Anika already had a special fascination with the little green monster when we were ‘creating’ them so when it came to sewing our cuddly monster friend, she was my number one assistant.

I cut out the body then she helped me decide on the pattern of colours for the spiky spine. We decided half round spikes looked more polkadotty. I showed her how the fur fabric has a nap (brushes down and up) and she was very careful to place the template with the fur going the right way.

After we cut out the pattern pieces, she placed each of the coloured pieces together with the stuffing. The sewing on the machine was fun and she was careful to keep her hands on mine as we sewed around each spike then she trimmed the threads off and turned the pieces through.

I was really impressed how quickly she learned the sequence of constructing each spike, working the machine, and doing the finishing. By the third one, I didn’t have to tell her anything and she became super efficient at organising each stage of the construction.

Setting out the pieces on the floor, we could begin to see what ‘Littlegreenmoster’ was going to look like.

It’s very exciting to have monsters growing in your workshop! You never know what’s going to happen next!