New Critter Development

I'm finally the space to work on some bigger Plush pieces. It's always exciting to develop a new creature, although working through a series of prototypes can be rather tedious. This is my first attempt at Bear. Cute in its own way, but not what I am going for! On to the next draft...

I've also been sewing up some "skins" for future creatures. I enjoy using up scraps on these!

"Patches"

St. John's Bizarre & a Satisfactory Digression

I am constantly inspired to make stuff. As in all the time. I have sketchbooks filled with ideas; more than I'll ever have time to realize. Since I'm sort of making a living from selling my work, I feel a bit of pressure to stay focused on making things that people will buy, and to keep my work cohesive (these days it's mostly making plush toys and soft sculpture art). 

But sometimes I can't keep myself from digressing.

Way back in the day, when I was first trying to sell my work, some of the first items I marketed were little zip pouches. I love making bags. There's something so satisfying about figuring out the 3-d design and construction sequence of creating a bag. And, they are useful. When my new electronic device arrived recently, it was just crying out for a scrappy, colorful cozy. So I made this:

I love it! It makes carrying around that sterile electronic device so cozy and friendly. And it was fun to make. So fun, in fact, that I had to make these:

By the time I whipped those babies out, I was on a roll. I'd been wanting to make some more bags with the laminated-wool-scrap technique, and I like the idea of getting some of those tried and true "Mitts for Musing" appliques on some bags. 

So I made these Cozy Clutches:

Which are not the easiest things to photograph. In person, they are squeezable, textural, and quite clutchable.

Well, then I realized that I had little cozies and large cozy-clutches, but I needed something in-between, so I made these Cutelandia Zip Pouches:

I have so many different versions of these floating around the homestead. They are infinitely useful for holding all kinds of items (cozily; in style!).

After I'd made such a pile of cozy bags and bagletts, I was playing around with them and noticed that some of them made little sets:

I'll have a whole table of "Cozies and Clutches" tomorrow at the St. John's Bizarre street fair. Which, by the way, will be my first outdoor street fair of 2012!

Mostly, I'm still making plush. I've been trying out these dimensional noses on the Pocket Buns, and I think they're keepers.

Finally, I want to show you the second suitcase I've renovated.

I don't always have room at table shows to use both the suitcases, but the vastness of the 10' x10' street fair space will allow plenty of space. It's perfect for showing off Pocket Buns and Mitts for Musing.

Little Mr. Tuffet

Big Louie likes to visit me occasionally while I'm at work in the studio. I thought it would be nice to create a special spot for him.


I'd been inspired by the Hassock in Elizabeth Abernathy's winter Nuno Magazine (page 50). As much as I was craving to dip-dye an old wool blanket, add some embroidery to it, and create a stunningly lovely hassock, that project will have to wait for another day when I have more time. Instead, I opted for the instant gratification method. I dug out an old, semi-felted rainbow sweater (huge!). I cut two large circles for the top and bottom, and a wide band to sew around for the sides. I used two bags of tiny scraps left over from sewing projects for the stuffing (and a handful of dried catnip!).

Big Louie is such a sweetie; he nestled in as soon as I showed it to him. 

A new tuffet!

New Laptop Sleeve

Last year I made this groovy laptop case for my computer, using one of my favorite patchwork techniques of mosaicing together small scraps of wool.  I loved how it turned out, but it was just a tad too small for my PowerBook. 

Thanks to generous & thoughtful friends, I was recently able to upgrade my computing to this  MacBook.

Sleeker in design and trimmer than the old PowerBook, it fits the sleeve perfectly, gliding in and out with ease.

Luv.

GrinKins Grow up

I just finished these two new off-shoots of the GrinKin clan. I used the same GrinKin head and legs, but I added a body with arms, and switched the horns for ears and wooly-felt hair. I also put in a little touch of white reflection to liven up the eyes...less scary that way.

With their long, flexible legs and arms, they are super fun too pose and play with; I couldn't resist shooting a few snapshots! Now to come up with names for them.... And since I'm sharing photos, here are a couple of pictures of some interesting rocks we found during our recent visit to central Oregon.

Co-Inspirers

I was recently lucky enough to have a fine visit from some good, old friends. Whilst we adults prepared dinner, drank wine, and worked on solving the World's problems, the kids were happily busy sewing and creating in the workroom. I'd given them each a felt ball, and from there their imaginations took off. I wish they were around more often to give me inspiration...check it out: This is Erica's super cute little buzzy creature, complete with holographic wings and striped eye-patches. It has a little string coming out of the top of it's head, and if you hold it by the string, it looks like it's flying.

Ezair made this curiously cute horned creature with a magical flying-squirrel coat. She also left me with a page of cartoony drawings I hope to use as Plush inspiration.

Here's Erica modeling her new pair of Snake Eyes Mitts for Musing. Sorry you didn't get to muse on any real snakes this time, Erica!

