The Many Adventures of Squidney

I'm starting out 2013 by posting possibly the most epic thing I've ever made, even though it was technically made in 2012. Congratulations to everyone who guessed that I was making a squid!

Everyone, meet Squidney!

A friend of my brother's posted on Facebook that he was looking for someone to make him a giant squid body pillow, similar to this one by Cassandra Nguyen. Hers was priced at $1800, which is pretty extreme. Since he's a friend and also a professional photographer, I agreed to make him a squid in exchange for a portrait session, which I'll probably end up claiming once we move back up to the Bay Area for good. While we made this deal back in October, I wasn't able to work on Squidney until now, since transporting such a large creature from LA wasn't really a viable option.

He barely fit into the backseat as it was. 

Summary:
Fabric: Four yards of 60" red non-pilling fleece, 2 yards of 45" spotted flannel, scraps of white and black fleece, all from Joann's
Notions: Is poly-fiber fill really a notion? If so, I used almost twelve pounds of it.
Techniques: For such an impressively large project, it really required nothing more than basic sewing skills...most of it was straight lines on my machine (even if things got really unwieldy once the tentacles were stuffed and attached); the only hand-sewing involved was the eyes and closing up the underside once all the stuffing was in. Stuffing the tentacles was actually the hardest part, but a long wooden dowel helps a lot. While I ended up free-handing the pattern pieces while cutting, I did find this tutorial helpful for visualizing things. My final squid is obviously a lot bigger than hers, though.
Hours: About twenty, all done over this last weekend.
Will you make it again? Unlikely! At least not at this size. Unless, of course, someone else wants to pay me to make one.
Total cost: Less than $60...$20 for the fleece, $10 for the flannel, $25 for stuffing, plus thread...not bad, considering the size of it!
Final thoughts: This was my very first commission that wasn't for Elaine, so I was actually pretty nervous making Squidney, especially since he turned out bigger than expected! When I finished him, my whole family came downstairs for the grand reveal, and I think everyone was pretty floored by how incredibly large he is. My dad said that Squidney belongs in a museum, and Emily wanted to keep him, but I'm just glad that his new owner loves him. I'm also so grateful for getting the chance to make a giant squid...it's one of those things you never think to do, but it's incredibly gratifying to finish such an immense project. It also definitely made for a memorable end to 2012, sewing-wise!

Emily suggested that this photo be titled "A Farewell to Arms."

Before we let Squidney go, Emily and I did a series of ridiculous squid tableaux for our own entertainment, because how often does one have a giant squid around for photo ops?

Squidney started life as a studious young squid, always reading and taking advantage of his multiple arms for maximum technology usage. He realized, though, that it was important to exercise his body as well as his mind. 

He graduated and moved out on his own, much to his parents' dismay. Unfortunately, the bad economy meant that he had to try to make a living busking on the street.

Eventually, things picked up and he was able to pick up a series of odd jobs. Squidney tried his hand at being a sushi chef, a snake wrangler, and a cowboy (cowsquid?).

Eventually, Squidney matured (as evidenced by his mustache) and discovered his true calling: evil mastermind (as evidenced by the eyepatch and several creepy black pets)! This finally brought in enough money that he was able to go shopping to his heart's content. 

Okay, so that's a story with a dubious moral, but boy was it fun coming up with props to pose Squidney with!

Bye, Squidney! It was lovely having you, and I hope you enjoy your new life!

I still intend to do a proper 2012 wrap-up, but I figured I needed to show off my last project of the year first. Happy new year, everyone!