. She’s *wonderful*!!!! And I just love the library as a source for inspiration – first and best of all, it’s free (which is important if you are the thriftiest girl in the world!) and also b/c they have such a wealth of older books that have long been forgotten. Some of the older books are so out of date that it’s all good again!

    You did a beautiful job on MissHipHip! The “wobble eye look” is just part of her immeasureable charm….

  8. That hippo is really cute. I love that you can make stuffed animals, I’m going to start a 10 week sewing class in a couple weeks, so maybe one day I can make cool hippo’s too.

  9. Do you have a copy of this pattern or can you tell me the name of the book that you got the pattern from?Thank youLucia

  10. I am also almost desperate to get this pattern so I can make one for some friends who just had a new baby that we are going to see next weekend. It is about the cutest stuffed toy I’ve seen in ages. I checked my library but only 2 books, none with anything like this (one was on sock toys). Would really appreciate the pattern!Thanks,Amy

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