Easter Bunny!

Bubbit thinks he would make a swell Easter gift.
Happy Easter to you! xo

Bunny!

I'm sewing up 2 Bubbit bunnies to be raffled on Clarion's social media for My Blue Bunny Bubbit's book release.
I had the perfect blue nubby wool fabric in my stash, and altered my usual bunny pattern to get it looking just like my illustrations in the book.
The book comes out this Tuesday Jan 7, so I'll post back with raffle details when I get them. xo

Easter bunnies!

Two little Easter Bunnies hopped into the yard today.
Easter is my favorite holiday - with the bright colors, the hope of spring after a long winter.
Have a wonderful day!

Belated Birthday Bunny

Since I was in the mode of sewing - making the simple elephant and bunny patterns to go with my new book - I finally managed to make a very belated birthday bunny for my friend Karen. In her birthday card, many months ago, I had included swatches from about 10 vintage fabrics that I thought she'd like, so she got to choose. I love how it turned out.

With a larger scale print like this, I have to be more careful in how I place the patterns so that large motifs will be in good places.
I always love how these bunnies look from the back too.

This stuffed bunny pattern was inspired by the bunny I created for this book by Linda Sue Park for Clarion some years ago. When I made the first bunny, I thought it was the best thing I'd ever made!
I started selling them in my Etsy shop, and they were very popular.
Here's a sampling of those I sold:

There was a thrill in listing a new bunny and having it purchased usually within hours. Compared to the long process of illustrating a book, the immediate response and connection with buyers was so satisfying, and a sale always made me want to make a new one. Also, each bunny was different.
But it was certainly far from cost-effective, so eventually I had to stop selling bunnies.
However, this bunny was the inspiration for my next book, My Blue Bunny Bubbit which will be published by Clarion this fall.
It's funny the circularity of things, how one thing leads to another in a way you'd never expect!

Second proofs for my next book

this week i received a copy of the second proofs for my next book!
it's called My Blue Bunny Bubbit, and will come out in the fall. the art for the book was put together digitally, which is a first for me. i used a combination of traditional and digital to create the artwork, and it was very strange and kind of anticlimactic to just upload the finished files to the art director's Drop Box after all the months of work. before, there would be the ceremonious labeling and careful packing of the original art, taking the box to Fedex, and then receiving an appreciative and enthusiastic phone call from the editor and art director when they had received the package and were seeing the art for the first time.

however, there was a reason to develop this new way of working - it was something that i felt called to do for this particular story, and i'm very happy with what i came up with and will probably continue to work this way. i was worried about how the art would print, since on the computer you're always seeing a brighter version of things due to the back-lit screen and you feel a certain disconnect. but i needn't have worried because it's printing very well, and pretty close to what i expected.

the story has a sewing theme, so i'm also making simple version sewing patterns of the two stuffed toys that will be available to readers through Clarion Book's website. i hope parents and kids will enjoy making them together! these are the first round samples - i'll show the finals next. xo

Easter is coming!

Spring has always been my favorite time of  year - the determined blooms emerging from a gray & brown world, speckling the sidewalks & yards with a confetti of color - it's so exciting!
If you have little ones in your life and like to sew, I have a special pattern in my etsy shop so you can get a Hop on Easter....These stuffies are totally baby safe, and all young children love them.

Happy Spring!
xo

Hoppy Easter!

for easter i made myself one of my bunnies from my Most Prized vintage cotton fabric - a stunning abstract floral. i'd love to have Everything made from this print - pants, skirt, shirt, pillows, handbag...but a bunny is a nice way to start.

Happy tulips and daisies and everything yellow!
xo

little bunny softie

i designed a new bunny pattern for a very special baby who soon will arrive....
8" tall, made from wool, satin, velvet ribbon, and vintage flannel.
soon to be mailed to california...bye - bye, bunny!

Close-ups from the scene posted earlier

Some close-ups from the moving scene.....I have to say I do love the tiny baby beaver...he's about
1/4 inch tall in the original illustration.
This was my first book with animal characters, and by the end I was totally converted!!
I now understand why most illustrators prefer animals over people.
There is more freedom and more fun!