OUT Chapter 3: Jo of Boogaloo

 I love it when something created has meaning behind it, more than just look what I made! (which I guess is why I love OUT so much). Today's guest, Jo of Boogaloo, is another newcomer to Once Upon a Thread, and her project might spark your imagination of what you can do with that bit of old scrap or clothing item that has sentimental value (you know, instead of debating whether or not to just let it go or keep it tucked away in the cupboard, taking up space.)  Plus, she shares a couple of her secret weapons (I love secret weapons!)  Please welcome Jo!

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It is such an incredible honour to be featured on Katy's blog. I am in awe of her
talent and creativity so I can't even express how happy I am to be here today!

I absolutely love children's literature. And one of my favourite books is Phoebe Gilman's 

Something from Nothing.

I love it so much I bought a copy for each of my boys.

If you're not familiar with this book, it's the story of a young boy named Joseph who receives a blanket from his grandfather.
As he gets older, the blanket becomes worn and his grandfather re-purposes the remaining usable fabric into something new - over and over again.
Throughout the years the blanket is reincarnated into a jacket, a tie and eventually a button.

This book is beautifully illustrated and has a secondary story about a little family of mice along the bottom of each page.  
The mice use the fabric scraps from Joseph's blanket to furnish their home and keep their growing family warm throughout the years.

So when a good friend of mine asked me if I could make a stuffed animal for her daughter from a pillow 
that belonged to her grandmother - it reminded me of this touching story.
I couldn't refuse.

I thought a mouse would be fitting.

The fabric from the pillow fabric frays so easily so I decided to use it as tummy and ear
 patches - and just let it do just that - fray.

I used this pattern and got to work.
When it came to the arms I used this Quick Turn tool made by Dritz.

This handy tool not only made it easy to turn fabric tubes right-side-out...

...it made stuffing them easier as well. 

I would not have been able to stuff those skinny little arms without it!

 The batting and cording were reused from the pillow. 

Once Lucy was done (she's been named after Grandma), I moved onto a blanket.
For this I sewed a simple pinwheel quilt block and used the pillow fabric to cover a button for the center.
I think it adds just that much more symbolism from the story.

To make the button, I used this i-top tool from Imaginisce.
If you are interested in creating your own custom fabric buttons, this is a really inexpensive tool to use
(compared to other kinds on the market).

It was a simple gift to make but it really was about the sentiment that went into it.

And I'm pretty certain that 'Lucy' will be treasured for years to come, just as Joseph did his blanket.

Thanks for having me here today Dills!

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What a cutie! (both the mouse and the mouse trap ;).  Thank you, Jo, for a clever way to reincarnate a bit of sentimental treasure.  

So, do you have anything you plan on reviving?