I am so thrilled to introduce you to two delightful little ones by the names of Baby Amandina and Juju Bunny. Spring brought them into the world and they've come upon us bringing good tidings for Easter and all the wonderful things to enjoy at this time of year (that is...if you are in the Northern Hemisphere).
When the air gives off even the slightest hint of Spring it gets me hopping because I know it is that time of year when Father Spring comes out from hiding and brings us the gift of Easter, budding leaves, wild bunnies darting to-and-fro in our yard, and warm sunshine. As such I always welcome this time with jubilant arms for I love love love making bunny-related things.
If you were around during this season last year, you might remember all the Spring cuties that entered our lives...Ostara and Paschal, Skye and Poppy, Pip and Goosey Mae and all the other wonderful wee-ones.
There is something about bunnies that brings timeless love. Everybody loves bunnies. They bring good cheer during Easter. They have the cutest button noses, curious brown eyes and the dearest little whiskers. They are small, fluffy, furry, soft. They are beloved characters is books, stories, myths. These little rascals have won the hearts of humans for time unknown. No wonder I love thinking about them, watching them in our yard, making them and holding them.
This year, Baby Amandina and Juju Bunny are the first to be welcomed into the world by Spring.
Oh, this sweet pair! I don't think they'll go anywhere without one another. Baby Amandina's Juju Bunny is more than just a favorite toy bunny. Juju Bunny is Amandina's everything.
These two pals...
...they tumble and rumble...
...they play house...Juju likes to welcome Amandina home for tea...
...they play firetruck...Amandina zipping around as fast as she can with Juju at the bow...
...they make each other laugh...Juju's always the entertainer...
...they love to stow away in their hiding place...Amandina shows Juju her favorite picture books...
...and best of all...they are there to give comfort and hugs to one another in times of need...that's what pals do.
ABOUT BABY AMANDINA
Baby Amandina is a 16" Baby Elfcup. She is created from Scarlet Elfcup's 16" Baby Pip pattern. The 16" Baby Pip was created with a very special child in mind...designed to be limber, long, lanky and very small in the torso so that the doll could be slung and handled by a toddler's tiny hands. Baby Amandina on the otherhand was created with a modified Baby Pip torso...a torso that is wider and a bit chunkier...something to give a tiny bit of heft to the baby. Her feet are also modified so that it is more proportional to her body and does not have the effect of an exaggerated foot size...makes for a lovelier time in creating her shoes. Finally, a small adjustment to the arm length was created in order to give a more accurate proportion of baby arms...shorter and not so long and floppy. Other than that, Baby Amandina's construction is the same as that of the 16" Baby Pip.
I haven't quite decided yet how I want the final 16" Baby Elfcup pattern to sit, but for the time being, this one will remain as a fun and floppy doll.
Baby Amandina measures approximately 16" (40 cm) long. She is made with all natural materials. Her doll skin is made with premium quality cotton interlock milled in the USA. She is firmly stuffed with bio-wool. Her seams are sewn twice for reinforcement. Her locks are made of mohair yarn tied "baby-style" at the front with an organza ribbon. She has a lightly sculpted facial structure and cotton embroidered facial features. Her cheeks, nose and various body parts are blushed with red beeswax. She has a belly button and a bum.
Baby Amandina comes with a play outfit and a sleep jumpsuit and a pair of the sweetest bunny shoes made from the best quality all natural vintage fibers.
Baby Amandina's play clothes is fit for an Easter outing. The white baby suit that she wears under the rompers is a brand new, pre-washed 100% cotton baby onesie. She'll go out frolicking and rollicking on Easter with her dashing blue rompers. The rompers are made with a gorgeous 100% Japanese cotton fabric and lined with a 100% cotton floral print. The rompers were stitched to fit her just right and has beautiful functional bunny buttons attached to straps that cross on the back.
At night Baby Amandina snuggles up warm and cozy in her sleep jumper. The jumper is made of 100% cotton interlock.
Baby Amandina's Easter shoes...I wish I had one! Baby Amandina's shoes are made from three different fabric textures composing of 100% cotton velvet and 100% cotton...embellished and trimmed to the nines. The lining and the soles are made of a 100% vintage cotton fabric. And the outer shell is composed of a 100% vintage cotton velvet. The shoes tie closed with a delicate and gorgeous 100% Swiss cotton lace. The top and the back of the shoes are embellished with bunny parts...bunny eyes and nose embroidered with 100% cotton floss, bunny ears are made of 100% Belgian wool felt, and the very soft and fluffy bunny tail is made from 100% suri alpaca yarn.
ABOUT JUJU BUNNY
I love working on pattern creation. Slow but enjoyable and wonderfully gratifying are the things that come to mind when I think of this process. In the past year, I've come to fiddle with a few soft animal designs and I've loved each pattern that's come and stayed...the hummingbird, the megaloceros and now Juju. Each was created with an endless number of hours sketching and scratching, sewing up the mock-up and restarting the process numerous times before I am finally satisfied with how the puzzle fits together.
Pattern making is challenging and fun...it's a puzzle with math and art combined. There have been pattern making projects that I attempted in the past, utterly failed and have left to collect dust until I can be inspired to come back and take a look at the problem solving with a fresh eye...the gypsy moth project was one of these. It's been nearly a year since I started this project then left it to sit. It nags at me. I tugs at me all the time. But, I know that when I come back to this one, I'll be able to pick it up and create something that is way off the path from my original idea, but will be just as deeply inspiring and gratifying. And this is part of the wonderful journey of creating your own patterns.
So, now back to Juju. I wanted to make a bunny for Baby Amandina. I wanted the bunny a size that is playful for Amandina and I wanted the bunny to have a vintage look. So, all these desires played into the design of the pattern. I won't go into the details of Juju's pattern design today...that will be left for another day.
Today, I want to give Juju all the attention. Juju measures approximately 8" (20 cm) long. The bunny is made with all natural materials. Juju is made with premium quality 100% cotton corduroy velvet. Juju's ears, hands and feet are lined with a beautiful 100% cotton linen fabric. Juju is stuffed with bio-wool. Juju's eyes and nose are embroidery with 100% cotton embroidery floss. The arm and legs are string jointed and are not designed for rough play.
Baby Amandina and Juju Bunny...a gift brought forth by Spring. This duo will be up for a live auction at a local fundraising function on Saturday, March 12, 2016.
