Totoro!!!

A couple of weeks ago I got an insatiable craving for Disney's animated version Alice in Wonderland. My friend Caroline came to the rescue: she had Alice on VHS and a television with a built in VCR, a true rarity in our new, DVD age. So we made a movie and crafting date. After watching Alice in Wonderland, I perused her impressive collection of classic Disney and late 80s movies--all on VHS. I had a hard time deciding what to watch next, until...Caroline recommended My Neighbor Totoro. Despite the fact that I knew about Totoro and the large fan following that he had, I hated to admit that I had never actually watched the movie.

We popped the tape into the VCR and embarked upon a fabulous journey. I thoroughly enjoyed watching--and commenting on--Totoro gallivanting around with Mei and Satsuki, and his cat bus buddy.

A few days after our Alice and Totoro date Molly invited me to Caroline's birthday party. I didn't know what to get Caroline and had pretty much decided that it would be handmade. Then Totoro appeared and offered his rotund figure for my creative needs. I did a quick Google image search for Totoro, copied a result to my desktop and printed it onto card stock. I then cut him out and used him as a template for his felt counterparts. A few hours, some careful cutting and stitching later, and I had this:

A plushy, Totoro pin.

Perfect for a lapel, a hat, or... a bag!