It's All about the Dog

Two fun doggie projects recently, altho this first one for a sad occasion. When a dear friend's beloved black lab went to Dog Heaven too soon, I wanted her to have a stuffie she could hug.

I made one of my Dilly Dogs using a really nice black wool suiting, a hot-washed wool scarf for the ears and hearts, and one of my fave vintage trims for his collar. When she first opened the gift she burst into tears! But now he's bringing cheer and comfort.

Then this Sleepy Dog set was commissioned by a relative. Light blue seersucker (really hard to photograph for some reason) with cotton velvet ears & heart. I was so late getting to it that I made a lined drawstring bag-bed too...

I hope the baby-boy recipient will have lots of fun and cuddles with his Sleepy Dog! 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!

Mr. Elephant

I had this elephant doll lying around that I'd made years ago (from a beautiful heavy-weight wool). When a certain grandma wanted to buy him for her grandson's third birthday, he needed an outfit.  Sam loves "things that go" (I made him the bus pillow for Christmas) so I decided to outfit Mr. Elephant as a train conductor.

The overalls came easily and were so fun to make. But the cap was really tricky!! I was having spacial relations problems and it took me the longest time to figure out the folds. It's not perfect but does the trick.

There's a loop on his overalls for a tiny set of keys, and then I made up some train tickets in Photoshop. It was all a lot of work but a very satisfying result. I really hope Mr. Elephant becomes a favorite friend! xo

 

 

 

custom kitty

custom flannel Kitty-Bird in easter colors for an etsy customer.
calling all daffodils!

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!

there's a mouse in the garden!

i finally made a long-ago requested Strawberry Mouse for an amazing Etsy customer who has purchased quite a few of my plush animals.
she is made from a most precious 1940's cotton print...
and she's on her way to california.
good-bye, little mouse!

plush doggie - vintage cotton fabric

this is one of my plush doggies, made for a trade with a wonderful etsy artist who lives in england. i'm afraid to put Daisy in the mail for fear she won't make it safely overseas due to the volcano eruption, which has caused huge delays & backlogs with the postal system.