I feel like I've been working on this project forever, but I'm thrilled to say, "The Happy Stacker is finished!" What's there to say about this project that I haven't already mentioned? First off, I had several comments and emails asking about the pole that the rings sit on. Surprisingly, it's made out of nothing but fabric, Peltex interfacing (that super stiff stuff that replaced Timtex), and stuffing. All of this really helps the cone keep it's shape - it's firm, yet soft so that if someone falls or steps on it, they won't impale themselves! It does require some hand stitching to create the pole, too. Unfortunately, it's unavoidable.... Here's what the toy looks like when it's disassembled:

I should also mention the finished size it's HUGE! Much larger than any commercial ring stacker toy. I looked on the pattern envelope to see how large it was, but never saw it mentioned so I measured myself - 12" tall and 8 1/2" at the largest part of the toy. Here's a photo of Easton with the Happy Stacker so you have a size comparison:

Keep in mind that Easton just turned 5 months (today), so giving this to an older child will definitely make a difference - the rings will also be easier for them to manipulate as well. I should mention that there are several options to add embellishments (such as hanging tags and ribbon trims) that would help a child hold onto the rings, but I decided to omit these since Easton tries to pull apart toys (that aren't supposed to come apart) and rips visible tags off of anything he sees. Lastly, I should mention that the Happy Stacker is definitely a labor of love. There's lots of pieces to cut, interfacings to fuse, markings to transfer, seams to trim, stuffing, and hand-stitching involved so make sure that you go into this project knowing that it will be time consuming so make sure you create this for someone you care about or who will appreciate the hard work you put into it. This is definitely one toy that could become an heirloom.