The Mission
Create custom-fit clothing on the sly for Snuffles the stuffed elephant and Dirty the stuffed dolphin for Eric (aka Bang) to present to Vyl as a surprise Christmas Valentine’s Day gift.

The Subjects:

Snuffles and Dirty, before

Snuffles and Dirty, after

The Catch
Snuffles and Dirty were not allowed to stay with Auntie Eleen for fittings and such. Bang had to sneak them out of the house during the day whilst Vyl was at work and bring them over, on 3 separate occasions, to my home studio.

So what? Well aside from not having models at hand, I’d a) never made cargo pants before…b) for a stuffed toy…c) that is an elephant with shall we say, odd proportions…d) and a tail. On the same note, e) a zip up wetsuit was also new territory…f) for a tiny little stuffed dolphin…g) with a fin and two flippers to cut slits for(credits to Bang for cutting the slits).

Sure sure I’d sewn my own wedding gown and even make handmade bags, pouches and home accessories for a living so you’d think it’d be a no-brainer. Well, the gown took me three months to make. And my handmade products primarily have deliciously straight lines and angles. No fins, tails, or…blowholes. Okay enough with the excuses! Bang was very patient and didn’t make me feel bad at all about first missing the originally-requested Christmas deadline or for having a hard time with the fit around Snuffles’ derriere.

The Play-by-Play (sort of)
So poor Bang had to come eastward three times and hang out with me for a total of maybe about 9 or 10 accumulated hours. But it was good quality time and I learned quite a bit about him, including the fact that his Brain Age is 48. And he’s really good at selling things on Craigslist.

On the last day, I put Bang to work too. He helped Fray Check the inside seams of the cargo pants and, as I mentioned, cut the slits for Dirty’s fin and flippers.

We finished the project the Thursday before Valentine’s Day, and I spent the whole weekend wondering how it all went down. Happily, Bang took pictures of the whole unwrapping process and shared them with me! I love Vyl’s reaction here, from “What the…?!” to “HA! Stretchy pants!” I also love the gift box and tissue paper. It’s all in the packaging, after all…

The Aftermath
So now, Dirty can go for a swim anytime he wants and Snuffles doesn’t have to be embarrassed about leaving the house for want of a pair of pants!

Further, I get to say that I’ve made:

• a pair of custom-fit cargo pants complete with elastic waistband, pleated flap pockets with buttons and a buttonhole tail slit for an elephant, and
• a custom-fit zip up wetsuit made from an ankle brace for a tiny dolphin

And hopefully, Bang scored some major points for thinking of such a sweet, personalized gift for his lovely young wife!

all images from Bang

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