An Ugly Sun

Remember how I just can't seem to NOT make hideous homemade toys for my child, like my sock fish? I had to try one more idea, courtesy of who knows what idea source...probably a little bit of "homemade baby ideas" and a little bit of the cutest toy on amazon here. Anyhow, I was going for a look with lots of colors and textures.  I saw a tutorial somewhere for sun-shaped object like this and made my own pattern. Shown first is my first Ugly Sun. Yes, I'd prefer to find a different name, but so far, it just looks like an ugly sun.  I used a couple upholstery fabric scraps (silky and interestingly textured), towel, felt, sock, and regular fabric. I added "taggies" to a few of the triangles. I sewed them all together in the closest thing I could get to a round shape and ended up with the hideousness below, which I *conveniently* left at my cousin's house (Sorry Liz!) when "testing" it out on her 6 month old.

However, one was not enough. I still wanted to make another one, or at least a better one. Because the mix of fabrics vary a lot in thickness, the second time around I make each triangle out of a mix of fabrics (depending on which side and how thick) for some extra variety. I also had more than 6 fabrics I wanted included on my sun, so I had to spread them all out!  I managed to ruin both red polka dot triangles with shoddy sewing (on one I didn't get the taggie all the way in, and on the other I sewed the taggie into the other side...so those look a little bad and are going onto our baby version, not a "gift" version of this toy!

Anyhow, I made all sorts of triangles, something like 20 with my mix of fabrics - sock, flannel, minky fabric, leftover silk ties, more towel material, etc and tried to mix up the colors.  In my mind, this toy will be used to help teach our son colors - "can you find the blue triangle?" etc.

Here's my end result, one side, flaws with the taggies and all.

And here is the other side - not all the triangles are different, but some are. I stuffed the middle with leftover fish stuffing. (Just kidding...its like poly fill or something.) I would have liked to add a squeaker, but I didn't have one and wasn't patient enough to wait. Oh, I also added crackly cereal bag to the inside of a few of the triangles as well. Its not super crackly, but...I tried.

I have enough triangles to make 2 more of these, but I'm just not sure there is a market out there for Ugly Sun (seriously, please suggest a new name) toys, even if they could be passed off as "developmental." Plus, I really don't want to call it the "Ugly Sun" in front of my kid because he doesn't need to learn what ugly means at a young age.  "Color Star" perhaps?