How to make your own mouse
You will need;-
A 12 inch square of felt
Another scrap of felt for the shawl
A scrap of thick yarn for the tail [knot both ends]
stuffing
Two small buttons for eyes [optional]
Sewing thread and needle
Scrap of fabric for the skirt
Scissors
Cut out the shapes in felt from the template
Sew up the back [curved] seam
Insert the stuffing
Stitch the circle on the base inserting the yarn as a tail and check that the mouse stands upright
[Understuffed will produce a concave base which is much more likely to remain standing]
Sew on the buttons [or stitch eyes in place so that it would be safe for a baby]
Stitch the whiskers and ears [folded]
Hem, join and stitch a drawstring runner through the top of the strip
Gather the strip and attach to the middle of the mouse
Cut the scrap of felt into a triangle and snip the edge to make a fringe, stitch in place
Voila!
A Tale of Foolishness:-
The why? Why bother to make your own mouse when you can buy a dozen from Petco at $3.99?
Well as you may recall, currently my son is still at the ‘part cat’ stage of development but loathes the smell of catnip. Anyway whilst we were at Longleat in England he fell in love with a very similar mouse, a mouse manufactured for the princely sum of many pounds sterling. I resisted the purchase and a great pall of gloom descended upon us. The only reason I managed to extract him from Longleat at all, was the faithful promise that I would indeed, given time, produce a mouse. It was so tempting to indulge him especially as he mewed so pitifully but apart from anything else, Longleat’s version was a doorstop and hence it was weighted down with a hefty rock inside, not ideal for international travelers with a weight limit!
In addition, we endure a daily craft during the summer holidays. In this instance we were able to introduce the concept that a sewing needle is not necessarily an instrument of torture but may indeed be the means of achieving the current motivational goal, a mouse. Fine motor skills limitations meant that he was an observer rather than a sewer, but he managed to remain within the same room and peek through his fingers at the scene. Clearly most crafts can be adapted to suit the individual needs of any particular child, but if we achieve joint attention then we’re on a winner, which indeed we did. He was quite happy to stuff the mouse so we did have a little hands on experience.
Of course, if I had been more sensible I would have saved myself a whole heap of bother by not going into the shop in the first place. This is one of the reasons why so many parents of autistic children become hermits, it’s just easier that way. However, we continue to venture forth as the easy option is not always available.
Lastly, I know that this kind of parental indulgence frequently evokes criticism, maybe you have been on the receiving end yourself? All I would say is that people who criticize, [usually 'Anon'] generally do not have first hand experience, long term with autistic people. If you actually live with an autistic person who has no interest in anything, or maybe only one or two things, to the exclusion of all other things, then part of a parent’s job is to help expand those interests, gently and gradually. Our job is not to eliminate the one or two special interests, that would certainly be a mistake, unkind and probably cruel. No, instead we offer all and everything that we can think of to tempt them into other things. Given time and encouragement there may just be a tiny little spark and it is those little sparks that ignite us into action, no matter how trivial or obscure. I tell you truly, it’s worth every effort.
This design is available in an out of print book called “My Learn to Sew Book.” It is a bit dated but has easy to follow instructions.
July 28th, 2009 at 5:41 am
A craft a day?! I’d better not let my kids see that or I’ll be in slacker-mom trouble.
July 28th, 2009 at 6:03 am
“we endure a daily craft during the summer holidays.” Heh.
Excellent, Maddy. What I call partial participation and well worth the effort to have him watch, stuff the mouse and be rewarded for delayed gratification. You the Mom!
July 28th, 2009 at 6:23 am
Definately a better parent than I…. crafts… we’re suppose to do that too… sigh… add to “coulda, woulda, shoulda list”…
I don’t buy for my kids when they are with me at the store. They can ask but unless it’s the bookstore there’s about a 100% chance they won’t get… book store a 100% chance they will.
BUT, I am going to see if I can find some Star Wars figurines tomorrow for little boy. He’s made due with lego “wanna-be’s” and if I can find some cheap I’ll get them for him. There’s very little either actually asks for… and I’m not against getting a “treat” every so often.
S.
July 28th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
What a great little mousie for your adorable big kitty, erm, son! (Love his eyes in that last pic!)
I love your wise words about not trying to eliminate the special interests but, rather, using them as a means to expand our child’s skills and interests. Definitely works much better than vice versa!
July 28th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
This is a funny site that you have here. I look forward to reading some more posts in the future. I have a humor blog as well. We should exchange. Let me know what you think.
July 28th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
A craft a day?!? Good God, woman — I don’t do a craft a month! I’m personally morbidly afraid of glitter – cannot abide the stuff. My poor kids think that crafts are exotic activities that they can only engage in elsewhere – kind of like water skiing.
Of course, I sew on buttons and girl scout patches, needlepoint, etc. My daughter is turned loose with all of the tools for accomplishing the same tasks. But organized crafts are beyond my ken.
You amaze me! Continually.
July 28th, 2009 at 1:08 pm
What a cute little mouse Maddy!
July 28th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
I love her, the shawl is darling. (Not sure what this says about me, but I used to collect mice as a child
I agree about nurturing those special interests, even if we are about to be overrun by Thomas engines.
July 28th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
I think this is a lovely idea, you are a patient & generous woman, and your children are blessed to have you.
July 28th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Glad to hear my shower drain hair monster is not the only one out there.
Hallie
July 29th, 2009 at 5:16 am
Such a sweet mousie! Funny how anyone would consider her an indulgence. My critic isn’t anonymous. Her name is Mom. SIGH.
July 29th, 2009 at 6:03 am
i couldn’t agree mroe .. not only is it not our job to extinguish their interests (quite the opposite, i’d say as many of those narrow interests later turn out to be revered ‘areas of expertise’) but i also believe that it is our responsibity to find a balance between stretching our kids and introducing new things and allowing them to be comfortable, feel safe and valued, and have a place where they can, quite simply be themselves. if anyone gets on you for the mouse, send em my way, sister. that’s not indulgence – it’s love.
July 29th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
I just love it! My dear son wants a gerbil now that we saw that movie G-Force at the theater.
I’m trying to distract him with more superheroes for his action figure collection. lol
August 1st, 2009 at 4:55 am
I found this searching for “make your own mouse”…I was looking for a tutorial on building your own computer mouse…somehow I don’t think this will work, haha.