Cicada Season & TT Tuesday.

Cicada season has well and truly hit!  Everywhere you go you can see the telltale signs of empty shells... This time always makes me remember my early childhood when me and my older sisters used to collect the shells . This green grocer cicada decided to make himself known to us today as we were heading off to school, he was just emerging from his shell when we found him in the driveway.

I had to show the kids how we used to decorate our clothing with cicada shell broches!!  I was almost tempted to wear a few myself!

Okay - enough of my bug nostalgia!! 

Today is Tuesday and I promised you a new tutorial.  I found it quite easy to get one organised today as I started whipping up a herd of Rudys.  I am finally being true to my intentions and making up a number of them as Christmas gifts for teachers and friends!  This would have to be my most organised Christmas to date! 

I thought the next mini tutorial could show you all how to ladder stitch a turning/stuffing hole closed to give a smooth and neat finish.  I will do a second part to this tutorial next Tuesday showing you how to also use ladder stitch to attach the antlers.  

With some of our softies, such as Phoebe or Magoo, there are parts of the design that cover any turning gaps; this of course is lovely, but is not possible with all softies.  Some softies have a turning gap that will be visible and since we are using flat cotton rather than fleece or fur, it is especially important to try and have a neat closure.

Here is the underside of my firmly stuffed Rudy showing the turning/stuffing hole.  Try to ensure as you stuff your softie to keep the seam allowance of your hole tidy and folded under - this will make a neat closure a lot easier.

Take your needle and thread it with a folded length of strong polyester thread.  Thread the needle so that the folded end is the longest length. Do not knot.

Now take your needle and thread it through a few fibres on one side of your stuffing hole.  Pull the thread through most of the way, and then thread the needle through the loop created by the folded end of your thread.  This will secure your thread without a knot. 

On the opposite side and right at the edge of your turning gap, take a small stitch along the folded gap edge.

Now take a small stitch into the edge on the other side of your gap.  Enter this stitch in line with where your first stitch exited. 

Continue on like this until you have stitched approx 1/2" in length.  Your stitches will begin to look much like the rungs of a ladder. 

At this point, pull the thread slowly but firmly in the direction shown, to pull the two edges together and close the stitched area. 

Continue to ladder stitch in the same way, pulling your sides together about every 1/2", until you have a small 1/2" gap remaining. 

At this point it is possible that you have a bit of a dimple along the softie edge that you have ladder stitched.  If this is the case, insert some small wads of stuffing into the space beneath your stitches using the flat end of a wooden skewer  Make sure that you keep the threat taut when doing this so that your stitches do not start to undo. 

Now continue to ladder stitch the remaining gap. 

Pull the thread to close the gap; it should now stay closed on its own quite well.  Tie a few knots close to the base of your thread. 

And then sink the knots into the softie (refer to previous tutorial if unsure), taking the needle out at another point in the toy. 

Trim the thread right against the softie at the point of exit. 

You should now have a nice neat and flat closure. 

And no dimple along that edge of the softie!

I hope that this tutorial will help a few of you!!!

Melly.

Comments

[Olivia]

Thank you!

[judy]

thank-you the tutorials are very helpful... keep them up pretty please.....

[bec]

Wow, I haven't seen cicada's since I lived in Sydney as a kid. Are you near the bush? I would love to show my little a shell, and wear a brooch too! How cute!

[Rachel]

That cicada is beautiful. I've yet to see a newly emerged cicada. I love finding all the empty shells on trees though. The noise from them her on Sunday night was incredible.

your ladders stitch is so neat compared to mine. I really should try harder.

[Jessica]

Great tutorial! When I was finishing Clucky a few weeks ago I had to wing it because I didn't know what ladder stitch was, now I do! Thank you!

We haven't got the cicada's yet this summer but when we do it is deafening!

[Stephanie]

Very clear directions! I've been wanting neater closures. Thank you so much. I think what I've been doing is a half ladder...if there is such a thing.

[Katie B]

This is so helpful! Thanks so much.

[Lisa]

I like your beginning knot. Very clever. I always make a knot and bury it in the softie by going in a few inches away from the opening and coming up at the opening. If that makes any sense. I will have to give your way a try next time! Thanks.

[Lisa]

Oh and Cicada's I remember them from my childhood in the midwest but I don't remember them being as big as the one in your child's hand! Maybe it just looks bigger because of the cute small hand. The buzzing would be so loud you could hardly hear! We always found the shells on trees but I never thought to wear one. I was too squeemish as a child. You were very brave.

[jenny]

Oh I love a neat little ladder stitch! It's such a satisfying and rewarding, quick little stitch! I think I posted a little bit of a 'this is how you do it' a while back when I was closing up your little gecko! I love a conincidence...Now for the Cicadas. I love it that they herald the hot weather...but then they get sooo loud! LOL.....those shells freak me out though. I've never been excited by touching them. I'd freak out less with the real think walking along me. You're a brave woman in my book!

[maryannep]

Thank you very much for that tutorial on ladder stitch. It will be very helpful. I remember the days (1960s) when I was a child up in the Dandenongs, and the deafening noise of the cicadas. That Green Grocer is a fine specimen indeed!

[tracey d]

thanks for another super tutorial, cicada looks amazing never seen one before! does look like something that would make me shreek if found in the house though!!

[Kelli]

Thanks for this tutorial. I really like the way you do your first knot. I'm going to try it that way next time! I am looking forward to next week--I'm starting to work on my Rudys and in looking ahead at the directions I was wondering how I'm supposed to get those antlers on. Your timing is impeccable! Thank you.

[Chris]

Hi Melly
My daughter was just commenting that she had heard our first cicadas here the other day (Wellington NZ) but I think our Kiwi cicada is a bit smaller than your Aussie version, yours are HUGE....more like a teradactyl my teenage son said.

Thanks so much for the Tuesday Tips it is much appreciated that you take the time to do this for all us crafters out here in Blogland.

Ta Chris....NZ

[laura in stitches]

Hmmm who was holding the camera for you melly? very professional looking! keep the tutorials coming! Ta Laura x

[Julie]

Aha!! I was wondering why my "ladder stitch" was looking manky, keep the tutorials coming.
thanks
Julie

[sanztosi]

Salve
Sono Monica di Lilan Italia
Congratulazioni per il tuo tutorial è davvero molto bella.
4 dicembre farò un articolo sul mio blog dove si parla la tua idea.
ciao
Moni

[Rachel]

This is so clear, thanks so much for these directions! I would love to link to this if you didn't mind.

[Vintage Brooches]

You really cool and gifted! I could never make something like your level, so that left me just to buy something like this on the stands in my farmers' market or accept a gift from friends who do know to connect two things together:)
Well done mainly on the courage to do the brooches in the form of insects, it must frighten some people, but probably later they'd Loved it ..!

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