Dinosour

So it turned out okay in the end, but I had a very challenging time with this pattern.  I bought a Dynamite Dinosaur Cape pattern a number of months back so that I could make three capes for my niece and nephews.  For their birthdays.  In December....and September!  I know, I'm so horrible for not getting these out in time.  I don't want to make excuses, but I had a number of hurdles:

1. Christmas (That's not an excuse for the September birthday.  Procrastination would be that excuse.)
2. Measurements (The pattern makes you measure things!  I hate that.  Just give me a pre-printed pattern and don't make me think about anything.)
3. Cat shit (After I finally got things cut out, I abandoned the project for a month -- or so -- due to post-Christmas craft-detox.  When I went to revisit it, I discovered that one of the cats had taken a dump on the cut out pieces....or so I thought.  I mean, I wasn't confused about the shit part...it was definitely shit...he (or she) had pooped on a pattern piece that I had incorrectly measured and abandoned, but due to procrastination had forgotten that it was a failed attempt.)

After I started making the thing, it was going along very smoothly until I realized that my decision to forego the recommended fabric (fleece) for corduroy had been foolish.  I just hate working with fleece so much.  It stretches like Gumby on crack and nothing ever works right when I use it.  The reason this was a problem for this particular pattern, was because I needed the stretchiness for the hood to fit around the entire cape mouth.  I did not take a picture of this fiasco or any of the steps that I took to resolve this matter.  It took a good two weeks for me to even revisit fixing this and I never remembered to have the camera with me.  

Anyway, I finally finished one cape last week and sent it out.  I am 99.2% done with the other two capes and will post pics of those after I have a little prehistoric photo shoot with them, but here is the first little dinosaur:

 My lion is modeling this for me.  I found this green corduroy at a thrift store and had been waiting for the right project for it.  I lined it with some fun polka dot fabric that I had previously used to make the seat cushion for black bear rocker.

 The pattern calls for a different closure, but because I had messed up on the front a bit when I went to fix my hood mistake, I used velcro to mask that.  It really just looks sloppy and I hope that the two-year-old recipient does not mind.

There's the little tail and here's a close-up of the eye (complete with fun plastic button) and the jumbo ric-rac teeth:

I hope to have the next two capes out this week and then I have to work on another birthday present for another niece whose birthday is in one week.  Blah.  That won't get there on time.