Turning Heads

I've been following my creative muse lately, creating this series of goofy Plush Heads. I love being able to flow from one idea to another, exploring the medium of 3-d sewing and stuffing. Originally, I'd wanted to make some soft masks to hang on our walls at home. For some reason, instead of a flattish mask, I ended up making this stuffed head. I used a simple inset pocket-making technique to install a recessed mouth. I amused myself by making a tiny version of the big DiscusHead, which could live in DiscusHead's mouth. Then I had the idea for this sun-eating-moon, or Revenge of the Eclipse Head. El Torroman was inspired by Venezuelan dance masks, and was technically the most challenging Head so far. I learned that large inset mouths can cause the whole structure to sag and be unstable. I kept stitching and adding things on, making the best of what I'd started. With NestieHead, I put the fur-lined insert in the top if the head, to make a little nest for a baby creature. Then I had the funny idea to add little floppy legs onto the heads, and made this family of GrinKins. Some earlier explorations:

Buddha Bunnies

Tactile Whatsit

The most thrilling thing about making these Heads is that they use up scraps!! So many more ideas to birth...

Holiday Craft Show Recap

As a craftsperson, the "holiday season" is a time when I have an opportunity to sell my wares and generate some income. This year is the first time I've gotten it together in time to actually get into some local holiday craft shows and take advantage of the gift-buying going on in consumer land. I was fortunate in my choice of venues. The three shows I did were decently attended by folks who dug my offerings and were willing to part with their pocket change. The thing I love about face-to-face sales is the energy exchanged. My customers seem genuinely happy to try on endless pairs of mitts, finding just the right one, and the delight is palpable in the smiles as shoppers fondle and squeeze the inviting, wooley, soft wares on display. It makes me happy to see the response to my work. I value the feedback I receive from my customers and other vendors. It's fun to present new ideas and see how they go over. This season some of my new ideas were cutenesses like these:

I can't believe that I've finally succumbed to the cuteness thing, but they are soooo fun to make, and their adorableness is rather addicting. I've been perfecting my scrappy appliqué technique, and my latest exploration is making these bags. I'm inspired and excited to make more of these. It takes a fair amount of time to sew all the little pieces together, so I want the bag itself to be super-high quality, with the construction, lining, etc, so that people may be willing to splurge on buying them.

The hot item this season, however, has been the fingerless Mitts for Musing. I've gone into mini-factory mode stitching these up this past month. It's encouraging to have an item that sells well. I think what clicks with these mitts is that they are practical, in-fashion right now, unique, and...under $20. A great gift item. Thankyou to my customers! I have a handful of nice pairs left that I'll be photographing and adding to my Etsy shop this coming week. Too late for holiday gift-giving, but hey, it'll be mitt-wearing weather for months to come! Here's a photo of my table at yesterday's SCRAP Holiday Bazaar.The event went pretty much as I expected. I was happy with my sales, but attendance over all was somewhat slow, due perhaps to a lack of promotion. The vendors were quirky, wonderful folks, and I feel like I made some great new friends. Kelly at SCRAP did a nice job of arranging us all in various rooms, and providing cookies and hot coffee through-out the day. We had a fine time chatting and entertaining ourselves in our little room. One thing I love about this event is that all the crafts were created using upcycled materials. The wares were all high quality and showed an intriguing level of creativity. I'd like to see this event better promoted next year, as it's the kind of thing Portlanders would really go for, if they only knew about it. In the midst of all this local vending, I also had a custom mail-order for this furry family.

Now I just have to complete another custom order for several pairs of slippers, and I'll be able to take a break from my sewing-for-profit. I'm especially looking forward to attending to some spinning and doing some natural dyeing with my home-grown madder, as well as organizing my fiber stash and tidying up the studio. I want to keep on track with my business sewing, though; the winter is a good time to build up some stock for upcoming spring and summer events. It's a drag to be inside, chained to the sewing machine during the spring when the weather is shining and the garden is calling my name. One last thing; a question for you savvy Bloggers: the way I add links to my blog posts seems really slow and awkward, with typing out the entire address to the link (hence the lack of links!). I'm wondering if anyone out there has a tip for an easy way to do the links. Cut and paste doesn't work...

Next Craft Show Coming Up

Hopefully ya'all aren't getting tired of hearing about my craft shows! It's just that that's what's going on for me right now. This Sunday I'll be at Handmade NW's "Formal Holiday Artisans Fair" at the Chelsea Ballroom in Portland.This looks like it'll be a fun event. All of us vendors are dressing up fancy, and there will be live classical music and tea. I donated some "Green Grin Free Gift with Purchase" coupons for the Goody Bags that will be handed out to the first 100 shoppers. At my table I'll have cute stuffed animals and softies, felted goods, appliqued fingerless mitts, hot-water bottle cozies, lovely felt flower ornaments and goofy angel ornaments like the one above, and misc. wooly bits and bobs. If you do make it down, look me up & introduce yourself! I have one more day for sewing...no way will I be able to make all that I'd like to! I've also had a bit of a dental disaster. A week ago I bit into something hard and one of my front teeth broke off. Yeh, it's a major drag. Not having dental insurance makes it a quadruple major drag. So I'm feeling pretty self-conscious about it, but life must go on. It may be a bit of time before I'll be able to get it fixed. I'm practicing smiling with my mouth closed. So while I'm quite excited about this coming up show, I'm also a bit nervous, you know, about the missing tooth and all. I just hope I don't scare away customers!