I’ve got a few projects sitting around and a few of them requires sewing, which I like doing every now and then as a little break from painting. So why not combine the two?

You may recognize this toadstool matryoshka from a previous entry…and a teeny custom-made gnome. The last one is no longer in my possession, so I was only too happy to paint another one.

This is how twee he is!

Some itsy bitsy details

Instead of dolls this time, I’ve packed it with some miniature sewing notions.

…and the top of the toadstool becomes a pincushion!

It also comes with a needle purse with a pre-threaded needle and threader.

I managed to find a lovely toadstool headpin, but couldn’t find any hedgehog ones I liked. But with a bit of polymer clay, a magnifying glass, and lots of mild cussing, here’s Hector the Hedgehog (he’s got a sister too named Nectar, who will be featured in another project).

I just cannot get enough of hedgehogs these days! It’s not fair that there aren’t any in Australia (but plenty in New Zealand, so many, in fact, that Anthony’s had a few as pets while growing up). The closest we have here are echidnas, which is really not the same, even though they’re a bit like a cross between hedgehogs and anteaters…who, by the way, CAN be housebroken…but that doesn’t mean I’m going to run out and get one, even though it might be a great solution to the ant problem in my kitchen on Cupcake Days.

An Echidna. The highlights cost extra!