Animal!

Most of my friends have already either heard ME tell them about this project or listened to Mike tell them about it.

(Disclaimer: Mike is NOT my husband.  He's a running buddy.  I realized that wasn't very clear to the people who don't know my husband Jason.)


Because it's awesome.


Mike rides motorcycles.  Some kind of Harley.  He told me, but I don't remember which kind.

One day while I was looking at Pinterest I found a photo of a motorcycle helmet cover that looked like Elmo's head.  I thought it was awesome and showed it to Mike.  HE thought it was awesome...but what would be even more awesome would be an Animal (From the Muppets) helmet cover!

I love projects.

Particularly ones that don't really come with directions, so I have to figure out each step to build it.

It's fantastic for sucking up time on long runs.

I like to think through each step, in detail...it's hard to whine to yourself that you're bored or tired, or thirsty, or hungry, or sore if you're busy thinking how to be amazing.

Mike on his Harley wear his amazing helmet cover that I MADE!

And you thought I was exaggerating.

AMAZING right?!

Mike lent me his helmet so I could make a pattern off it like so...

First you cover the item with plastic bags. (And Jason thought I had too many!)  Then you cover the plastic bags with packing tape.

Then you cut out the visor holes.

Then you cut it down the center so you can get it off the helmet.  This photo always makes me think of a brain...

Then you makes cuts along the curve of the helmet pattern so it will lay flat...so you can cut the fabric out, but still sew it so it regains it's fit of the helmet.

Adding seam allowances is VERY important.  This is not a mistake you make more than once.
I also added additional allowance for the top crown of the helmet because I felt I needed to be able to build that portion up in the finished product so that you would be able to see the eyes/eye brows when you looked straight at the helmet.

I also made a "sleeve/liner" for the inside of the helmet.  This is my attempt at draping...before I figured out the pattern technique.  It works, it's just kind of messy.

I then cut bundles of yarn twice as long as I wanted his "fur" so that I could lay it flat and sew it down the middle on the main fabric so that when it "draped" it folded in half and made fur twice as thick.

I was really worried that his fur wouldn't look thick enough once Mike was actually riding so I might have gone over board...3 skiens later.

I made the lips, eyes, nose and teeth from felt and hand sewed them on.  I couldn't find my thimble so my poor little fingers were so sore by the time I was half way through!  I was really careful on really SEWING those suckers on since I didn't want an eye to go flying off on the freeway:)



Mike loves it, I love it and his biker friends are all completely jealous!

Just wait until they see his "winter" helmet!

I didn't make this one, I'm just going to copy it.  Mike said he has a spare helmet that he's willing to let me glue little mirrors too!