African Flower Turtles

Aren't these guys just adorable? I stumbled upon this design while catching up on Jayda in Stitches YouTube channel. She is super cute, super fun, and super creative. I watch her channel regularly and have purchased several patterns (including this turtle pattern) from her Etsy store - although she has published a video tutorial for the pattern.

I made this first turtle for my mom for Mother's Day. It took a bit longer to make because I was just learning the pattern and had never made an African Flower before. This was not my first battle with amigurumi, though, so I at least had that on my side. I stuffed the body with pieces of a cut-up t-shirt because of the holes in the flowers, and that actually offered a good amount of stability. The limbs I stuffed with good ol' fiberfill.

My mom has this cute habit of putting trinkets she loves and values inside the Grandfather Clock; it has glass shelves and sits in the main room of the house - prominently displayed. I could tell my dad was a little jealous (hehe...), so when Father's Day came around, I decided to make him a turtle as well. He was excited to get one like Mom's and proceeded to shove (literally) his turtle inside the Grandfather Clock with Mom's, but in a more hidden location. If you look really close, you can see the turtle is actually laying on his back.

This last little guy was made for my uncle, for Father's Day as well. He is very hard to shop for. But he was very happy to get something handmade from me. I went with a little different color pattern than the turtles for my parents. The pictures included with the pattern show very colorful turtles, but I was nervous about going too crazy with the colors. So I chose a couple tame colors, and I actually really like how he came out. My uncle has him chilling out on the TV stand so he can see him every day. Just the little things that make you feel warm and fuzzy inside...

These turtles are so quick and fun and great for people that you have trouble shopping for. I expect that I will make several more in the future. I urge you to try making one or two as well. :)

Pattern: African Flower Turtle Stuffed Plush Toy

Designer: JaydaInStitches

Yarn used: Red Heart Super Saver (stash-busting)

Time: pieces - 1.5 hrs; assembly - 30 min