You may remember that some time ago I sent off for a pack of Umbrella Prints trimmings.

I had in mind that I would enter their competition, more for the challenge than with any expectation of winning. I thought it would give me a little creative kick up the backside.

Well, I waited rather a long time for the trimmings to appear.

When they did, they were exceedingly small: those fluoro pink bits are about an inch long!

So anyway, I blogged about my good intentions. I played about with the pretty bits a couple of times, arranging and rearranging them on my work table.

And then I put them to one side and promptly forgot about them.

Until yesterday.

When I decided that I really ought to do what I said I would do, and make them into something for the competition.

Finding myself almost out of time (the deadline is 30th May) and completely out of creative inspiration, I sat and fiddled with them for some time. I arranged and rearranged them on my work table. Again.

But then, rather than put them to one side, eventually a plan emerged.

Something familiar, but on a much smaller scale…

Apologies for the state of these photos by the way, but I have once again (potentially fatally) misplaced my camera. I am hoping it turns up tomorrow in time to take some decent photos for the competition.

My mini-make is a little different from it’s bigger cousins. I’ve added a bit of embroidery (hand and machine). And the mouse is a finger puppet!

To give an idea of scale, the cat is about seven inches tall, and the mouse is two-and-a-half inches.

I’ve used the fabrics from the umbrella prints pack plus thread, press studs for eyes, and a couple of tiny flower embellishments, oh – and stuffing. That’s all.

You are allowed to add other fabrics, but I chose not to. That was my creative challenge – to make whatever I made exclusively from the trimmings fabrics. The back is a patchwork of all the other bits sewn together. There wasn’t much left, I can tell you.

So meet Minnie Cat and Even-Minnier Mouse.

I wonder if I could make them any smaller next time?  ♥