Lil' Super Heroes

Last month I purchased a two panel set of super heroes. I did not notice until I searched the internet for a good photo that the panels were being promoted as a Lil Super Hero Towel Set (designed for Moda by Stacy Iest Hsu). I did wonder at the extra heavy hand of the fabric when I started to work on the project and was a bit surprised when I noticed all four edges were turned under and stitched down but I forged ahead, regardless.

I cut out all the pieces, avoiding breaking the border or cutting through any of the comments such as swoop or whoosh. I may use them elsewhere. Lil' Super Boy comes with a cape and a dog and an adorable cowlick at the top of this head. Ya gotta love the lightning bolt on his cape.

The boy doll is about 14" tall. I elected to stuff the dog instead of making him up as the finger puppet option.

I cut out the girl super hero (super heroine?) again avoiding breaking the border or slicing through any interspersed commentary. There was not as many words for Lil' Super Girl. (And they say girls talk too much!) Lil' Super Girl comes with a shield and she too sports a lightning bolt on her pink cape.

She too was about 14" tall.

The fabric of these figures was a heavy broadcloth type material - appropriate for a towel, now that I realize that was the intended use. I realized later the panel was indeed being marketed as a towel. That extra thickness and stiffness made it a really a bear to turn after having sewn right sides together. With 20-20 hindsight I might have pursued turning the edges under and just top stitching the front and back together - much as you would a needle turn appliqué. The instructions printed on the panel led me to believe the construction should be like any other panel of this type. Trust me. The turning was really, really difficult. I expected stuffing the long thin arms and legs to be a real challenge but that part was a real piece of cake - especially after struggling so with the turning. I found the perfect tool for punching the stuffing down. It was a  "Hera"™ Marker by Clover. The blade could be rotated and angled to best advantage to push the stuffing where I wanted it, and the curved blade was ideal for working out the seam allowance.

The opposite end of the "Hera"™ Marker was sharply pointed. I dropped the cover from a seam ripper over the end to protect myself from accidentally jabbing my palm as I worked.

As I struggled to turn each doll right side out, I did poke through at a couple places near the neck and ear of each doll on one side but they were easily stitched closed. I was pleased that I managed to keep that cowlick on the top of the boy's head intact and sticking out.

These were mailed off to my granddaughter and grandson for Easter. They did come out cute, even if while sewing them I wondered if they were like Superman, so impermeable as to be dubbed "Man of Steel".

Happy Easter! I hope my own super grandkids get a super kick out of their own personal super heroes. Linking up to share the super-ness with my online friends at Let's Bee Social #172.