Mr. Joe, the Sea Monster Stuffed Animal, and Waldorf Dolls

My latest sewing project was "Mr. Joe" and it was for my husband, who happens to be named "Joe." He might not be a fan of me divulging this, but he saw all the stuff I was sewing for other people and decided he needed something, too. I wanted it to be something simple, so I went with a cute little monster pattern from the book Softies Only a Mother Could Love.  It did end up taking much longer than I had originally planned, but that is because I decided to make it a TV project (TV project = all hand sewing, and no machine).  He's made out of anti-pill fleece and has felt eyes, so hand-sewing was an option for this guy.

I think he looks a bit like some type of sea creature, and I imagine he probably eats plankton.  He is a bit like Patrick from Sponge Bob Square Pants- he's really cute but not too smart.  If I had it my way, he would have been pink.  But as he was for the spousal unit, a nice tan color was in order (my fabric stash is still very tiny and depressing, so I didn't have much to choose from).

Here is Mr. Joe, all finished!

I love the blanket stitch around the eyes.

I added eyebrows because I thought they really added an adorable expression.

And I just couldn't resist adding his "name" to the bootie"

Butt tattoo!

And now, the Waldorf Dolls part of this post.  I am feeling like I want to try to make one. They don't look easy, and are definitely beyond my skill level.  But I'm becoming slightly obsessed with them.  Just look how at beautiful some of these dolls are!

I think it would be awesome to be able to create something like that.  Making them takes a lot of time and the materials are not necessarily cheap (100% wool stuffing, and the "good ones" seem to be made of all organic materials).  But I think the process would be very rewarding.  If you've ever made a Waldorf style doll, please do tell me about your experience!