Soooo, I've done a very simple thing that has endless possibilities
Scrap of batting/wadding
Lay the Face of your intended shape Face Up
Draw the intended shape on the Back of the Back, and lay it Back Up (see what I did there? That's what we Englishpersons call a Play on Words...)
In the middle of the shape, cut a wee slit..
Apologies for the odd light on some of these.. My old Bernina, while resolutely treadled, has an electrical light, with LED bulb - it took me a couple of attempts at this and the colour is decidedly peculiar.. However
Sew all around, small stitches, start and finish Not on a corner, overlap the ends and ignore the thready things
Turn over, trim wadding/batting real close to the stitches
Trim the fabrics to 1/4 inch or so
Snippety-snip.. Snip all the curves, paying particular attention to the inward corners..
Turn out through the slit (remember the slit?) and press....
Here's a bonus - Neat Start Couching
I started with a doubled embroidery thread, rather long
Sew two or three small zigzag stitches over the threads
Pull the back end round to the front
Twist together and continue to oversew with the small ZZ stitches
Finish with some leaf-veins in ordinary stitch. No end to darn in or force through the fabric..
Group?
Other shapes work - here's a basket of unfinished cats
Finished fishes and felines... Button eyes...
Silk fishy
Brocade cat..
Bigger and better - Merman and Mermaid in muslin/calico
Small boy comes into the shop and gazes raptly
"That lady's Rude!"
Me "Why is that?"
SB "She hasn't got her vest on!"
Time for fire, chocolate, and cat-on-lap...
