My first project this year, and one I had been casting envious eyes at for quite some time, was Luna Lapin, designed by Sara Peel. I bought the pattern book quite some time ago, but when lockdown "struck" I decided to forgo the palaver of sourcing my own fabrics and notions, and to buy the complete kit direct from Cool Crafting. It wasn't a cheap way to go, at a cool £28, but it did come with absolutely everything I needed, including needles and a paper copy of the pattern, so I was pleased with the purchase.
Making Luna
Luna is sewn by hand, so isn't a "quick" make, and with the kit you take pot luck on the Liberty fabric enclosed for the ears and dress. Happily, I very much liked the fabric for her ears, although I am slightly less sold on the dress fabric - I think mostly because it doesn't quite tone with the ears and feet!
I made the head first, and sadly started with the most visible part of the head - the front, which is a bit of a shame as it took me a while to decide what the best stitch size was, so her face seam is a little lumpy. Because of the way it is sewn (essentially butting the fabric together) all the stitches are visible, so an ability to stitch evenly and neatly is essential to the finished result. I did do the ears and the dress both on the sewing machine.
The trickiest part, I felt, was making sure the ears fit into her head "just so", although I am not happy with her nose either - and that shouldn't have been difficult. I might unpick it and try giving her a "nose job" when I next see her.
What next for Luna
"When I next see her." Ah, yes. For Luna is no longer with me.
Having shared a photo of her on social media, my darling mother expressed the desire to have a Luna for herself - possibly as a Christmas present. Except it was her birthday a couple of weeks later, so Luna packed herself up in a cardboard box and made the epic journey from Wales to Devon.
So now I have to make myself another Luna. And my daughter has requested one as well. In fact I have
already purchased the supplies for both of these (not a kit, this time, as I am feeling a touch more confident locating the right resources), but have since been distracted by other projects and they languish in my "to do" box. My daughter tells me I am cruel to leave her in a state of in-completion, but I think that might just be because she wants to get her hands on her own Luna. So I do need to get on with those soon, and will blog a "making" post for them.
And I still have the book, which will allow me to make not just ONE dress, but an entire Luna wardrobe.
Luna photos by MoongazeyHare.co.uk (kind of appropriate, don't you think?)