A few highlights from my studio this year. I have had a really interesting, exciting crafting year. I've sewn nearly every day and that has been a true joy. And I wrote a book this year (and I can't wait to see it come together and become available in 2010). I have so many ideas…
Archives for December 2009
Trash Menagerie at the Peabody Essex
Fish by David Edgar on view now at The Peabody Essex, Salem, MA We visited one of our favorite museums today, the Peabody Essex in Salem, MA, where we saw an amazing exhibit entitled "Trash Menagerie." Over thirty sculptures of animals, each made entirely from recycled materials. I was so inspired. I have always loved…
Lion
I am trying to say to myself that no project is too difficult to tackle. Sometimes I will have an idea and will start to think, "Well, how could I make that." And as I think about it, and it starts to get complicated in my mind, I say forget it. There is a good…
Book Review: Design Your Own Stuffed Toys by Anne Dyer
Continuing on with my exploration of soft toy design, I decided to try a pattern from Anne Dyer’s book, Design Your Own Stuffed Toys. This book was recommended to me by a blog reader (thank you!). It was published in 1969 (the year my parent’s got married). Here is what I would say about this…
it was lovely
We had a lovely Chanukkah. The kids can sing the blessings and the songs in Hebrew now and it is totally adorable. We had four menorahs lit each night and with Shabbat on the last night,too, we had 38 candles lit. So nice.
patchwork dog
I made a second cuddly puppy, this time with some treasured wool scraps. He is in my shop now.
cuddly puppy
I am interested in thinking about the pattern design elements that make a soft object a cuddly toy versus a more austere sculptural piece. Baby-like features are key, I think, to an appealing toy. Big eyes and a big round head like a toddler. I designed this cuddly dog as a way to experiment with…
the horse design process continues
Here I was Thursday evening holding the envelope that contains CDs of my manuscript, step-by-step photos of 19 projects and all of my hand-drawn patterns. All sealed up and ready to go. That was a big moment. And my editor tells me all of the packages have been received in Colorado. Very good news. And…
almost there
Really, I want to do something creative, but I can't. The book is due Friday. Friday, my friends. Wow. UPS is coming tomorrow afternoon to pick up 11 boxes of birds. And I'm editing patterns. Editing patterns is confusing and mind-numbing. They all look the same, but they are all different in subtle but vitally…
Book Review: The Big Book of Soft Toy by Mabs Tyler
I'm going to return to the horse and revise. But the other day I checked out a few vintage craft books from the local library and I couldn't resist sewing through some more patterns. I have checked these books out many times, especially four or five years ago when I was first beginning to sew…