Homemade Couture for your Christmas Giraffe!

Mr. Gerald Giraffe looking swanky in his upcycled duds!

Back in 2010 when I found out one of my closest girlfriends, Sarah, was pregnant, I was thrilled for her and her husband Joe! They are such kind and also funny people (the two characteristics I value most ;) and I knew any baby of theirs would be equally awesome. Shortly after I heard the news I was in my favorite Fair Trade shop, Ten Thousand Villages, when I saw an adorable giraffe doll I thought would be perfect for the soon to be born baby {unfortunately, they no longer make this Giraffe, but they still have other great toys}. Sarah and Joe decided to wait until the birth to find out the sex of the baby, but I had this feeling the little one was a girl. This being the case, I purchased the giraffe in a dress. But it became apparent I chose incorrectly! Little baby boy Christian was born in January, and when it came time to give him his Christmas gift I wanted to make this Geraldine Giraffe into a Gerald, I it occurred to me this transformation would be a good submission for the DIY round up from the Ethical Fashion Bloggers!

Overalls back view

I tend to keep scraps of fabric I like from old clothes or projects I done {my sister calls it hoarding, I prefer to think of it as being prepared}. I pulled out the legs from some stretchy jeans I made into shorts last summer and the top of an old shirt of mine I had cut, and I set to work creating the adorable little ensemble you see before you! Now, for doll clothes you can buy patterns, and I certainly recommend them for complicated work. However, I’m adventurous, so I lay the giraffe over my fabric, left myself room for the seam, and cut from there. To get the crotch of the pants correctly cut (you have to curve them) I grabbed a pair of my own and looked at it as a guide for the shape.



My very old Kenmore sewing machine!


When making clothes for a stuffed animal, I recommend using stretchy fabric as these little guys tent to have more than their share of curves. For instance, Gerald Giraffe is extremely curvy about the hips, but a well-tailored pair of overalls hides that quite nicely! Sewing human sized clothes in stretchy fabric with a typical sewing machine is not ideal, as the stitches here can rip from human movement. You’ll want a serger machine for that, but for a stuffed animal whom we don’t expect to be independently mobile, using your normal sewing machine and a zigzag stitch is more than fine. To hold up Gerald’s cute little overalls I used part of a brown ribbon, which was wrapped around box of chocolates.


Look at those chubby cheaks!!!


I was very lucky to be able to visit Sarah, Joe, and Christian this past weekend, and I’m very happy to report he is very fond of his new Giraffe! Go Auntie Marcie!


Christian, a beautiful and bright baby boy!