Hello everyone!

September’s just begun, and I have to say it couldn’t come soon enough after the muggy and sweltering Florida summer over here x3 I’m very much looking forward to autumn, especially since my semi-hiatus has ended and I’m able to post more often 😀 As you might have seen from what I’ve been posting, I’m currently working on bringing down my stash of quilting cottons, so be prepared for lots of patchwork-centric kind of projects. I’m also painfully close to another social media milestone! Namely, my DeviantArt page views. So before you know I should be starting up another giveaway! Here’s what the numbers look like:

DeviantArt pageviews: 121,930/123,456 = 99%
DeviantArt watchers: 4,329/5,000 = 87%
Facebook likes: 1,429/2,000 = 71%
Tumblr followers: 752/1,000 = 75%
Wordpress followers: 1,328/2,000 = 66%

But now for the fun part; a new plush pattern for my Monthly Crafting Challenge! This month for September is a little plush taiyaki fish!

I knew a pattern like this had to be part of my collection from the get go, so I’m glad I’m finally able to introduce it! Taiyaki (literally, “baked sea bream”) is a little fish-shaped cake that’s usually filled with sweet red bean paste, custard, chocolate, or sweet potato. Savory versions are also popular and are filled with gyoza filling and other similar foods. It’s cooked just like a waffle really, from a special molded pan that has the fish shape on each side. The pink version can sometimes be seen when particular confectionery experts color the batter to make it look especially cute like that. It’s common to see taiyaki being made at school festivals or food trucks in Japan, so, sadly, I’ve never personally had one. It’s definitely on my gastronomic bucket list though, and for now I’ll have to enjoy the plush version instead ^-^

You can get the pattern for this plush by signing up for email updates (found in the submission box on the right side of the page below the search bar). If you have trouble signing up, you can check out more info at the main Monthly Crafting Challenge page, the FAQ, or by emailing me. Also, bonus! for today only I’m offering both this pattern and the one from August when you sign up. After today though, the prize is just this guy 🙂 Though you can also purchase the older pattern through my Etsy if you’re too late.

If you’ve already signed up for emails, that’s where the challenge comes in. You can get this pattern if you make one of the projects from this blog, my books, or my Etsy then email me or message the finished project to my Facebook where I have a really awesome collection going of your creations! Keep it up every month and you’ll get a new free pattern, so don’t forget to check back during October to see the newest creation!