a birthday fox

When Alicia Paulson released her new patterns, our Gretta just had to have a fox. That was ages ago, and hoping that she had forgotten about it, I stitched up this handsome guy as a birthday surprise. Today Gretta turns 24, but she is a little kid at heart and I suspect that he will be a welcome addition to her futon in Brooklyn.

I had ordered a kit for my first stuffed critter from Alicia's website. When I made another rabbit I used the same instructions and my own supplies. I decided to simply order the PDF for the fox, which was very easy to do. I ordered the felt from Prairie Point Junction, the calico and stripes came from my fabric stash. I knit the scarf with scraps of wool that Gretta had gifted me with. It's spun from the sheep at Shelburne Farms, where Gretta did a nine month residency in 2013.

Alicia's instructions are well written and full color photos accompany them. The fox's snout was a bit tricky, and took a bit of fussing. The only disappointment I had was with the shirt. Alicia 's instructions called for cutting the buttonholes carefully with a seam ripper and finishing them with fray check. I was a nervous wreck doing this, and I am not at all happy with the results. In the future, I would sew snaps up and down the front, with buttons "for show" stitched on top (especially if the shirt will be taken on and off by little fingers).

I loved making this handsome fox, packing him in a box along with carefully wrapped Vermont maple syrup and a few other goodies, sending him off via the USPS and imagining him waiting for Gretta in Brooklyn. The birthday girl may be miles and miles away, but our best wishes are filled with love and warmth and I hope they travelled well.