Jamie Park – Stego Elli

Process Photos

Meet Stego Elli!

Stego Elli is a combination animal of a stegosaurus and an elephant. It also has Eeyore’s tail. When I first learned about this assignment, my instinct was to go through a list of animals that won’t look too strange when combined. So what I ended up doing was manipulating existing patterns of a dinosaur while mostly keeping the pattern of the elephant. While the elephant has more dominance through its volume, the stegosaurus has more dominance through its color. When I decided on the specific patterns, I was concerned that my animal might end up being too simple. But I learned that simple shape does not mean easy. I was surprised by the amount of time it took for me to complete Stego Elli.

By working on this assignment, I learned how to hand sew a stuffed animal using different stitching techniques. I combined various stitching methods, like running stitch, blanket stitch, and ladder stitch, to this animal. Although there are still issues with craft, I am proud that I have made it this far and used my own hands to create something so adorable. Since I have enough leftover materials, I think I will continue exploring various 3d stuffed figures. When I make another stuffed animal, I will definitely put more attention on keeping enough tension on the thread to prevent them from peeking through when filled. I would also be more cautious with pinning, as I learned that pinning (and stitching according to the pins) can really change the shape of the filled object.

Stego Elli’s adorableness gives me emotional comfort and makes me want to spend time with her. She is the best quarantine comfort animal. 🙂