Rag Pets

On show

(Photo by the folks of Gallery Hanahou, a super little gallery in New York that puts on the "Luv-able + Hug-able" show.)

The Plush You! Seattle show got off to a super start last week: the gallery was stuffed to the brim with plush and plush-lovers!

(Photo by Gallery Hanahou again.)

It's been wonderful to see lots and lots of photos from the show, and of course, of my Forest Friends too. I know it's not even half as brilliant as being able to see the show in person, but it's still really nice to get to experience the show through photos.

(Photo by Jessica of Plushroom Soup, whose cute and creepy plushies are also on show at Plush You!)

Although, seeing these photos, I'm thinking I should have maybe given the trio some knickers, since you can sort of see up their dresses! :)

(Photo by Anne-Claire of HibouCards, whose awesome owls are also hanging out at the show.)

If you're interested in buying a Forest Friend, or any of the plush on show at Plush You!, you can contact Kirsten over at Schmancy by e-mail, phone or by messenger pigeon* about getting your hands on the plushies that catch your fancy.


*I'm not sure if Schmancy is really equipped to receive messenger pigeons, so best not actually try that one.

Plush You! Seattle!

Dear Seattleites (is that a real word or did I just make that up?), I need your help!

The Plush You! Seattle show opens tomorrow evening, the 8th of October, with a fabulous opening party at Schmancy (1938 2nd Avenue) from 5pm to 9pm. The show will run for a month, ending on the 11th of November.

The Forest Friends will be on show there, along with amazing plushies from over 100 artists from around the world. Unfortunately, I won't be there due to being stuck on the other side of this honking big ocean, so I'm hoping that if any of you who read my blog are able to attend, could you go take lots and lots of photos for me, pretty please?

Bearnice the rag-bear

Meet Bearnice the rag-bear. She lives in a pretty little forest with her best friends, the Forest Friends. They spend their days playing and having fun and exploring in the forest.

Bearnice is made out of soft velvet and she has beady little safety eyes, an embroidered nose and pretty, blushy cheeks. She has a shiny new plastic button for a belly button and she's stuffed with rags and polyfill.
Bearnice is wearing a pretty acorn print cotton dress with a Peter Pan collar and big pockets. The dress closes in the back with a snap. The collar and pockets are both drawn free hand, so they're a bit mismatched and lopsided to create a more sketchy, cartoony look.

Bearnice and her friends are on their way to the Plush You! exhibition opening in Seattle later this autumn. Should you see them there, please say hello! :)

Samantha the rag-fox

This is Samantha the rag-fox. She's one of the Forest Friends, a tight little band of friends living in a pretty little forest, filling their days with fun and adventure.

Samantha is made out of orange wool, and she has little black safety eyes, an embroidered nose and healthy blushy cheeks. Her tail tip is made out of sturdy gingham cotton and she's stuffed with rags and polyfill. Her belly button is an old wooden button.
Samantha is wearing a pretty orange dress with a Peter Pan collar and buttons down the bodice. The dress closes in the back with a snap. The collar was drawn free hand, so it's a bit lopsided and the buttons are all mismatched, for a more sketchy, cartoony feel.

Samantha is on her way to the Plush You! exhibition in Seattle with her friends. Do pop by the show to say hello to her if you happen to be in the area later this autumn! :)

Virginia the rag-wolf

Meet Virginia the rag-wolf. She and her best friends, The Forest Friends, live in a pretty little forest and they spend all their time together playing and exploring and having adventures.

Virginia is made out of soft, fuzzy wool and she has shiny black safety eyes, an embroidered nose and lovely blushy cheeks. She's stuffed with rags and polyfill and she has a brand new plastic button as a belly button.
Virginia is wearing a pretty forest print cotton dress with a Peter Pan collar, satin ribbon bow and a scalloped hem. The dress closes with a snap in the back. The collar and hem were both drawn free hand, so they're haphazard and lopsided to achieve a more sketchy, cartoony feel.

Virginia is on her way to the Plush You! show in Seattle, and should you see her there, be sure to say hello! :)

The Forest Friends

from left to right: Virginia, Samantha and Bearnice

This terrific trio are the Forest Friends, my pieces for the Plush You! Seattle show opening later this autumn.

