The jellyfish, like all the felt things I make, is created entirely from stuff I got at SCRAP (www.scrap-sf.org). They do not label the felt, and I'm just learning to tell the wool blend from the acrylic, though I can usually tell the good pure wool. The felt here is probably wool blend and obviously wrinkly, but, because I wasn't completely sure, I didn't iron it. I also hate ironing.
At this point, I lay out the colors and pretend that I actually keep my embroidery floss remotely neat. It really lives all bunched up in a pouch with a Snickers bar, but perhaps organizing it will be a resolution. I've tried to pin pattern pieces to the felt in order to cut them out, but it seems when they are this small (these are 2 1/2" long by 1" wide) to be easier to trace the pattern directly onto the felt.
Cut out six pieces of the body shape (template), and begin to sew it together.
I am a fan of the blanket stitch. I've tried whip stitch and it's a good stitch, but I'm not good at it. I also sort of remember reading somebody else say that the blanket stitch was a bit "country" which works for me. I could have it completely backwards and she might have said whip stitch is "country", but I'm doing blanket. Somewhere I envision camps of whip stitchers battling it out with blanket stitchers, but this is just fun to imagine while I'm stitching. Both work.
More stitching
At this point it looks a bit like a star fruit or something organic. I think.
Now it is time to stuff it. Yes there is a bit of excess thread I didn't cut off, but the legs will be there and my laziness pays off.
I pull the extra thread through the body to create a bit more of a jellyfish shape.
I tie off the thread at the top. Now the body is sewn.
Here I've decorated the body with a bit of super simple stitching - one straight stitch on either side of a lazy daisy stitch toward the top center of each panel.
Time to add some legs! This is really a choice thing. The legs can be a single color of floss using all 6 strands about 8 inches long, and separating them at the end for fuller looking legs. I chose to make them 5 strands of different colors. Yes, 5 not 6. I also chose to use silver metallic floss, which is just a nightmare to work with. I love the look, but it never cooperates.
Tie off the legs with a simple slip knot.
I try to make two rings of 6 legs each, which sort of gives it depth. The outer ring (green circle) I place at the seams for no other reason than I like it. The inner ring (red circle) I put towards the middle of each panel.
And there you have it! A jellyfish or something that looks like it would be perfectly at home inside I Dream of Jeanie's bottle.
You can add a nice ribbon or cord tie to hang it, or you can accidentally leave it lying around for the cat and the toddler to argue over.
