Lamb Soft Sculpture - Part 4- Project Reset

Lamb torso is partially stuffed.

Last blog post I wrote about my lamb fail.  The material was using was so stiff that I ended up ripping the feet off the lamb when I tried to turn the fabric right side out.  I was so annoyed that I almost gave up on the project.  But, I decided that I really wanted to make a folk art lamb, so I started over again.  The materials I was using would have worked well on a larger project, but when working on such a small figure the legs were so thin that it just was not going to work. My solution was to start over on this project.

Pattern ready to cut.

I find size to be a constant problem.  Working on larger sized projects is easier, but then the finished object becomes problematic.  My house is already filled with my art and finding a place for the new creation is a problem.  Smaller size makes it easier to display, but it is much more difficult to work on it.  I decided to keep this project the same size and to use plain muslin this time.  Some areas of the lamb will look differently than I had originally planned, but I think I will be able to come up with solutions to those problems.

Concept drawing for creating pattern.

The project is now off to a good start.  I have cut out the pattern.  The pieces have been sewn together and turned right side out.  A portion of the lamb's torso has been stuffed.  Although it seems like such a small amount of work to finish, getting this far took a solid three hours.  At least a third of that was taken in turning the fabric right side out after stitching it.  For the torso and had I was able to use a turning tool.  However the legs, ears, and tail needed something much thinner.  I was finally able to turn it by inserting a forceps clamp and grabbing the base of the hoof.  That allowed me to turn most of it, but the bottom of the hoof was still stuck in the narrow part above the hoof.  I just had to keep working on it until I was able to get it through.  And of course, there were four legs.  It took a lot of patience and persistence.

Even stuffing something so relatively small takes a fair amount of time.  I had to stop for the day and go on to other things, so I clipped the area with a couple of clothes pins to keep the stuffing in place.  I hope to have most of the lamb stuffed by next blog post.  I will blog more about the ins and outs of stuffing in my next blog post.

Right now the lamb looks a little bland.  It will not look like this when it is finished.  A project is not over until it is over.  This project is not just a matter of cutting fabric and stuffing it.  There is much more to be done.  Don't judge the project by the first steps.  There are many layers to come before the lamb is completed.  Check back on Thursday for the next blog post.