I had fun designing and making these three. Thank you once again to everyone who helped me pick a theme for them! Inspired by the sketchy look of my rag-snowflakes, I wanted a looser, more cartoony feel for these three Rag Pets too, so the details of their dresses were drawn free hand, and are all a bit mismatched and lopsided. I also went with an almost monochromatic colour scheme, so each dress closely matches the colour of it's wearer. I didn't stick to my original designs all the way though, as Samantha (née Reynard) had a sex change in the middle of it all and became a girl fox instead of the boy fox I had originally made!

The Forest Friends are (according to tracking) now in New York being sorted on their way towards Seattle and exciting new adventures!

If you go down to the woods today...

The Forest Friends, my trio for Plush You! Seattle got dressed and ready and had their photos taken yesterday.

I spent pretty much all day taking photos and then editing the pictures all evening. It would have all taken a lot less time, and it would've been a lot less exasperating too, if my camera's battery held power for longer than a half an hour! I tromped back and forth from the little forest across the street from us after getting just a handful of photos taken, to back home to load said battery again and again. In the end I did get my photos, even if it took three trips to the forest to get them all, and I have new batteries on their way too.

I counted my lucky stars that the weather was nice as I made my trips to the forest. After a truly lovely July (which I mostly spent on the beach, swimming in the sea and enjoying the sun and heat wholeheartedly), now at the end of August the summer is over and autumn is irrevocably here, bringing with it rather miserable weather. Autumn always makes me a bit glum, but I'm doing my best to keep my spirits up and to see the silver lining of this rain cloud. There's the turning of the leaves to look forward to and the colder weather means that I can wear lots of layers again, which I really like. This is just the season for my Forest Friends too, as they have a decidedly autumnal theme to them.

I'll post the fruits of yesterday's labour here later, now I've just about had my fill of photos and will have a nap instead!

Progress

The Forest Friends, my trio for PlushYou!, are coming along nicely. It feels so good to be making things again, after such a long uncreative spell. While my mojo certainly isn't all back yet, it's still very good to create!

Along with getting back into the crafting groove, the bright sunshine and beautiful blue skies of summer are lifting my mood too. Our balcony strawberries, tomatoes and chili peppers are growing, as is my general contentment with life. Summer always fills me with an extra bit of joy and energy, it's so wonderful to have long, long days filled with light and warmth that you can't help but feel cheerful! :)

Foresty fabric everywhere!

Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to vote on which theme I should go with for my PlushYou! pieces! With all the votes tallied, "Forest" came out on top (with "Circus" a close second) and even though I change my mind as often as I change my pants, I'll be sticking with this theme now. :)

I've made sketches and made my mind up as to names and now all I need to do is pick what fabrics to use...

I'd never say that I have too much fabric, quite the contrary, I think I never have just the fabric I need, but at times it is a little hard to pick only a few fabrics from the piles of plenty. I have already managed to prune my assortment a bit though, and I'm sure it will all come together in the end, especially since I have a pretty clear image in my mind of what I'm wanting to do.
And I always have BooBoo at hand to help me with things too.

(BooBoo isn't actually very much of a help, laking thumbs and getting hair on everything and all, but she's super cute, so it all balances out.)

Oh hello there!

It's been a while since I last popped by here, but I'm trying not to feel bad about not blogging all that often. Tartx has a really great post about blogging without obligation: http://www.tartx.com/blog/?page_id=233 and it's a philosophy I fully support. I don't want this blog that's so very dear to me to become something of a burden, and I don't want to have to churn out posts if I don't have a reason to post.

This post does have a reason, and that reason is a super one: I'm going to be exhibiting at PlushYou! in Seattle this fall! I'm really chuffed to be a part of the show again, and to get to share my work with the world. :)

I'm famously bad at making decisions; I will take forever to pick what to eat at a restaurant, and then change my mind once more while I'm ordering and choosing what to wear can take ages and many a wardrobe change before I make it out the door, wishing I would have worn something else instead. So I'm hoping you lot would be able to help me to make up my mind as to what theme I should go with for my pieces. To that end, here's a little poll:

a) circus
b) forest
c) space

Leave a comment with your vote as to which theme would be best, I'll tally up the results, and hope not to change my mind too many times over! :)