The Invisible Stitch

     Joshua's has anew stuffed animal.  It is a giraffe and it's a dog toy.  We had to get Joshua this giraffe because he is extremely head strong... and he has a very big head.  See, when we were picking up his Daddy's Father's Day gift at a local plaza, we passed the window of a pricey toy store (the kind of toy store that doesn't print coupons).  Well in that window was a very big stuffed giraffe made by the Melissa and Doug company.  I can afford their puzzles, and probably even a puppet, but I think the $150 price tag (just an estimate) is a bit too much to spend just now.  Except that Joshua fell in love with the giraffe and insisted that he was going to get a big stuffed giraffe.  Finally I talked him down off of the ledge and convinced him that he should look for a small stuffed giraffe... and that we could probably find one next time we went to Target.  Weeks passed and Joshua wouldn't give up on getting his new small stuffed giraffe.  "When will we get my new stuffed giraffe?" He kept asking.  "Will we get my new giraffe at Target tomorrow?"
     We found ourselves at the store after being asked each day for nearly a month.  Almost immediately I found a stuffed giraffe... in the pet section.  Each foot made its own silly noise.  I made the mistake of pointing it out to Joshua before taking him to look for more giraffes.  His face lit up, he grabbed it out of my hand and hugged it to him, refusing to let go.  This is when I weakly suggested that we look for other giraffes in Target... but Joshua wouldn't have it.  He claimed it as his own.  Within 5 minutes, he even took off the tag to claim it as his own (before Mommy and Daddy paid for it).
     We took the giraffe home- well, first he went to Home Depot, then he swung on the swing in the backyard and finally he was taken into the house.  The giraffe fit right into the family, under Joshua's arm.  It helped us to hear where Joshua was too, because of all the squeaking and the rattling.  It didn't take long though to learn the irony of buying a stuffed giraffe from the pet section of the store.  This stuffed giraffe was very poorly constructed. Its back and one of its hooves were already coming uns-titched.  Who would think that a dog toy wouldn't be able to keep up with a three year old boy for a day?
     I know how to sew by hand...kind of.  Unfortunately I was pretty sure if I tried to sew up Joshua's new BFF by hand, it would look more like a Frankenstein-Giraffe.  I didn't think he'd appreciate that.  So I asked Joshua's crafty child care provider for some advice.  Now this is a lady who sews just about everything. Once I gave her fabric and she sewed me a purse (which I gave to my mom).  She is currently sewing a quilted lap top cover.  When I asked her advice about the giraffe, she offered to fix it for me right on the spot.  But I had a teeny bit of pride and said I wanted to try to fix it myself (something I'd never have time to do if this unfortunate event had happened in, say, February).  But it was summer, and I really wanted to prove I could do it.  She suggested an invisible stitch.  I had never heard of an invisible stitch.  She offered again to get it fixed right there on the spot (A pun! Get it?).  I said I wanted to try it, but how do you do an invisible stitch?  She said she learned when she was 10 (which made me feel awesome) and she described it to me.  I nodded attentively but I wasn't sure there was much hope.
     I have learned how to sew many times. My mom taught me, my friend taught me and I took home economics at least once.  As I mentioned, the only thing I retained was how to hand stitch... and my hand stitch looks more like Frankenstein's stitched forehead.  I turned to You Tube so I could visualize a stitch that was invisible.  I found a few helpful videos (see one below, about sewing a stuffed animal):

Sewing Soft Toys Closed Using a Ladder Stitch

      Now I was ready to fix Joshua's stuffed giraffe... except he wouldn't part with it at nap time or bed time so I had to wait until he was awake.
     It's awfully hard to sew a giraffe while it's owner is trying to grab it out of your hands to give it a hug.  But I managed... I even learned from the videos that tying knots in the end of your string is not a good method and that the knots often come out of the fabric.  So I tried cross-stitching instead.  In the end, I even reinforced some of the stitching that looked like it might come loose in the near future (because Joshua carries it around by its neck).  Now you can't even tell the little guy had any work done.
     Okay, so it was a cheapo giraffe doggy toy, but Joshua loves it and I'm awfully proud of myself for learning about the invisible stitch... again.  Only this time, maybe I'll remember how to do it for a good long time.