Día de los Muertos [Day of the Dead] is a Mexico National holiday to celebrate the lives of Dead Ancestors, in conjunction with the Catholic holidays of November 1st and 2nd. It is believed that the Souls of the dead join the living in these celebrations of remembrance. Decorations such as sugar skulls and marigolds are placed on alters in honor of loved ones during this time.

ABOUT:

One of my favorite designs was inspired by the popular trend of Sugar Skulls. I wanted to make a Sugar Skull Sock Monkey, but I wasn’t sure how I wanted to do it. I started to study Sugar Skulls on the internet and I printed out paintings, candy, everything I could find. There were no Sugar Skull Monkeys on the internet when I got this idea. So, it was completely up to my imagination to make it happen. These are the original Sugar Skull Sock Monkeys!

I laid out all the images of Sugar Skulls I had printed out in front of me. I started with a white monkey body, stuffed in my fashion… let go, and began to sew. I knew I needed to incorporate some sort of marigold element, though roses are traditional in art, marigolds are part of the tradition. Before I was even aware of what was happening everything completely flowed together, and my Sugar Skull was born.

I’m planning to make stock for this year, and have been running a kickstarter project for the last 2 months to get it going. I’ve hit my goal, but I have a couple stretch goals I’m hoping to reach.

ABOUT THIS MONKEY:

Overlocked seams to help against ripping apart. Parts are securely sewn on with heavy duty, quality thread. I created this pattern and purposely sew on the legs instead of making it one piece in order to create a stronger monkey. They will withstand firm tugging, but not vicious abuse. Each one is stuffed firmly, but not too firmly… Crafted to last, so you can enjoy your monkey for many years to come. Totally hand crafted from brand new socks, sewing machine and hand sewn elements. Stuffed with 100% polyester filling.

I will be expanding the monkeys this year to include DIY kits, as well as key chains, stickers, and hopefully… jewelry.

More information about my Sugar Skulls and the project can be found at Kickstarter.